Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Want to become a doctor? Be ready to spend ₹1 crore. With private college fees hitting ₹25–30 lakh per year, MBBS degrees are turning into luxury products for the rich.
Three million students, one dream—and just 50,000 government seats. The NEET funnel is so narrow, it's forcing thousands into high-fee colleges or out of medicine altogether.
Before college even begins, lakhs vanish into coaching classes. For many families, NEET prep is a two-year, ₹5-lakh gamble with no guarantee of a medical seat.
Beyond tuition, students face ₹1.5 lakh yearly in hostel and mess fees. At some private colleges, living costs alone rival full tuition at government institutions.
From anatomy kits to exam fees, medical students bleed money beyond tuition. These micro-expenses add up to lakhs—and few ever budget for them.
MBBS isn’t the end. The cost of postgraduate entrance prep—and the scarcity of PG seats—means many doctors must spend even more years and money chasing their actual career goals.
Can’t afford ₹1 crore? You’re likely out. Medicine is fast becoming a career only the wealthy can buy into, deepening class divides in India's healthcare system.
Private colleges aren’t bound by strict caps. Many set sky-high fees under the guise of “infrastructure” and “global standards,” while regulatory checks remain toothless.
For students from small towns, dreams of becoming a doctor are often frozen by finances. Even top NEET scorers drop out—not for lack of talent, but for lack of money.