Data from the first round of NEET PG counselling reveals a significant shift in preferences among the country’s most promising, top-ranked young doctors: General Medicine has now overtaken Radiology as the preferred choice.

A major change has emerged in the preferences of medical students regarding postgraduate courses. According to data from the first round of NEET PG counselling, General Medicine has become the top choice for the country’s most promising, high-ranking young doctors, surpassing Radiology. The final allotment list for the first round of NEET PG 2026 counselling, released by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), shows that top-rankers have opted for General Medicine in large numbers, creating a clear and widening gap between the two specialties.

General Medicine Overtakes Radiology

An analysis of the data from the first round of NEET PG 2026 counselling—which covered a total of 63,177 MD/MS seats—reveals that General Medicine was the top choice among high-rankers. Among the top 100 candidates, 51 chose MD in General Medicine, while 28 opted for Radiodiagnosis—a difference of 23 seats. In contrast, the gap was smaller in the previous year (2025), when 46 candidates chose General Medicine and 40 chose Radiology. Furthermore, among the top 501 seat allotments, 233 candidates selected General Medicine. Following General Medicine, MD in Radiodiagnosis emerged as the second most popular choice, with 149 seats allotted. Together, these two major specialties accounted for 382 of the top 501 allotted seats, representing approximately 76.2% of the total allocations. The number of seats allotted in General Medicine was about 1.6 times higher than in Radiology.

Most Popularly Chosen Major Courses

The remaining candidates have opted for fields such as Anesthesiology, Ophthalmology, and other courses.

Why are the preferences of doctors shifting?

Medical education experts and former office-bearers of resident doctor associations believe that young doctors no longer view postgraduate (PG) courses as an ultimate destination, but rather as a "launchpad" or a "transit station." Completing an MD in General Medicine opens doors to various super-specialties, including Cardiology, Nephrology, Neurology, Gastroenterology, and Critical Care. This flexibility is highly attractive to students who wish to keep their options open during the early stages of their careers.

Meanwhile, while Radiology remains a popular field, students are experiencing uncertainty regarding its future due to the rapidly growing influence of AI in medical imaging. Furthermore, practical concerns—such as the high costs associated with setting up radiology equipment and the risks of long-term occupational radiation exposure—are also influencing students' choices. Additionally, there are over 4,000 seats for General Medicine nationwide, compared to approximately 1,200 seats for Radiology. Consequently, students have a higher probability of securing a seat in their preferred college when opting for General Medicine.