NEET UG 2026 counselling registration begins, round 1 allotment on August 17

MCC has opened NEET UG 2026 counselling for AIQ, AIIMS, JIPMER and deemed university seats. The schedule sets deadlines across four rounds and adds Freeze and Float options for online verification.

In Short

• Counselling covers MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing seats across central institutions
• Candidates can pay fees till 6 pm on August 12
• Choice filling for Round 1 runs from August 6 to 13

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) today, August 5, started the registration process for NEET UG 2026 counselling 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 complete the registration and fee payment process on the MCC portal at mcc.nic.in till 3 pm on August 12, while the payment facility will remain available till 6 pm on the same day.

The NEET UG 2026 counselling will be held in four rounds – Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and the Online Stray Vacancy Round. Candidates will be allotted seats based on their NEET UG 2026 rank, reservation policy and preferences filled during choice locking. This year, MCC has also introduced the new Freeze and Float options, allowing candidates seeking upgradation to complete document verification online instead of physically reporting after every round.

ROUND 1: REGISTRATION TILL AUGUST 12, REPORTING FROM AUGUST 18

For the first round, registration and fee payment will remain open from August 5 to August 12. Choice filling will continue from August 6 to August 13, while candidates can lock their choices between 4 pm on August 12 and 11 am on August 13.

The NEET UG round 1 seat allotment process will be carried out from August 13 to August 16, with the Round 1 result scheduled to be announced on August 17.

Candidates allotted seats must report to their respective institutes between August 18 and August 22, after which institutes will verify the joined candidates' data on August 23.

ROUND 2: REGISTRATION FROM AUGUST 25

The second round will begin with seat matrix verification on August 24. Registration and payment will be open from August 25 to August 29, while candidates can fill and lock their choices till August 30.

The seat allotment process is scheduled for August 31 to September 1, and the result will be declared on September 2. Candidates allotted seats in Round 2 will have to report between September 3 and September 8, with institutes sharing the final data with MCC on September 9.

ROUND 3: REGISTRATION BEGINS SEPTEMBER 11

The third round will start with seat matrix verification on September 10.

Registration and payment will be conducted from September 11 to September 15, and choice filling will continue till September 16.

MCC will process seat allotment between September 16 and September 17, while the result will be published on September 18.

Candidates allotted seats in this round must report to colleges between September 19 and September 26, and institutes will verify the joined candidates' data on September 27.

ONLINE STRAY VACANCY ROUND FROM SEPTEMBER 28

The Online Stray Vacancy Round will begin after seat matrix verification on September 27. Registration will remain open from September 28 to September 30, with choice filling and locking also concluding on September 30.

The seat allotment process will be conducted from October 1 to October 2, and the result will be announced on October 3. Candidates allotted seats must report to their respective institutes between October 4 and October 10.

WHAT FOR 85% STATE QUOTA MBBS, BDS SEATS

Meanwhile, admissions to the 85 per cent state quota MBBS and BDS seats will be conducted by the respective state counselling authorities as per the schedule notified by the MCC. The first round of state counselling will be held from August 13 to August 22, followed by the second round from August 31 to September 8.

The third round is scheduled between September 16 and September 26, while the state stray vacancy round will take place from October 3 to October 5.

Candidates seeking admission under the state quota will have to register separately on their respective state counselling portals.

MCC has advised candidates to complete registration, fee payment, choice filling and document uploads within the prescribed timelines, as no requests will be entertained after the deadlines.

Aspirants should also regularly check the official counselling portal for notices, seat matrices and allotment results, since all stages of the admission process will follow the notified schedule.

- Ends