More than 800 medical seats remain vacant across deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry after the final counselling held for NEET UG 2026, sources said on Thursday.High tuition fees have led to this situation, say educationists and industry experts.According to Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) sources, of the total 837 unfilled MBBS seats across the country (including All India Quota seats), 824 were vacant in deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry alone.Educationists criticised the lack of a fee cap for deemed universities and pointed out that high-scoring NEET candidates are forced to forgo these seats simply because they cannot afford the exorbitant fees, thereby defeating the core purpose of conducting a merit-based national entrance examination.Senior educationist and State Platform for Common School System – Tamil Nadu (SPCSS-TN) general secretary P B Prince Gajendra Babu told PTI that the high scorer in NEET, whose financial position does not permit them to get admitted to such private institutions with a high fee, simply opts out. Such candidates do not apply for the counselling.“The lesser scorer who is financially sound applies and secures the seat,” he said, adding, “NEET failed in both of its objectives — neither ensure merit nor curb commercialisation of medical education.”He said all private medical education institutions, including those deemed to be universities that cannot reduce their fee structure and keep the seats unfilled, must be closed.“The state governments should be encouraged to open an adequate number of medical colleges wherever needed,” he added.Industry experts cite the excessive annual tuition fees as the main driver behind the low intake.A Srinath, a higher education career counsellor for the students in the city, claimed annual MBBS fees in deemed universities across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry range between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 35 lakh per year.“The students have to pay hostel and mess fees between Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh per year in private institutions. In contrast, the average annual fee across other parts of India in private institutions stands at around Rs 17 lakh, resulting in a substantial fee disparity over the four and a half year duration of the course,” he said.With the seats remaining unfilled, an additional round of counselling may be expected. The MCC will take a decision in this regard. “However, it is unclear till now,” he added.