NEET UG Counselling 2026: Stray Vacancy Round Live, Choice Filling & Seat Allotment

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Stray Round: Latest Updates

• Registration: Extended until 16 October 2026, 4:00 PM.

• Registration Reset: Available until 16 October 2026, 3:00 PM.

• Fee Payment: Extended until 16 October 2026, 6:00 PM.

• Choice Filling: Extended until 16 October 2026, 11:55 PM.

• Choice Locking: 16 October 2026, 7:00 PM to 11:55 PM.

• Seat Processing: 17–18 October 2026.

• Result Declaration: 19 October 2026.

• Reporting Deadline: 26 October 2026.

Key Aspects of NEET UG Counselling 2026

• Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) manages All India Quota (AIQ) counselling for 15% AIQ seats across India. State Counselling Authorities conduct
• State Quota counselling for 85% state seats in respective states

• Counselling Rounds: There will be several rounds of counselling, maybe 4 or 5. There might also be an extra round to fill any empty seats.

• Seat Allotment: Seats will be given based on your NEET rank, choices you make, reservation rules and available seats.

• Registration and Choice Filling: Eligible Students must register on official MCC website to join counselling.

• Document Verification: Students will have to show their documents at college where they are selected.

• Reporting to Allotted Colleges: Students must go to college they are given to confirm their seat and finish admission steps.

NEET Cutoff Marks 2026: Qualifying Percentile

MCC NEET UG Round 2 Seat Matrix 2026: Check Seat Availability

Documents Required for NEET Counselling 2026

NEET Counselling 2026 Counselling Process (15% AIQ)

NEET Counselling 2026 includes key steps like Registration, Choice Filling, Choice Locking, Seat Allotment, Upgradation and Reporting to allotted college. To secure admission smoothly and reach your dream medical college, follow these important steps in counselling process.

Step 1: Registration

• Visit the official MCC website for counselling.

• Click on ‘UG Counselling Registrations’ to start registration.

• Fill in your personal and academic details carefully in form.

• Make registration fee payment using a debit card or UPI.

• After payment, preview your form to check all details are correct.

• Click ‘Okay’ and download or print form for future use.

• Once done, log out and proceed to choice filling section.

Step 2: Choice Filling

• After registration, log in again using your details.

• Go to the Choice Filling section.

• Select as many medical and dental colleges as you prefer—there is no limit.

• Choose colleges that best match your goals and preferences.

• After filling your choices, move to Choice Locking step to finalize them.

Step 3: Choice Locking

• After selecting your preferred colleges, go to Choice Locking section.

• Carefully review your choices before locking them.

• Once locked, you cannot make changes until next round of NEET counselling.

Step 4: Rounds of Counselling

Medical and dental counselling will be held in four rounds.

Registration is needed only for first round (auto-considered for other rounds).

Each round includes:

• Choice filling and locking

• Seat allotment

• Result announcement

• Document verification

• Reporting to allotted college

Round 1:

• Register: Pay fee and register on MCC website.

• Choose Colleges: Select and lock your preferred colleges and courses.

• Seat Allotment: Seats are given based on your rank and choices.

• Results & Documents: Check your result and upload required certificates.

• Reporting: Go to the allotted college with documents (option to upgrade later).

Round 2:

• No Registration Needed if you were not allotted a seat in Round 1 – you're automatically considered.

• New Registration Required for those who missed Round 1 or are applying fresh.

• Fill & Lock Choices again for Round 2.

• Seat Allotment & Reporting process remains same as Round 1.

• Upgraded Candidates must get relieved from their Round 1 seat before joining new one.

Round 3:

• Automatic Consideration: Works same as Round 2.

• Fresh Registration: Same process as in Round 2.

• Choice Filling & Reporting: Same as in Round 1 and Round 2.

Final Stray Vacancy Round:

• Registration: Do a fresh registration to participate.

• Elimination: Candidates already with a seat will be removed.

• Vacancy Round: Choose from available vacant seats.

• Seat Allotment: Seats will be given based on merit.

• Joining: Join allotted seat or face cancellation.

Step 5: Seat Allotment Process for Rounds

• Choices Locked: Once the choice filling window ends, your selected options are locked.

• Rank Calculation: Your NEET score and category are used to determine your rank.

Seat Allotment Results: Results are announced on official website (MCC for AIQ, state websites for state quota).

Seat Acceptance (If Allotted):

• Download your allotment letter.

• Upload required documents on time.

• Visit allotted college with original documents for verification.

If not allotted: wait for next round or apply in Stray Vacancy Round (if available).

