The National Medical Commission (NMC) has proposed tighter norms for setting up new medical colleges, launching new medical courses, and increasing seats in existing programmes. Under the draft Establishment of New Medical Institutions Assessment & Rating (Amendment) Regulations, 2026, institutions will not be eligible for approval unless their infrastructure and all statutory requirements are fully completed at the time of application.
The draft amendment, released on July 8, 2026, proposes the insertion of a new Clause 9(k) into the Establishment of New Medical Institutions, Assessment and Rating Regulations, 2023. The proposed provision states that applications will only be considered if the required infrastructure is complete, and that temporary hospital or college buildings will not be accepted.
According to the draft, applications from institutions where construction is still in progress will not be processed. It specifically states that temporary arrangements for hospital or academic buildings will not be permitted, and any institute with a “work-in-progress” status will be ineligible for further consideration.
The latest proposal is part of a broader set of amendments to the 2023 regulations. Earlier, the NMC had proposed changes to Clauses 6, 9, 15 and 31, covering eligibility to establish medical colleges or start new courses, submission of mandatory documents, issuance of approval letters, and penalties for applicants.
Among the proposed changes, the Commission has also recommended that incomplete applications lacking the prescribed documents be rejected outright without providing applicants an opportunity to rectify deficiencies, as permitted under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.
The draft further proposes that applicants submit a Consent of Affiliation (CoA) issued by a recognised university in the name of the applicant institution. A solvency certificate, based on the most recently completed financial year and issued by a Chartered Accountant within 90 days before the application deadline, has also been proposed as a mandatory document.
In addition, institutions seeking approval for new medical colleges or courses will be required to furnish an undertaking confirming that they will earmark a corpus fund for the functioning of the proposed institution. The amount of this fund will be determined by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), which may revise the requirement from time to time. Colleges will also have to submit documentary proof of the corpus fund whenever directed by the Board.
The NMC has invited comments, objections and suggestions from stakeholders on the draft regulations within 30 days from the date of publication in the Gazette.
