All 28 medical and dental colleges in Punjab are staring at a shortage of eligible candidates to fill their NRI quota seats this admission session, with the merit list released by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) this evening showing just 63 applicants in the fray for 431 seats reserved under the category.Of the 431 seats up for grabs, 214 are MBBS seats spread across 12 medical colleges in the state, while the remaining 217 are BDS seats reserved for NRI candidates in 16 dental colleges. Against this, the university’s merit list names only 63 aspirants, leaving colleges with little choice but to either relax cut-offs further or let a large chunk of the quota go vacant and then emerging into general category quota seats.Adding to the colleges’ worries, a significant number of the 63 candidates on the list have scored less than 250 marks out of a total of 720 in NEET-2026, the national entrance examination that determines admission to medical and dental courses across the country.The low scores mean colleges may end up admitting candidates far below the qualifying threshold typically expected for the general category, though the NRI quota operates under separate eligibility norms.The NRI quota is widely regarded as one of the most lucrative revenue streams for private medical and dental colleges in Punjab, given the steep fee structure attached to these seats.An NRI candidate is required to pay a tuition fee of US $1.10 lakh for an MBBS seat and US $44,000 for a BDS seat, sums considerably higher than what is charged under the management and government quotas. With so few applicants this year, colleges banking on this income are likely to see a dip in NRI quota revenue unless the shortfall is bridged in subsequent counselling rounds.