Private nursing and paramedical colleges in Uttar Pradesh will see a major change in the admission process for the General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) course. From the academic year 2025-26, admissions will be conducted through entrance examinations instead of merit-based selection. The Medical Education Department has issued orders regarding this and begun preparations.
The state has 386 private nursing and paramedical colleges offering around 17,845 seats for the GNM course. Until now, admissions to these seats were based on high school and intermediate merit. However, for the 2024-25 session, the responsibility for conducting centralized entrance exams and online counseling was given to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University.
Change in Orders and New Decision
On July 8, 2024, under pressure from private college administrators, the Medical Education Department reversed its earlier decision and allowed admissions to proceed on a merit basis. However, on November 15, 2024, the Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh State Medical Faculty, Dr. Alok Kumar Srivastava, issued clear directives that from the 2025-26 session, GNM admissions will be based on entrance exams.
According to the new order, the admission process will be made transparent and competitive by mandating an entrance exam. Instructions to implement this change have already been sent to the management and principals of private nursing training centers.
Renewed Opposition
With the elimination of merit-based admissions, private college administrators have once again started mobilizing against the new rules. The Special Secretary of the Medical Education Department has argued that admissions to the three-year GNM course at nine government training centers under the Health Department are also merit-based, which had earlier justified adopting a similar system for private centers.
This change is aimed at ensuring equal opportunities for students and making the admission process more transparent.
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