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For Ayurveda education aspirants in India, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) has changed eligibility criteria for candidates aspiring to pursue a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) course for the incoming academic session of 2025. The regulatory authority has formally removed the 50% aggregate marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (PCB) in Class 12 requirement, thereby allowing many more to now pursue a career in Ayurveda.
Class 12 Marks Relaxed, But NEET-UG Still Compulsory
According to the fresh notification released by NCISM Secretary Sachchidanand Prasad, students will now only require a passing mark in Class 12 with subjects being Physics, Chemistry, and Biology or Biotechnology. This change is available for all reservation categories, including General, SC, ST, and OBC, as any minimum of 50% for general candidates or 40% for reserved categories has been scrapped. However, the NEET-UG exam will still be compulsory for all candidates attempting to get BAMS, as NEET will be the only qualifying examination for all Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy medical programs in India.
Biotechnology Now Accepted as an Eligible Subject
Alongside the removal of the percentage cut-off, NCISM has also widened the number of subjects which can be considered qualifying subjects. Biotech is now recognized as an alternative to Biology, offering better choice to students from all backgrounds. As a result, more students, especially CBSE and state board students which offer biotech, will now be seen as qualifying if they sit and qualify in NEET-UG.
Revised Rules to be Implemented From 2025 Onwards
These updated guidelines/standards will apply to all BAMS admissions from the 2025-26 academic year onwards. The BAMS course, regulated by the Ministry of AYUSH, is studied at 598 recognised Ayurveda colleges across the country. The nationwide availability of BAMS seats exceeds 40,000, and the revision is intended to provide access and promote participation in Indian traditional medicine education.
Over 22 Lakh Students Compete in NEET-UG 2025
According to various official statistics, more than 22 lakh aspirants registered for NEET-UG 2025, making it a supergiant medical entrance examination for medical school; possibly one of the largest in the world. While the percentage of Class 12 marks requirement has been relaxed, NEET-UG will still serve as the standardised channel for students wishing to gain admission for BAMS programs through a similar process of centralized counselling and merit-based allocation of seats.
AYUSH Medical Association Views the Reform Positively
In light of the policy shift, Rakesh Pandey, National Spokesperson of AYUSH Medical Association said the decision will “positively affect thousands of students” who were previously rendered ineligible due to rigid marks cut-offs. Pandey assured aspirants that the merit-based NEET-UG counselling will continue as well as planned, in compliance with the AYUSH Ministry’s requirement of actuating NEET-UG.
The NCISM’s move is now seen as a positive administrative step toward democratising access to education in Ayurveda, especially for students that are from certain geographical and cultural areas, and from certain educational backgrounds. They are re-evaluating the high school marks barrier, but still keeping the NEET exams as a quality parameter. In this regard, they appear to want to include other students while maintaining quality based on prior academic history.
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