INICET 2026 Seat Matrix
INICET 2026 offers approximately 815 MD/MS/MDS/DM/MCh seats per session across all 12 participating institutes. To put this in perspective — NEET PG offers ~52,000 seats. For the same candidate pool of serious aspirants, INICET offers about 1/63rd the number of seats. Every rank point matters at this scale.
| Total Seats (Expected) | ~815 per session |
| Degree Types | MD, MS, MDS, DM (super-specialty), MCh (super-specialty) |
| Institutes | All AIIMS campuses (8) + JIPMER + PGIMER + NIMHANS + SCTIMST |
| Official Seat Matrix | Released on aiimsexams.ac.in before counselling begins |
| Note on Seat Count | Seat count may vary slightly between sessions as institutes add or adjust intake |
| Category | Reservation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unreserved (UR) | ~50% | Includes EWS within UR quota (10% of UR seats) |
| OBC-NCL | ~27% | Non-Creamy Layer only — current NCL certificate required |
| SC | ~15% | Caste certificate from competent authority |
| ST | ~7.5% | Tribe certificate required |
| EWS | ~10% (within UR) | Income and asset certificate for current year |
| PwBD | ~5% horizontal | Horizontal reservation across all categories |
| Sponsored / Foreign | Separate seats | Institutional-sponsored and foreign national quota |
MD/MS seats (majority): These are the standard postgraduate seats open to any MBBS graduate who qualifies. You choose a specialty like General Medicine (MD), General Surgery (MS), Radiology (MD), Pathology (MD), etc.
DM/MCh seats (super-specialty): These require a prior MD/MS degree — you cannot apply directly after MBBS. DM specialties include Cardiology, Endocrinology, Nephrology, Neurology, Gastroenterology. MCh specialties include Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Urology, Plastic Surgery. These seats are far fewer and have separate eligibility — verify in the official seat matrix before counselling.
MDS seats: Dental postgraduate seats offered at AIIMS campuses that have dental colleges. Limited in number.
NEET PG has approximately 52,000 seats — roughly 1 seat per 3 serious candidates. INICET, with ~815 seats and potentially tens of thousands of NEET PG-level aspirants registering, offers perhaps 1 seat per 20–30 serious candidates.
At AIIMS Delhi specifically, the most competitive specialties (Radiology, Dermatology) have only 2–5 seats each. If 5,000 candidates score above 140/200, you need to be in the top 50–80 of those to secure Radiology at AIIMS Delhi.
This is why INICET requires both depth of preparation (clinical reasoning, image-based questions) and breadth (no subject can be ignored entirely when even a 1-mark difference can change your rank by 50 positions).
| Institute | Approximate Seats | Key Specialties |
|---|---|---|
| AIIMS New Delhi | Largest share — roughly half of all INICET seats | All major MD/MS, DM/MCh, MDS |
| AIIMS Jodhpur, Bhopal, Rishikesh, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Raipur (6 newer) | ~50–70 seats each | Clinical and para-clinical MD/MS — fewer DM/MCh |
| JIPMER Puducherry | ~120–140 seats | MD, MS, MCh — strong clinical programs |
| PGIMER Chandigarh | ~200+ seats | MD, MS, DM, MCh — large super-specialty intake |
| NIMHANS Bangalore | ~100–120 seats | Psychiatry, Neurology, Neurosurgery focus — also general specialties |
AIIMS New Delhi is the single most competitive institute in INICET. Radiology, Dermatology, and Ophthalmology at AIIMS Delhi typically close within the top 30–80 ranks in UR. General Medicine and General Surgery close within 150–400. The prestige, faculty, and patient exposure make AIIMS Delhi the first choice for most toppers.
PGIMER Chandigarh carries its own entrance exam as well, but through INICET it offers DM/MCh super-specialty seats that are extremely sought after.
JIPMER Puducherry offers a strong mix of clinical and super-specialty seats. Closing ranks are typically 100–300 ranks lower than AIIMS Delhi for comparable specialties, making it a realistic target for candidates in the 300–800 range.
NIMHANS Bangalore is niche but highly coveted for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery. Competition is intense but the candidate pool targeting NIMHANS specifically is smaller.
Regional AIIMS (Jodhpur, Bhopal, etc.) are the "value" picks in INICET. Closing ranks are significantly lower than AIIMS Delhi — often 400–1000+ for clinical branches — and these campuses are expanding rapidly.
| Overall Ratio | Roughly 1 seat per 20–30 registered candidates |
| AIIMS Delhi Top Branches | Often 200+ serious contenders for 2–5 seats |