When a Dream Is Paused: Jamia Hamdard Withdraws 199 Seats Amid CAG Probe
Jamia Hamdard University has withdrawn 150 MBBS and 49 PG medical seats for 2025–26 after a ₹813 crore fund diversion flagged by CAG. Read how this decision impacts NEET aspirants, counselling, and what students can do next.
In the world of Indian medical education, every NEET rank carries a story of long nights, years of dedication, and sacrifices made not just by students but by entire families. For many, Jamia Hamdard University in Delhi represented more than just a college; it was a place of hope. But this week, that hope was quietly and suddenly suspended when the university’s entire allotment of 150 MBBS and 49 postgraduate seats was withdrawn for the 2025–26 academic year.
For students who had secured a place or were in the middle of counselling rounds, this news arrived like a bolt from the blue. Many had just started envisioning their futures—white coats, hospital rounds, and the first steps toward becoming a doctor. Now, all of it stands on shaky ground, and students are left with a growing sense of anxiety and helplessness.
The cancellation stems from a financial controversy flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which pointed to an alarming ₹813 crore diversion of funds. The fallout has been swift, with authorities choosing to halt admissions entirely. While the governance and financial accountability of institutions must certainly be taken seriously, the timing of this decision has thrown hundreds of young lives into uncertainty. Students had no warning, no time to plan a backup, and no clear direction on what comes next.
Counselling is a time-sensitive process. Missing a single window could mean losing a year or settling for a college far below one’s potential or preference. For Delhi-based students, the loss is even more acute—Jamia Hamdard was one of the few options in the city. Some had counted on its minority quota, others had hoped to avoid the crushing fees of private colleges in distant states. Now, all those calculations are unraveling.
What’s most painful is the human cost behind the headlines. Students who had celebrated just days ago after receiving their provisional allotment now find themselves calling helplines, refreshing official websites, and desperately reworking their strategies. There are parents who had just paid seat confirmation fees, only to be told the seat no longer exists. And then there are the students who did everything right, followed every rule, cleared one of India’s toughest exams, and yet are being forced to suffer because of something they had no part in.
Jamia Hamdard has reportedly approached the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the seat cancellation. Until a decision is made, students can only wait. The Medical Counselling Committee is also expected to revise the seat matrix, but with counselling already underway, many students feel like time is slipping away while clarity remains out of reach.
This incident also reignites a long-standing question: Why do administrative failures almost always fall hardest on students? When institutions falter, shouldn’t systems be in place to prevent that burden from falling on the shoulders of 17- and 18-year-olds who are simply trying to build a future?
For now, students are advised to remain alert to official announcements and prepare alternate options if possible. Reaching out to counselling support services, exploring backup colleges, and staying mentally resilient are the only real steps available in this uncertain moment.
Because ultimately, this isn’t just about numbers or audit reports or institutional reputation. This is about ambition interrupted, about futures placed on hold, and about the cost of a dream delayed—not by failure, but by a system that promised opportunity and then suddenly pulled it away.