The National Medical Commission (NMC) has published the official MBBS seat matrix for NEET UG 2026 counselling, giving lakhs of aspiring doctors across the country their first clear picture of how many seats they will be competing for this admission cycle. The matrix confirms a total of 1,36,939 MBBS seats on offer this year, split between 63,296 government seats and 73,643 private seats. This marks a jump of 9,911 seats over last year's count, taking the year-on-year growth to roughly 7.8%. It is worth noting that this matrix does not cover the Institutes of National Importance, AIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER and similar centrally administered institutions, which follow their own separate admission process.Also Read: Neet cut off 2026 for MBBS Govt College: Check category-wise marks you will need to get government medical college seat Here is a complete breakdown of what the 2026 matrix contains, how it compares to 2025, and how seats are distributed state by state.NMC MBBS Seat Matrix 2026: Key Numbers at a Glance ParticularsDetailsConducting AuthorityNational Medical Commission (NMC)Admission RouteNEET UG 2026 CounsellingTotal MBBS Colleges823Government Medical Colleges441Private Medical Colleges382Total MBBS Seats1,36,939Government MBBS Seats63,296Private MBBS Seats73,643Seats Added Compared to 20259,911Overall Growth7.80%New Medical Colleges This Year25— of which Government7— of which Private18Seats From New Colleges2,400State With Most Total SeatsKarnataka (15,395)State With Most Government SeatsMaharashtra (6,000)State With Most Private SeatsKarnataka (10,995)Not Covered in This MatrixAIIMS, JIPMER, PGIMER and other INIsComplete State-Wise MBBS Seat Matrix for NEET UG 2026For candidates preparing to register for NEET UG 2026 counselling, here is the full state-wise split between government and private MBBS seats, as released by the NMC:State/UTGovernment SeatsPrivate SeatsTotal SeatsAndaman & Nicobar1140114Andhra Pradesh3,5153,9507,465Arunachal Pradesh1000100Assam1,87501,875Bihar1,7102,4504,160Chandigarh2000200Chhattisgarh1,7251,2002,925Dadra & Nagar Haveli1770177Delhi1,1652501,415Goa2500250Gujarat4,2503,5007,750Haryana1,0601,9002,960Himachal Pradesh721150871Jammu & Kashmir1,5251501,675Jharkhand8007001,500Karnataka4,40010,99515,395Kerala1,8553,8495,704Madhya Pradesh3,0203,0006,020Maharashtra6,0007,09913,099Manipur400150550Meghalaya100150250Mizoram1000100Nagaland1000100Odisha1,8501,1002,950Puducherry1801,6001,780Punjab9009501,850Rajasthan4,4803,6008,080Sikkim100100200Tamil Nadu5,3498,65013,999Telangana4,4005,85010,250Tripura200300500Uttar Pradesh5,7008,30014,000Uttarakhand6258501,475West Bengal4,3502,8507,200Total63,29673,6431,36,939 Private Colleges Drive Most of the Growth A closer look at the numbers shows that private medical colleges have contributed the lion's share of new seats this year. Government colleges added 2,111 seats, growing from 61,185 to 63,296, a rise of about 3.45%. Private colleges, on the other hand, grew far more sharply, adding 7,800 seats to go from 65,843 to 73,643, a jump of nearly 11.85%. Put simply, close to 79% of every new MBBS seat added this year has come from the private sector, continuing a trend of private capacity expanding faster than government capacity nationally.25 New Medical Colleges Enter the Fray The 2026 cycle also welcomes 25 brand-new medical colleges, together bringing 2,400 additional seats into the system for the current academic session: 7 new government colleges → 400 seats 18 new private colleges → 2,000 seats That means roughly 83% of seats created through new colleges this year are private. States that saw the most action on this front include Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.NMC MBBS Seat Matrix 2026: New Colleges and Seats, State by State StateNew CollegesGovt. Seats AddedPrivate Seats AddedTotal Seats AddedChhattisgarh6250100350Rajasthan30350350Andhra Pradesh25050100Bihar20200200Karnataka22500250Maharashtra22500250Uttar Pradesh20150150Haryana10100100Jharkhand10100100Sikkim11000100Tamil Nadu10150150Telangana10150150West Bengal10150150Total254002,0002,400 Which States Gained the Most Seats This Year? Karnataka leads the pack in absolute terms, adding 1,300 seats to touch 15,395, comfortably the highest tally in the country. Tamil Nadu picked up 950 additional seats, while Uttar Pradesh added 800, and West Bengal and Telangana followed with gains of 825 and 810 seats respectively. Several smaller states and Union Territories, including Assam, Delhi, Meghalaya and a few island territories, saw no change in their seat count this year.NMC MBBS Seat Matrix 2026: State-Wise Seat Comparison of 2025 vs 2026 State/UT2025 Seats2026 SeatsChangeKarnataka14,09515,395+1,300Uttar Pradesh13,20014,000+800Tamil Nadu13,04913,999+950Maharashtra12,69913,099+400Telangana9,44010,250+810Rajasthan7,1808,080+900Gujarat7,5507,750+200Andhra Pradesh7,0907,465+375West Bengal6,3757,200+825Madhya Pradesh5,6006,020+420Kerala5,4545,704+250Bihar3,4204,160+740Haryana2,7102,960+250Odisha2,9002,950+50Chhattisgarh2,3802,575+195Assam1,8751,8750Punjab1,8001,850+50Puducherry1,6301,780+150Jammu & Kashmir1,5751,675+100Jharkhand1,1301,500+370Uttarakhand1,3251,475+150Delhi1,4151,4150Himachal Pradesh870871+1Manipur525550+25Tripura450500+50Goa200250+50Meghalaya2502500Chandigarh150200+50Sikkim100200+100Dadra & Nagar Haveli1771770Andaman & Nicobar1141140Arunachal Pradesh1001000Mizoram1001000Nagaland1001000Grand Total1,27,0281,36,939+9,911 What This Means for NEET UG 2026 Candidates With over 1.36 lakh MBBS seats now confirmed and counselling expected to follow the release of the NEET UG 2026 result, candidates should keep a close eye on official notifications from the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) for all-India quota seats, and their respective state counselling authorities for state quota seats. As always, seat availability at the time of actual counselling can see minor revisions, so students are advised to cross-check figures on the official NMC and MCC websites before finalising their preferences.