NEET PG 2025 State Counselling Advances Toward Mop-Up Rounds
State medical authorities are transitioning to the NEET PG 2025 mop-up rounds to fill vacant MD and MS seats. Following the completion of Round 2, the mop-up phase offers a final opportunity for eligible candidates to secure admissions. States like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are synchronizing their schedules with the MCC to ensure a smooth seat allocation process.
The admission process for postgraduate medical courses is entering its final stages as state counselling authorities across India prepare for the mop-up rounds. Following the conclusion of the second round of seat allotment on December 31, 2025, several clinical and non-clinical seats remain vacant in government and private medical colleges. This transition to the mop-up phase is essential for ensuring that the maximum number of MD and MS seats are filled for the 2025-26 academic session. States are meticulously verifying the data of joined candidates to determine the exact seat matrix for this subsequent round of counselling.
Current Status of Vacant Seats and State Timelines
The mop-up rounds are primarily intended for candidates who were not allotted any seat in the first two rounds of state counselling. While the All India Quota (AIQ) Round 3 is currently underway, state medical education departments are aligning their schedules to avoid seat blocking and overlapping. For instance, the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) in states like Madhya Pradesh has recently updated its portal with the clear vacancy list following the Round 2 resignation deadline.
- Seat Matrix Publication: Most states are expected to release the fresh seat matrix for the mop-up round by mid-January 2026.
- Registration Window: A brief window for new registrations is typically provided for candidates who qualified through the recently revised percentile but hadn't registered previously.
- Choice Filling: Eligible candidates will be required to submit fresh choices, as previous preferences from Round 2 will not be considered valid for the mop-up round.
- Reporting Deadlines: Once allotments are made, candidates will have a strict 4-to-5-day window to report to their respective institutes with original documents.
Eligibility and Forfeiture Rules for Mop-Up Rounds
The rules governing the mop-up round are significantly more stringent than the initial phases of counselling. Authorities have emphasized that candidates already holding a seat through state or AIQ rounds are generally ineligible to participate. This measure is designed to provide opportunities to those on the waiting list. Understanding the security deposit and forfeiture rules is crucial for all medical aspirants at this stage.
| Candidate Category | Eligibility for Mop-Up | Security Deposit Rule |
| Not Allotted in Rounds 1 & 2 | Eligible | No additional fee required |
| Allotted but Not Joined (R2) | Eligible (mostly) | Forfeiture of security deposit applies |
| Joined in Round 2 | Ineligible | Cannot resign to enter mop-up |
| Freshly Qualified (Revised Cutoff) | Eligible | Full registration fee and deposit required |
Final Steps in the State Admission Process
Following the mop-up rounds, the remaining vacant seats will be filled through a stray vacancy round. This final step is often conducted at the institutional level or via an online centralized portal, depending on specific state regulations. Medical education departments are urging candidates to stay updated through official websites like dme.mponline.gov.in or medadmgujarat.org, as the synchronization with the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines is mandatory for all state-level admissions.
- Document Verification: Candidates must ensure that all original certificates, including the NEET PG 2025 scorecard and internship completion certificate, are ready for the final verification.
- Fee Payment: The balance tuition fee must be paid at the time of reporting to confirm the seat; failure to do so results in the seat being moved to the stray vacancy pool.
- Resignation Policy: In the mop-up stage, there is typically no provision for resignation once a seat is accepted, making the decision-making process critical for aspirants.
- Academic Session: Despite the ongoing rounds, the academic session for many PG courses has already commenced on December 22, 2025, meaning joined candidates will need to bridge the syllabus gap.
Conclusion
The advancement of NEET PG 2025 state counselling toward the mop-up rounds marks a decisive period for medical graduates across the country. This phase acts as a final filter to ensure that no seat goes to waste in the highly competitive medical education sector. As states coordinate with the Medical Counselling Committee to finalize the 2026 intake, candidates must remain vigilant regarding the updated seat matrix and the strict reporting timelines. The successful completion of this round will pave the way for the stray vacancy phase, ultimately concluding the admission cycle for the current academic year.