Hyderabad: Notwithstanding medical aspirants’ stiff opposition to the twin tests — TS Eamcet and NEET — this year, there are positives and negatives to the common entrance test, say experts and stakeholders. Academician Mr C. Lakshmi Narasimha Rao, who owns a private medical college, stated that the students’ burden of writing multiple entrance tests in various states to get a medical seat would be a thing of the past with NEET coming into effect.

“Students and parents will be spared the trouble of travelling to far-off locations in different states spending a lot of money on applications as well as their temporary stay during exams. NEET will be the basis for admission into hundreds of private colleges all over the country,” he said. However, Telugu students will be at a loss, at least this year since they have to compete with the rest of the country for management quota seats in both states.

“Earlier the management quota seats in all private medical colleges in AP and TS were filled with mostly (98 per cent) Telugu students. Now with the common entrance test, merit will form the basis and there may be a situation where more non-state students opt for private colleges in Hyderabad. In that case, Telugu students will have no option but to settle for private colleges in other states,” he said. There is also the question of different fee structures in private medical colleges. While the annual fee for a management quota seat in a Telangana college is Rs 9 lakh per annum, in Andhra Pradesh it is Rs 11 lakh for the same category. Likewise, the fee structure varies in other states and students have to either pay less
or more depending upon the college and the state