Step 6: Upgradations

If you get a better rank or your preferred college in next round, here’s a simple explanation:

NEET UG Counselling Eligibility:

Only for candidates allotted a seat in Round 1 or 2 (not allowed in Final Stray Vacancy Round).

• Step 1: Check if upgradation is available after each round’s result.

• Step 2: If allowed, you can add or change your choices during given time.

• Step 3: Lock your final choices before deadline.

• Step 4: Wait for next round’s result.

• Step 5: Check if your seat has been upgraded or not.

1. Upgraded: You’ll get a new allotment letter. Upload documents and report to new college.

2. Not Upgraded: You keep your previously allotted seat.

Step 7: Reporting to Allotted Colleges

Once you get a seat in your chosen college through NEET counselling, next step is to confirm your admission!

Steps:

• Download Allotment Letter: Visit MCC website (for AIQ) or your state counselling site to download your seat allotment letter.

• Document Verification: Gather all required documents as listed in allotment letter and official instructions.

• Admit card, scorecard, mark sheets, certificates

• Proof of identity and date of birth

• Category certificate (if applicable)

• Allotment letter

• Photocopies of all documents

• Follow Deadline: Report to college on or before date mentioned in your allotment letter. Late reporting may cancel your seat.

• Visit College: Go to the allotted college in person within given time.

• Carry Documents: Bring all original documents for verification.

• Document Check: The college will check your documents to confirm your details.

• Pay Fees: Submit required fees as instructed by college.

• Seat Confirmed: After verification and fee payment, your seat will be officially confirmed.

NEET Counselling 2026 Reservation Quotas in MCC NEET Counselling

NEET Counselling 2026 under MCC includes various reservation quotas such as All India Quota (AIQ), SC, ST, OBC, EWS and PwD. These quotas ensure fair representation in medical colleges across India. Seats are allotted as per government norms during centralized counselling process for MBBS and BDS admissions.

1. All India Quota NEET Counselling 15%:

Who can apply:

• Candidates who qualified NEET can apply for 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats.

Open seats (no domicile restrictions):

• 15% of MBBS/BDS seats from each participating state are under All India Quota.

• 100% MBBS/BDS seats at BHU are open to all (nationwide).

• 100% MBBS seats at all AIIMS are open to all India candidates.

• JIPMER (Puducherry/Karaikal) offers open seats for all-India candidates.

• AMU provides open MBBS seats for nationwide applicants.

• 15% MBBS/BDS seats at DU/IP University (VMMC, ABVIMS, ESIC Dental) are under All India Quota.

• Jamia Hamdard (Faculty of Dentistry) offers open BDS seats.

• 15% of MBBS/BDS seats at ESIC Medical Colleges are available under All India Quota.

Reservations:

• General (Unreserved): 50.5%

• Scheduled Castes (SC): 15%

• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 7.5%

• Other Backward Classes – Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL): 27%

• Economically Weaker Sections (EWS): 10%

• Persons with Disabilities (PwD): 5% (applies across all categories as horizontal reservation)

2. AIIMS

Total Seats: There are 2,037 MBBS seats available in 20 AIIMS institutes across India.

Entrance Exam: NEET-UG scores are now used for AIIMS MBBS admissions (earlier, AIIMS had its own exam).

Counselling Process: AIIMS admissions happen through NEET AIQ counselling, which has 4 rounds – Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up and Final (Stray Vacancy).

Reservation policy:

• Follows Central Government reservation policy (only for seats under MCC).
  

Reservation Breakdown:

• 50.5% for Unreserved category

• 15% for SC

• 7.5% for ST

• 27% for OBC-NCL

• 10% for EWS

• 5% seats reserved for PwD (applies across all categories).

• PwD candidates must have a valid disability certificate as per NMC guidelines (Notification dated 04/02/2019).

3. JIPMER

• JIPMER follows its own rules for state quota admissions. Check their official website for details.

• For NEET UG All India Quota seats, there are four rounds of counselling: Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up and Stray Vacancy (online).

• Admission is based on your NEET UG rank.

Reservation Policy:

• 15% seats reserved for SC (Scheduled Castes)

• 7.5% seats reserved for ST (Scheduled Tribes)

• 27% seats reserved for OBC-NCL (Other Backward Classes - Non-Creamy Layer)

• 10% seats reserved for EWS (Economically Weaker Sections)

• 5% horizontal reservation for PwD (Persons with Disabilities) across all categories

4. AFMC

Important note: AFMC has its own admission process and is not included in regular NEET counselling done by MCC. Students need to apply separately for admission to AFMC.

