NEET UG 2026 counseling registration opens, MCC announces complete schedule

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) on Aug 5 opened the registration window for NEET UG 2026 counseling for admission to MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing courses under the 15% All India Quota (AIQ), AIIMS, JIPMER, Central Universities and Deemed Universities.

Eligible candidates can register and pay the counseling fee through the official website, mcc.nic.in, until 3 pm on Aug 12. The fee payment facility will remain available until 6 pm on the same day.

The counseling process will be conducted in four phases comprising Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and an Online Stray Vacancy Round. Seat allotment will be based on candidates' NEET UG 2026 rank, reservation criteria and the choices submitted during the counseling process.

This year, the MCC has introduced Freeze and Float options, allowing candidates seeking seat upgradation to complete document verification online instead of reporting physically after every counseling round.

For Round 1, candidates can register from Aug 5 to Aug 12, while choice filling will be available from Aug 6 to Aug 13. Choice locking will take place between 4 pm on Aug 12 and 11 am on Aug 13.

The Round 1 seat allotment process will be conducted from Aug 13 to Aug 16, with results scheduled for Aug 17. Candidates allotted seats must report to their respective institutes between Aug 18 and Aug 22. Institutes will complete verification of joined candidates on Aug 23.

Round 2 will begin with seat matrix verification on Aug 24. Registration and fee payment will be open from Aug 25 to Aug 29, while candidates can submit and lock their preferences until Aug 30.

Seat allotment for the second round will be processed from Aug 31 to Sept 1, and the results will be announced on Sept 2. Candidates allotted seats must report to their institutes between Sept 3 and Sept 8, followed by institute verification on Sept 9.

The third round will commence with seat matrix verification on Sept 10. Registration will remain open from Sept 11 to Sept 15, and candidates can fill their choices until Sept 16.

MCC will process Round 3 seat allotments on Sept 16 and 17, with results to be declared on Sept 18. Reporting at allotted colleges will take place from Sept 19 to Sept 26, followed by verification on Sept 27.

The Online Stray Vacancy Round will begin after seat matrix verification on Sept 27. Registration, choice filling, and choice locking will be conducted from Sept 28 to Sept 30.

Seat allotment for the final round is scheduled from Oct 1 to Oct 2, with results to be announced on October 3. Candidates allotted seats must report to their institutes between Oct 4 and Oct 10.

For the remaining 85% state quota MBBS and BDS seats, counseling will be conducted separately by the respective state authorities according to the schedule notified by the MCC.

The first round of state counseling will be held from Aug 13 to Aug 22, followed by the second round from Aug 31 to Sept 8, the third round from Sept 16 to Sept 26, and the stray vacancy round from Oct 3 to Oct 5.

Candidates applying under the state quota will have to complete registration separately through their respective state counseling portals.

The MCC has advised candidates to complete registration, fee payment, choice filling, and document uploads within the prescribed deadlines. Aspirants have also been asked to regularly check the official counseling portal for updates, seat matrices, and allotment results.