Chennai: A large number of NEET scorers have joined the all-India quota, with 127 marks set as the cut-off for MBBS and 129 for BDS.

The Directorate of Medical Education and Research is responsible for admissions to MBBS and BDS courses in government and private medical colleges. Many students who were allotted seats in the first two rounds of counseling for the all-India quota, AIIMS, and central universities have opted for these options and returned their state quota seats.

Additionally, since tuition fees in medical colleges outside Tamil Nadu are lower than in the state's self-financed medical colleges, several students declined state offers. As a result, 1,143 seats remained vacant, which are now being filled in the third phase of counseling.

The results for this phase were released yesterday. Students with NEET scores as low as 379 have secured MBBS seats. Similarly, a student with 129 marks qualified for a seat in the BDS course. Furthermore, MBBS seats have been allotted under the NRI quota to students with 127 marks, specifically for the heirs of non-resident Indians.

This year, many students with lower NEET scores (out of 720) have had the opportunity to pursue medicine due to the vacancies.

Officials from the Directorate of Medical Education stated, "If any student surrenders their seat after the third round of counseling, they will face a penalty of Rs 10 lakh. Hence, students generally avoid giving up their seats. If further vacancies arise, the cut-off marks for the BDS course will be lowered."