The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, has invited applications for admission to undergraduate medical and nursing courses for the academic session 2026-27 under the Ward of Insured Person (Ward of IP) quota. This initiative provides exclusive admission opportunities for dependent children of workers covered under the ESI Scheme, reflecting ESIC's commitment to extending social security and educational benefits to insured workers' families.
A total of 783 seats have been provisionally allocated across 22 medical, dental, and nursing institutions, comprising 695 MBBS seats, 28 BDS seats, and 60 B.Sc. Nursing seats. These include ESIC Medical Colleges in various states and select State Government Medical Colleges with reserved seats for eligible Wards of Insured Persons. Admissions will be conducted through centralized counselling administered by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The scheme offers highly subsidized tuition fees, with students paying only ₹24,000 annually for MBBS and BDS courses and ₹10,000 annually for B.Sc. Nursing courses. No capitation fee or donation is permitted for admission under this quota. Eligibility requires the parent to be a registered Insured Person under the ESI Act who was an active contributor as of September 30, 2025. Applicants must be dependent children, have appeared in NEET (UG) 2026, and satisfy eligibility requirements prescribed by relevant regulatory bodies including the National Medical Commission, Dental Council of India, and Indian Nursing Council. Male candidates must not be above 21 years of age as of March 8, 2026, while no age restriction applies to dependent unmarried female Wards of Insured Persons under the ESI Act, 1948.
Eligible candidates must obtain a valid Ward of IP Certificate issued by ESIC through the online application portal, which requires submission of prescribed details and upload of necessary documents including photographs, proof of age, NEET (UG) 2026 Admit Card, and other relevant certificates. The application deadline for the Ward of IP Certificate is June 21, 2026. Applicants must ensure the Insured Person's mobile number is correctly updated in the ESIC database for OTP-based authentication. After obtaining the certificate, candidates must separately register on the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) portal for participation in centralized counselling.
ESIC has requested all stakeholders including employers, Insured Persons, Regional Offices, Branch Offices, hospitals, and State ESI authorities to actively disseminate information about the admission process. Employers covered under the ESI Scheme have been asked to inform employees, display admission notices at workplaces, and facilitate verification and updation of mobile numbers in ESIC records. Field offices have been advised to organize awareness campaigns and provide application assistance.