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The National Medical Commission (NMC) has released a revised draft framework for accrediting and ranking medical colleges across India, marking a significant shift in how institutions will be evaluated. This new framework, announced on May 10, 2025, by the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) of the NMC, aims to enhance transparency and promote continuous improvement in medical education by introducing updated evaluation parameters and weightages.
Key Changes in the Ranking Framework
The latest draft framework draws heavily from a previous version developed in partnership with the Quality Council of India (QCI) two years ago but introduces notable changes:
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Intern Stipends and Full-Time Faculty Proportion Dropped: The new framework no longer considers the financial entitlements given to interns and residents, such as stipends, as a ranking parameter. Additionally, the proportion of full-time or regular professors in the overall faculty requirement has been removed as a standalone assessment criterion.
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Research Output Criteria Revised: The requirement for publications in top-quartile (Q1) research journals has been dropped. Instead, citations from all indexed journals are now considered, with only half the score awarded for citations in lower-quartile (Q3 and Q4) journals compared to top-quartile ones.
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Streamlined Parameters: The number of assessment parameters has been reduced from 92 (in the earlier draft) to 78, with a more balanced distribution between qualitative (26) and quantitative (52) indicators.
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Adjusted Weightages: The framework retains 11 broad evaluation categories but has adjusted the allocation of scores to ensure a more even distribution across criteria such as curriculum implementation, clinical exposure, teaching-learning environment, student progression, human resources, research, and community outreach.
Evaluation Criteria Overview
The 11 core criteria for assessment include:
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Curriculum Implementation and Capacity Building
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Clinical Exposure, Training, and Facilities
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Teaching-Learning Environment (Physical, Psychological, Occupational)
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Student Admission, Competence, and Progression
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Human Resource and Teaching-Learning Process
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Assessment Policies (Formative, Internal, Summative)
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Research Output and Impact
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Financial Resources (Recurring and Non-Recurring)
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Community Outreach Programs
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Quality Assurance Systems
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Feedback and Stakeholder Perception
Each criterion is further broken down into specific qualitative and quantitative parameters, with detailed operational definitions and scoring rubrics. For example, under “Students’ Admission & Attainment of Competence,” factors such as NEET scores, exit exam performance, and the number of graduates pursuing higher education are considered, while financial entitlements for students are no longer part of the evaluation.
Stakeholder Feedback and Criticism
The NMC has invited comments and suggestions from stakeholders within 21 days of the notice, emphasizing its intention to create a transparent and participatory process. However, some medical education experts have criticized the draft for omitting important aspects such as faculty regularization, intern stipends, and robust research quality metrics. Concerns have also been raised about the lack of parameters addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for persons with disabilities5.
Next Steps
The draft framework is currently open for public feedback. Once finalized, it will serve as the basis for the accreditation and ranking of all medical colleges regulated by the NMC, with the goal of ensuring quality education and fostering excellence in medical training across India.
Disclaimer:
This article is based on publicly available draft documents and news reports as of May 13, 2025. The framework is currently in the consultation phase, and final parameters may change following stakeholder feedback. Readers are advised to refer to official NMC communications for the latest updates.
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