NEET UG Counselling 2026 Choice Locking Deadline Postponed by MCC
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has postponed the closing time for choice locking in Round 1 of NEET UG Counselling 2026 on its official website, mcc.nic.in. The choice locking window was originally scheduled to close at 11:00 AM on August 13, 2026. MCC is expected to announce a revised schedule for candidates soon. Round 1 counselling covers MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing seats under the 15% All India Quota (AIQ), deemed universities, central universities and AIIMS.
Revised Round 1 Schedule at a Glance
The choice filling window opened at 12:00 Noon on August 8, 2026. The locking sub-window was set from 4:00 PM on August 12 to 11:00 AM on August 13, 2026. MCC has now put a hold on this closing step.
| Event | Earlier Date | Revised Status |
|---|---|---|
| Choice Filling Start | August 8, 2026 (12:00 Noon) | Held as scheduled |
| Choice Locking Window | August 12 (4:00 PM) to August 13, 2026 (11:00 AM) | Delayed by MCC |
| Seat Allotment Processing | August 13 to August 16, 2026 | To be rescheduled |
| Round 1 Seat Allotment Result | August 17, 2026 | To be rescheduled |
| Reporting at Allotted Institute | August 18 to August 22, 2026 | To be rescheduled |
Why Has MCC Delayed Choice Locking?
The delay is linked to a notification issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) regarding seat data for candidates with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD). The notification, numbered U11021/24204/PwBD/2026/UGMEB, was dated August 5, 2026. The same notification had earlier resulted in the postponement of the choice-filling process, with the start date being shifted from August 6 to August 8. The latest postponement indicates that further updates to the NEET UG 2026 seat matrix are still being processed.
What Should Candidates Do Now?
Candidates who have already filled in their preferences are advised to wait for MCC's revised schedule before locking their choices.
Once the choice-locking window reopens, candidates can follow these steps:
- Visit the MCC official website at mcc.nic.in.
- Log in using your NEET UG 2026 roll number and password.
- Open the Choice Filling and Locking dashboard.
- Carefully review the order of your college and course preferences.
- Click on Lock Choices and confirm the action using the OTP sent to your registered mobile number.
- Download and save the locked choice list as a PDF for future reference.
If a candidate does not manually lock the choices, the system will automatically lock the submitted choices at the specified cut-off time, as per MCC's instructions.
Action Plan for NEET UG 2026 Candidates
- Check the MCC website regularly for the revised choice-locking schedule.
- Keep your login credentials and NEET UG 2026 admit card ready.
- Finalise your preferred colleges and courses in offline notes.
- Keep scanned copies of your Class 10, Class 12, category and PwBD certificates, wherever applicable.
- Do not rush to lock your choices until MCC officially announces the revised deadline.
- Once the new schedule is released, carefully review your preferences before completing the locking process.
Candidates are advised to rely only on official MCC notifications for the revised choice-locking deadline and other Round 1 counselling updates.