MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026: Registration (Open), Choice Filling (Postponed), Dates, Seat Matrix

As per the website of National Medical Commission (NMC), around 1,36,939 MBBS or medical seats are available in India. The NMC publishes the List of College Teaching MBBS containing the names of the states, number of MBBS seats available against each state and category of seats- Government or Private.

The MCC conducts around 4 to 5 rounds for NEET UG Counselling process for MBBS, BDS, BHMS and other seats. The rounds of NEET counselling depends on seat matrix and number of vacant seats.

No, there is no limit in terms of entering the number of institutes and courses during the choice filling rounds of the NEET counselling process. Candidates can give as many choices as they wish for during online choice filling round. However choices should be in order of candidates' preference. According to the Medical Counselling Committee or MCC, There will be common software for AIQ, Deemed, Central Universities, B.Sc. Nursing, AIIMS, JIPMER, AMU, BHU for filling up choices. Also, there is no separate charge for choice filling. Candidates must also note that only filling choices is not enough, they must lock the choices within the stipulated date after verifying the choices and the preference order.

The NEET UG Counselling is an online and offline process. The NEET UG exam qualified candidates need to register online at mcc. nic. in to participate in the counselling process. Students also need to declare choice for college and course for seat allotment online. After seat allotment, candidates have to report to allotted institute for document verification. The institute reporting is an offline process wherein candidates need to visit the institute allocated to them for confirmation of their admission.

Candidates need to fulfill the given eligibility criteria to participate in the NEET counselling for MBBS admissions-

• Qualify NEET by obtaining the cutoff marks.
• Register on the MCC website.
• Submit the choices of colleges.

The NEET counselling process conducted for the 15 per cent All India Quota (AIQ) seats will be conducted primarily for the MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing courses. For the State NEET counselling rounds, the courses for admission are MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BUMS and BHMS courses. Some of the State NEET UG Counselling authorities also conduct admission for the Allied Courses such as BPTH, BoTH, BNYS, BASLP, etc. The courses may vary from state to state, but the MBBS and BDS courses are common all across. For the 15 per cent AIQ seats, the NEET counselling for B.A.MS, BUMS and BHMS courses are conducted separately by the requisite department and authorities, which is the Ayush Admissions Central Counselling Committee (AACCC).

The MCC started the registration for NEET UG 2026 round 1 counselling on August 5. Candidates need to register at mcc.nic.in. The last date for registration is August 12.

Have a look at the process to register for NEET counselling below-

• Visit mcc.nic.in.
• Click on the ‘New Registration’ link.
• Go to the New Candidate Registration tab.
• Read the instructions and click on 'I Agree' check box.
• Enter the required details and submit.
• The credentials will be generated and sent to the registered email address.
• Complete the registration form by entering personal, educational, NEET result and other details and uploading of scanned photograph and signature.
• Pay the registration fee and take a printout of the confirmation page.

The MCC has announced the dates for the NEET UG Counselling 2026. The Counselling dates and schedule for round 1 are as follows:

Event	Date
Registration Start and End Date	05-Aug-2026 to 12-Aug-2026 up to 3:00 PM
Choice Filling & Choice Locking	06-Aug-2026 to 13-Aug-2026 upto 11:00 AM
Seat Allotment Result Date	17-Aug-2026
Reporting at allotted College	18-Aug-2026 to 22-Aug-2026

Candidates eligible for seat allotment in the NEET counselling of second round would be from one of the following groups. Group I- Registered candidates who did not get any seat allotment in the first round. Group II- Registered candidates who have secured seat and whose first round of allotted seat got cancelled during the document verification on reporting for admission will be considered for allotment of seat in the next round of seat allotment, with changed Category, subject to availability of seat in respective category. Group III- Candidates who have reported at allotted institute during 1st round of allotment and submitted willingness for second round up-gradation as Yes. Group IV- Candidates who have been allotted a seat but Not Joined. Group V- Candidates who have resigned in online mode during the time frame from the allotted seat of first round at college.

Candidates need the given documents for NEET UG Counselling- 

• NEET admit card
• NEET result or score card
• Class 10 and 12 mark sheet and certificate
• Valid, non-expired and government-issued photo ID proof
• Six to eight passport-sized photographs
• Caste Certificate
• Disability Certificate
• NEET Gap Certificate
• Provisional allotment letter

In case candidates are not allotted any seat in the second round of the NEET UG counselling, the earlier allotted seat in Round 1 will be retained. However, on up-gradation of a seat in the second round, the earlier allotted seat in Round 1 will automatically be cancelled and allotted to another candidate. Therefore, candidates are advised to fill in only higher choices or any other choice which they prefer over the earlier allotted seat, for second round.

After online registration for NEET counselling process, candidates will have to fill in choice of Institutions/colleges/courses in order of their preference. Once the choice is filled in, it can be modified before locking it. During the choice locking period, it is necessary to lock the choices to get a printout of the submitted choices. If a candidate does not lock the choice submitted by him/her, it will be automatically locked as per schedule. In case they don't register and fill in choices during registration period, they will not be allotted any seat. NEET counselling registration will be available before the first three rounds of counselling, and not before the Stray Vacancy Round.

