Tamil Nadu to Review 7.5% Medical Reservation for Government School Students

The Tamil Nadu government will examine its current 7.5% horizontal reservation for students from government schools seeking admission to medical courses. A new commission, to be led by a retired judge, has been formed to undertake this review.

What Happened

Health Minister K.G. Arunraj announced the formation of a commission to review the 7.5% reservation policy for government school students in MBBS and BDS admissions. This review will determine if the reservation should be increased or expanded to include allied health science programs. The decision follows a recommendation from a 2020 commission led by Justice P. Kalaiyarasan, which was established to investigate the underrepresentation of government school students in medical colleges and propose solutions. The new commission will evaluate the benefits of the existing reservation and the duration for which it should continue.

Key Facts

• The Tamil Nadu government is reviewing the 7.5% horizontal reservation for government school students in medical admissions.
• A new commission, headed by a retired judge, will assess the reservation's effectiveness and potential expansion to allied health courses.
• The previous Kalaiyarasan Commission in 2020 studied reasons for lower admission numbers of government school students and suggested remedies.
• For the 2026-2027 academic year, 4,860 applications were received under the 7.5% reservation for MBBS/BDS government quota seats, with 3,625 accepted.
• A total of 537 MBBS seats and 104 BDS seats are available under this reservation, distributed between government and private institutions.
• The state received an additional 850 MBBS seats this year, totaling 9,999 MBBS seats to be filled through counseling.

Background

The 7.5% reservation was implemented to address disparities in medical college admissions, aiming to increase the number of students from state-run schools. The initial commission, formed in 2020, was tasked with understanding why fewer government school students were entering medical fields and suggesting improvements. The current review by a new commission will build upon these findings, assessing the impact of the implemented reservation and exploring its future scope.