NEET MDS 2025 Counselling: Online Stray Vacancy Round Registration and Choice Filling Begins

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has commenced registration for the Online Stray Vacancy Round for NEET MDS 2025. This article provides a comprehensive guide for aspirants on the registration process, key dates, eligibility criteria, and what to expect in this final round of counselling.

The final phase of the NEET MDS 2025 counselling process has officially begun. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has opened the registration and choice-filling window for the Online Stray Vacancy Round on its official website, mcc.nic.in. This round presents a crucial last-ditch opportunity for a specific group of aspirants to secure a seat in Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) programs across India's dental colleges.

This online stray vacancy round is a significant change from the previous system, where the stray vacancy round was conducted offline. The decision to make this round online was aimed at bringing more transparency and accessibility to the counselling process, ensuring that all eligible candidates, regardless of their location, can participate fairly. The registration and choice-filling window is active from August 19 to August 21, 2025.

Who is Eligible to Participate?

The stray vacancy round is not open to all candidates. It is designed to fill seats that remained vacant after the first three rounds of counselling. The eligibility criteria for this round are as follows:

• No Prior Allotment: Candidates who have not been allotted a seat in any of the previous three rounds of NEET MDS counselling are eligible to participate.
• Fresh Registration: Those who did not participate in any of the earlier rounds can register afresh in this round.
• Already Registered Candidates: Aspirants who have already registered for the previous rounds but have not been allotted a seat are not required to register again. They can directly proceed to the choice-filling process.
• Qualified Candidates: All participants must have appeared and qualified for the NEET MDS 2025 exam and completed their BDS degree and compulsory one-year rotatory internship.

Important Dates and Key Procedures

For aspirants participating in this final round, staying abreast of the schedule is of utmost importance to avoid missing out on a seat.

• Registration & Choice Filling: The window is open from August 19 to August 21, 2025. This is the only time to register and fill your choices of colleges and specializations.
• Choice Locking: The choice-locking process will take place on August 21, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 11:55 PM. It is highly recommended to lock choices manually, as the system will automatically lock them at the deadline if candidates fail to do so.
• Seat Allotment Result: The result for the stray vacancy round will be declared on August 23, 2025.
• Institute Reporting: Allotted candidates must report to their respective colleges for admission from August 24 to August 30, 2025.

How to Register and Fill Choices

The process for registration and choice filling is straightforward and can be completed online.

1. Visit the Website: Go to the official MCC NEET MDS counselling portal at mcc.nic.in.
2. New Registration: If you are a new candidate, click on the "New Registration 2025" link. Fill in your NEET MDS roll number, application number, date of birth, and other mandatory details to create your account.
3. Pay Registration Fee: Pay the non-refundable registration fee and security deposit online. The fee structure varies for different categories and types of universities (e.g., AIQ, Deemed).
4. Choice Filling: Log in to your account and start filling in your choices of colleges and courses. Prioritize your options carefully. You can add, delete, or rearrange choices before the locking deadline.
5. Lock Choices: After finalizing your preferences, lock your choices. It is advisable to take a printout of your filled choices for future reference.

This stray vacancy round is the final opportunity for aspirants to secure a seat in a postgraduate dental course. For all updates on admissions, keep a close watch on the official MCC website and follow Only Education News for regular announcements.