Here's what you need to know:

• Register on MCC portal (mcc.nic.in) to show your interest in AFMC admission.

• After registration, your details are sent to AFMC, which conducts its selection process.

• MCC only handles registration; it doesn’t conduct selection or allot seats.

• Check AFMC's eligibility criteria carefully, especially medical fitness, before applying.

5. ESIC Insured Persons Quota:

Who can apply:

• Candidates who qualified NEET-UG can apply for seats under ESIC scheme (for insured persons).

• There are no domicile restrictions for these seats.

Counselling Process:

• Conducted by MCC in four rounds: Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up and Stray Vacancy.

• Eligibility depends on NEET-UG rank.

• Candidates must download their NEET rank letter or result.

Reservation Policy:

• 15% reservation for SC

• 7.5% reservation for ST

• 27% reservation for OBC-NCL

• 10% reservation for EWS

• 5% PwD reservation (applies across all categories – horizontal)

PwD Reservation Note:

• A valid disability certificate is required as per NMC guidelines (Gazette No MCI-34(41)/2018-Med./170045, dated 04/02/2019)

• Certificate must be issued by authorized centres

6. Central Universities (BHU/AMU/DU) Admissions:

Who can apply:

• Candidates who qualified for NEET-UG.

Eligibility:

• Eligibility rules can differ for each university like BHU, AMU and DU.

• Always check official website of university for accurate details.

Counselling Rounds:

• 4 Rounds of Counselling: Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up and Stray Vacancy.

• MCC conducts Round 1, Round 2 and Mop-Up online.

• Stray Vacancy Round is managed by individual Deemed Universities.

• Eligibility: Must have qualified NEET-UG.

• NRI Seats: Only candidates meeting NRI criteria can apply.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 State Quotas

All Indian states conduct NEET UG counselling for medical and dental courses in their colleges. 85% of seats in government and private colleges are filled through state quotas. Each state has its own counselling process, managed by its counselling authority. These authorities set rules, eligibility and steps to ensure a fair admission process.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Upgradation Process

Want a better college after your first seat? Try for an upgrade! Here's how:

1. Check Eligibility: Not all states or quotas allow upgrades. Visit the official website to check.
   You must have joined earlier counselling but not taken a seat.

2. Join Upgrade Rounds: Register again and choose colleges during upgrade rounds.
   Higher-rank students get priority, so choose smartly.

3. Check Results: After each upgrade round, see if your seat has changed.
   If you are happy with it, accept new seat.

4. Report to College: Got upgraded? Accept seat, download letter and report to your new college.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Reporting Process

Assuming you received a seat allotment:

1. Accept your allotted seat: Confirm your seat online within given time.

2. Download your joining letter: This has your reporting date, required documents and college details.

3. Report to allotted college: Go to college on given date with these documents:

• Joining letter

• NEET admit card and scorecard

• Class 10th & 12th mark sheets and certificates (original + copies)

• ID proof (copy)

• Domicile certificate (if needed)

• Caste certificate (if needed)

• Passport-size photos

• Any other documents mentioned in joining letter

4. Document Verification: The college checks your documents and completes admission steps.

5. Pay fee and complete admission: Pay fee and give any remaining documents as asked by college.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Merit List

Think of NEET merit list like a big scoreboard showing your NEET marks. This list helps decide who gets invited for counselling to choose medical colleges. Here's how it works:

Ranks and Responsibilities:

• NTA: Shares All India Rank (AIR) for 15% seats under All India Quota (AIQ).

• State Authorities: Make separate lists for 85% state quota seats and private colleges in their state.

• DGHS: Manages counselling for AIQ, deemed universities and some special institutes using NTA list.

• State Counselling Authorities: Use their list to give seats in state quota and private colleges.

MCC NEET UG Round 2 Seat Allotment Result 2026

Provisional Seat Allotment Result for MCC NEET UG Round 2 has been announced by Medical Counselling Commission in 2026. Candidates will be able to see their allotted college or course name and seat allotment-related information through Result PDF. Click Here to see seat allotment result for MCC NEET UG Round 2 2026.

Document Requirements for Reservation Categories (SC/ST, OBC, PwD)

Disability Certificate for NEET Counselling 2026

Applicants can take NEET counselling 2026 under PwD category and they must provide a disability certificate confirmed by a legally recognised medical authority. According to Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016, PwD certificate must prove that participant has a 40% or greater handicap. For more details, refer to clause 6.3 of CBSE's AIPMT/NEET details Bulletin for Admission to MBBS/BDS Courses. Medical Counselling Committee has designated specific centres across country that are authorised to provide such certificates.