Ambernath medical college tops cut-off among eight new GMCs

Mumbai: Among the eight newly established government medical colleges (GMCs) approved by the National Medical Commission (NMC) in Maharashtra for the 2024-25 academic year, the Ambernath GMC has recorded the highest cut-off score for admissions.
Despite some infrastructure challenges, all 680 seats across these new institutions were filled during round 3 of the Centralised Admission Process (CAP), reflecting a strong preference for government-run colleges over private institutions.
With the addition of these eight GMCs, Maharashtra now boasts 35 government medical colleges, offering 4,850 MBBS seats in total. The new colleges, located in Ambernath, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Washim, Jalna, Buldhana, Bhandara, and Hingoli, each have 100 seats. Of the 800 new seats, 15% or 120 were surrendered to the All India Quota (AIQ).
Data from the Common Entrance Test (CET) cell reveals that the last student admitted to Ambernath GMC in the general category secured a National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) score of 646 and an All India Rank (AIR) of 29,497. In comparison, the cut-off for the Gadchiroli GMC was 628 in NEET and an AIR of 46,447.
Parent activist Sudha Shenoy highlighted the growing preference for GMCs due to their affordability. “Nearly 70% of students admitted to GMCs either pay no fees or only half the fees, making medical education accessible to economically weaker sections,” she said. While acknowledging infrastructure issues in the new colleges, Shenoy added, “For medical education, parents prioritise academic quality over hostel and other facilities. Many are willing to bear additional residential and logistical expenses.”
Shenoy also lauded the government’s initiative to expand GMCs, urging further growth. “The additional seats have lowered the cut-off by 10 marks compared to last year, providing relief to students,” she said.
A parent whose child was admitted to Ambernath GMC cited affordability as a key factor. “Private medical education would have cost us ₹50 lakh, while at a GMC, the total expenditure is around ₹1 lakh or ₹2 lakh,” they said.
The state government’s policy to establish at least one medical college in each district aims to reduce the need for students to pursue medical education abroad by expanding local opportunities. Each new college has been allocated ₹403 crore for construction.
Despite ongoing challenges, including operating from rented buildings, the government has reassured stakeholders of its commitment to improving facilities in the long term. Meanwhile, the overwhelming response to the new GMCs underscores the demand for affordable medical education in Maharashtra.
Dinesh Waghmare, principal secretary of the Maharashtra government’s medical education department said, “There are some issues with new colleges regarding the construction, but we are working on it, and we will fix it as soon as possible.”