Medical Education Department keen on 15% NRI quota in all government medical colleges

The Medical Education Department, Karnataka, is keen on reserving 15% of all seats in government medical colleges for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from the academic years 2026-27. The measure is seen as a revenue generating exercise to make government medical colleges move towards sustaining themselves and not depend on grants from the State.  

There are 24 government medical colleges in the State with a total of 4,249 MBBS seats. While private medical colleges have a 5% NRI quota, government colleges did not. Last year, the government introduced a 15% NRI quota specifically within the enhanced seat capacity of the 24 government medical colleges — 450 seats for 2025-26 (67 seats). This year, the Department intends to expand it to all the seats available in the 24 colleges.