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State quota in NEET counselling
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State quota means the medical seats that a state's own authority fills through its own counselling. The Tamil Nadu prospectus for 2026-27 defines it as 85% of the seats in government medical colleges plus 100% of the seats in private colleges, other than deemed universities. The remaining 15% of government seats is the All India Quota, which MCC fills.
How Tamil Nadu splits its seats
| Seat type | Share |
|---|---|
| Government colleges: state quota | 85% |
| Government colleges: All India Quota | 15% |
| Self-financing and state private university colleges: Government Quota | 50% or more |
| Self-financing and state private university colleges: Management Quota | 35% or less |
| Self-financing colleges: NRI quota | 15% |
Deemed universities are not part of the state quota. They are counselled by MCC. The Selection Committee under the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, Kilpauk, Chennai, runs the state counselling.
What the state quota rewards
State quota seats are meant for the state's own candidates. In Tamil Nadu you must be a native with a nativity certificate, and a permanent residence certificate is not accepted. Merit is decided by NEET score among the candidates who applied to the state. Tamil Nadu then applies its 69% community reservation, horizontal categories such as the 7.5% government school quota, PwD, sports and ex-servicemen seats, and runs a separate rank list for the 7.5% track and the remaining 92.5%.
The reservation shares in the 2026-27 prospectus are: Open Competition 31%, Backward Class 30% (including 3.5% for BC Muslims), Most Backward Class and Denotified Communities 20%, Scheduled Caste 18% (including the Arunthathiyar sub-quota) and Scheduled Tribe 1%.
State quota in other states
Every state has its own rules on residence, reservation and fees, so a seat that is state quota in one state may not follow Tamil Nadu's rules. Read the prospectus of the state you are applying to. Use the Tamil Nadu counselling guide for the full process here.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply for both state quota and All India Quota?
Yes. They are separate counselling processes with separate registrations and merit lists.
Are management quota seats part of the state quota?
In Tamil Nadu's definition, state quota covers all private college seats other than deemed universities, which includes the management quota seats. They are counselled on their own list.
Official sources
- Tamil Nadu Selection Committee: 2026-27 Government Quota prospectus.
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- All India Quota (AIQ)All India Quota is the 15% of state government medical seats filled by MCC for candidates of any state. See how it works and Tamil Nadu's 2026-27 seat numbers.
- Management quotaManagement quota is a category of private medical seats with higher fees. See the Tamil Nadu 2026-27 share, fees and deposit, and how it differs from NRI quota.
- Nativity certificateA nativity certificate proves you are a native of Tamil Nadu, which the state quota requires. See why a residence certificate is not accepted and who may apply.
- Tamil Nadu NEET counsellingTamil Nadu MBBS/BDS counselling for 2026-27: seat matrix, nativity rule, 69% reservation, the 7.5% government-school quota, rounds and documents.
More in NEET
- Stray vacancy roundThe stray vacancy round is the last online round of NEET counselling, filling seats left empty after Round 3. See how it works, who can join and what to expect.
- Seat matrixA seat matrix lists each medical college's seats by course and quota. See how to read it, Tamil Nadu's 2026-27 tentative numbers and why it is not a cut-off.
- Provisional answer keyThe NEET provisional answer key is NTA's draft key, open to challenge before the final key. See how to challenge it, what changes and how to compute your score.
- OMR challengeAn OMR challenge in NEET is an objection to how your OMR sheet was recorded, unlike an answer key challenge. See how the display works and avoid fake sheets.
- NTANTA is the National Testing Agency that conducts NEET-UG. See what it handles, what it leaves to MCC and the states, and how to spot genuine NTA notices.
- NRI quotaNRI quota is a separate share of private medical college seats. See Tamil Nadu's 15% share for 2026-27, how it differs from management quota and what to check.
- NMCNMC is the National Medical Commission, whose rules set the NEET syllabus and eligibility. See what it controls, what NTA and MCC do, and the 2026 syllabus.
- NEET tie-breakingNEET tie-breaking decides rank when candidates have equal marks. See the order NTA uses (Biology first), what was removed, and a worked example.