NMC asks medical colleges to restrict MBBS fees to 4.5-year academic period

NMC mandates MBBS colleges to limit fees to 4½ years, enforcing compliance with the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.

The National Medical Commission (NMC), India’s regulatory body for medical education and professionals mandated to ensure quality, affordable medical education, has issued a public notice instructing that medical colleges, institutions and universities must restrict fee charges to the 4.5 year academic period for the MBBS course, aligning with statutory regulations and court judgments.

The notice has been issued following reports of certain medical colleges, institutions or universities under the purview of the NMC charging fees for the entire duration of five years or five-and-a-half years from MBBS students.

“Such practices are not consistent with the prescribed academic structure of the MBBS programme and result in charging fees for periods which do not constitute academic reach,” the Commission said. Directing strict adherence to statutory provisions, regulations and judicial rulings, the Commission warned that non-compliance will attract action.

The notice said that all medical colleges are to strictly comply with the statutory provisions contained in the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, applicable regulations and judgements passed by courts, and any instance of non-compliance shall be viewed seriously and appropriate action initiated by the Commission, as per the extant statutory and regulatory provisions.

It added that Section 10 and Section 24 of the National Medical Commission Act, 2019, read with the Competency Based Medical Education Guidelines, 2024 framed under the Graduate Medical Education Regulations, prescribe that the duration of the MBBS course comprises 4.5 years (54 months) of academic study, followed by one year of compulsory rotating internship.