No, candidates need not report or join the allotted college of NEET counselling Round 1 since there is free exit. However if they want to retain the Round 1 seat and upgrade in Round 2 they have to physically join the college of Round 1 and give up-gradation willingness for Round 2 at the time of admission. In case candidates decide to resign the seat allotted to them in the first round, then they can do so prior to registering in the next round of NEET counselling.

NEET counselling or the NEET UG All India counselling and the NEET state counselling process are conducted for admission to MBBS, BDS, AYUSH and other courses. The NEET UG All India counselling is conducted by MCC for the 15 per cent AIQ seats. On the other hand, the state NEET counsellings are conducted by the State Authorities, such as the Department of Medical Education (DME) for different states and Union Territories (UTs) for the 85 per cent State Quota (SQ) seats. The timeline and processes may vary for the NEET All India counselling and the state counselling for NEET. In general, there are three to four rounds for both counselling types. In the state counselling for NEET, the authorities release a merit list for registered eligible candidates. But MCC does not release a merit list. The other steps involved in both counselling types are similar, including registration, choice filling, release of seat allotment and institute reporting. 

The NEET 2026 cutoff is released along with the results. The NTA released the NEET UG cutoff marks based on the difficulty level. Till then, take a look at the NEET 2025 cutoff for reference. 

Category	Cut off percentile	Cut off marks
UR/EWS	50th Percentile	715–213
OBC	40th Percentile	212–177
SC	40th Percentile	212–177
ST	40th Percentile	212–177
SC/OBC - PwD	40th percentile	193 - 177
ST - PwD	40th Percentile	191 - 178

 

The terms Clear Vacancy and Virtual Vacancy are related to the NEET seat matrix, which is released prior to each round of counselling. Clear Vacancy means empty or unclaimed seats at the end of the institute reporting process conducted at the end of each round. After the declaration of the seat allotment result, if a candidate exits the seat, then those seats come under the Clear Vacancy category. On the other hand, Virtual Vacancy refers to the seats which are considered to be available, if candidates allotted those seats opt for upgradation. In case their seat is not upgraded then the virtual vacancy will not be applicable anymore. 

NEET counselling seat matrix refers to the number of seats offered across the participating institutes for each course. The seat matrix is released by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) before the commencement of the counselling process. The seat matrix is released in institute-wise categories for the types of institutes, such as Deemed universities, AIIMS & JIPMER, etc. For NEET 2025 counselling, the primary seat matrix released by MCC for Round 1 was of for Deemed University, Central University, BSc Nursing and AIQ seats. After that, for the second and third rounds, MCC releases the list of newly added seats along with the clear vacancy and virtual vacancy. 

Seat matrix for NEET counselling is important for choice filling process. Before filling and locking seat choices for each round of NEET counselling, candidates must go through seat matrix or seat vacancy and then enter their choices. MCC releases seat matrix prior to commencement of counselling process. This is overall seat matrix for all four rounds of counselling. Candidates participating in Round 1 NEET counselling will have to choose from entire gamut of seats. From second round onwards, seat matrix is released in terms of newly added seats and clear and virtual vacancies. With each round of counselling, number of available seats or vacant seats reduces. 

MCC announces the NEET counselling result dates for each round along with the schedule or the important dates. In general, the NEET counselling result or the seat allotment result is released within five to seven days of the round commencement.

The following information will be carried on the MCC NEET UG allotment list:

• NEET UG All India Rank

• Allotted Quota

• Allotted Institute

• Course

• Allotted Category

• Candidate Category

• Remarks

Yes, medical aspirants can participate in the state as well as the All India NEET counselling processes simultaneously. In general, the dates of state and the All India NEET counselling rounds will be different.

Before participating in either of the NEET counselling processes, candidates must ensure that they fulfill the eligibility criteria. For the State NEET counselling processes, candidates must belong to the domicile. Students not belonging to the state may also participate in the particular NEET state counselling, provided they register and participate from the NRI quota. Apart from that, other eligibility criteria are the same. 

Yes, it is possible to participate in two state-level NEET counselling processes simultaneously. They may participate in the MCC NEET counselling or the national level counselling as well. However, once they are allotted a seat and they take admission, they will not be eligible to participate in other state or national level counselling processes. Moreover, if a candidate does not belong to a particular state, then he or she have to participate in NRI quota.  

The NEET counselling is segregated into two categories: central or national, and state counselling. The central counselling for NEET is conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee. The NEET counselling process conducted by MCC is for the admission to the 15 per cent All India Quota seats. On the other hand, State Authorities or the Education Department of various states conduct NEET state counselling for the 85 per cent state quota seats. MCC conducts the NEET counselling for MBBS, BDS and B.Sc. Nursing courses. On the other hand, the State Counselling Authorities conduct the admission process for MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, and other medical or allied courses.