What is a closing merit, and why does it change every year?
Updated 2026-11-04
What it means
The closing merit of a program is the aggregate of the last candidate who got a seat in a particular merit list. If a college’s MBBS closing merit was 92.1 in the final list, everyone admitted on open merit had 92.1 or more.
Each list (first, second, final) has its own closing merit, and it usually falls slightly from one list to the next as admitted students leave for other colleges.
Why it moves
Closing merits depend on how many students applied, how hard the test was, how many seats there are and which other colleges students preferred that year. An easier test pushes aggregates and closing merits up; more seats pull them down.
That is why no one can tell you this year’s closing merit before the list is published. Websites that publish “expected merit” are guessing.
How to use last year’s figure
Treat it as a rough guide to where you would have stood. If you are well above last year’s closing merit for a program, you are in a strong position; within a point or so, it could go either way; well below, keep other options open.
Always check the category: open merit, provincial quota, self-finance and reserved seats all close at different numbers.