NMC proposes extending MBBS completion limit from nine to ten years

NMC proposes extending MBBS completion limit from nine to ten years

The National Medical Commission published a draft amendment to the Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2023 in the Gazette of India on 18 May 2026. The proposed change modifies Clause 21 of Chapter V, which governs how long a student can take to complete the MBBS programme. Under the current rule, no student may continue the undergraduate medical course beyond nine years from the date of admission. The amendment would extend this to ten years from joining first MBBS, and the new limit explicitly includes the compulsory rotatory medical internship period.

If you are a current MBBS student who has been running close to the existing nine-year cap, the proposed amendment gives you an additional year. It also clarifies that the internship counts within that window, not separately. The four-attempt cap for first professional MBBS examinations stays unchanged.

This is a draft regulation open for public comment. You have 30 days from the date of Gazette publication to submit objections or suggestions by email at [email protected]. Only email submissions in the prescribed format will be accepted; physical submissions will not be considered. The draft notification is available on the NMC website.

Source: nmc.org.in