The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has officially opened the registration window for NEET PG 2025 Round-3 counselling as of mid-January. Eligible candidates can now complete their enrollment and choice filling on the official MCC portal before the January 26 deadline. This round follows a significant reduction in the qualifying percentile, allowing a broader pool of medical graduates to compete for remaining MD, MS, and DNB seats. Aspirants must ensure they lock their preferences by the final date to be considered for the seat allotment result scheduled for release on January 29.

The third phase of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Postgraduates (NEET PG) 2025 admission cycle is currently at a critical juncture. While many aspirants were monitoring the portal for fresh updates, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has already operationalized the registration and choice filling for Round-3. As of January 28, the primary registration window for the All India Quota (AIQ) has just concluded, with the committee now moving into the seat processing phase. This round is particularly significant due to the recently revised qualifying criteria, which have drastically lowered the marks required for eligibility, thus enabling thousands of new candidates to participate in the postgraduate medical seat allocation.

Current Counselling Schedule and Milestones

The MCC recently updated the schedule to accommodate the influx of newly qualified students. Candidates who have been tracking the official MCC website are now preparing for the imminent release of the third-round results.

• Registration Status: The online registration and payment facility for Round-3 was active from January 15 and officially concluded on January 26, 2026.
• Choice Filling: The window for selecting preferred colleges and specializations also ended on January 26, following a brief extension to assist students affected by the revised cut-offs.
• Seat Processing: On January 27 and 28, the MCC is conducting the internal verification and processing of the submitted choices to finalize the allotment.
• Result Declaration: The provisional seat allotment result for Round-3 is scheduled to be uploaded on the portal tomorrow, January 29, 2026.

Impact of Revised Cut-off Percentile

The most talked-about development in this counselling cycle is the drastic reduction in the minimum qualifying percentile. This move was aimed at filling vacant seats across clinical and non-clinical branches that remained unoccupied after the first two rounds.

• Lowered Threshold: The General category percentile has been lowered significantly, while the SC/ST/OBC categories have seen their qualifying scores reduced to near-zero or even negative values in some instances to ensure no medical seat goes to waste.
• New Entries: Because of this change, candidates who were previously ineligible are now actively participating in Round-3, creating a highly dynamic seat matrix.
• Seat Matrix Updates: The MCC released an updated seat matrix on January 21, which included over 10,000 clear vacancies and nearly 18,000 virtual vacancies, alongside 292 newly added seats in government and private medical colleges.
• State Participation: Following the AIQ schedule, various state authorities, such as the DGME Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra CET Cell, have also revised their state-quota Round-3 timelines to align with the national process.

Procedures for Post-Allotment Reporting

Once the Round-3 results are announced on January 29, the successful candidates must adhere to a strict reporting timeline to secure their admissions. This round is often the last opportunity for many before the final "Stray Vacancy" round.

• Reporting Window: Students allotted a seat in Round-3 must report to their respective medical colleges between January 30 and February 6, 2026.
• Document Verification: During physical reporting, candidates must present their original MBBS degree, internship completion certificate, and NEET PG 2025 scorecard.
• Forfeiture Rules: It is important to note that if a candidate is allotted a seat in Round-3 but fails to join, their security deposit will be forfeited, and they may be ineligible for the subsequent stray vacancy round.
• Upgradation Policy: Candidates who joined in Round-2 and opted for upgradation will have their previous seat automatically cancelled if they are allotted a better preference in this counselling phase.

Conclusion

The Round-3 counselling process for NEET PG 2025 is reaching its peak as the January 28 dateline marks the transition from choice processing to result declaration. For the thousands of candidates who have utilized the revised eligibility criteria to enter the fray, the upcoming result on January 29 will be a life-changing event. As the medical fraternity navigates this expanded admission window, the focus remains on ensuring that every available postgraduate seat is utilized to strengthen the healthcare workforce for the 2026 academic session. Following the completion of this round, the final stray vacancy phase will conclude the admission cycle by mid-February.