NEET UG Counselling 2026: MCC Round 3 Registration From September 22, Stray Vacancy Round Dates Out
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has released the NEET UG 2026 round 3 counselling schedule along with the online stray vacancy round dates, for admission to MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing programmes.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has released the NEET UG 2026 round 3 counselling schedule along with the online stray vacancy round dates, for admission to MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing programmes. Round 3 registration and fee payment will run from September 22 to 27, 2026, at mcc.nic.in, with the seat allotment result due on September 30. The online stray vacancy round follows in October, with results on October 17.
NEET UG 2026 Round 3: Key Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Verification of tentative seat matrix | September 21, 2026 |
| Registration and fee payment | September 22–27, 2026 |
| Choice filling | September 23–28, 2026 |
| Choice locking | September 27, 7 PM – September 28, 12 noon |
| Processing of seat allotment | September 28–29, 2026 |
| Round 3 allotment result | September 30, 2026 |
| Reporting at allotted institute | October 1–9, 2026 |
| Verification of joined candidates | October 10, 2026 |
NEET UG 2026 Online Stray Vacancy Round: Key Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration and fee payment | October 12–14, 2026 |
| Choice filling | October 12–15, 2026 |
| Choice locking | October 14, 4 PM – October 15, 10 AM |
| Seat allotment processing | October 15–16, 2026 |
| Online stray vacancy result | October 17, 2026 |
| Reporting at allotted institute | October 19–26, 2026 |
MCC has directed participating institutes to treat Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days, to keep the counselling schedule on track.
What MCC Counselling Covers
MCC's round of counselling is limited to a specific slice of the country's MBBS/BDS/BSc Nursing seats:
- 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats carved out of state quota seats
- 100% BHU seats (MBBS and BDS)
- 100% AIIMS seats across India
- JIPMER open-quota seats (Puducherry/Karaikal)
- AMU open-quota seats
- 15% AIQ seats of Delhi University/IP University
- Jamia Millia Islamia open seats (Faculty of Dentistry)
- 15% AIQ seats of ESIC
- 100% seats in deemed universities
- BSc Nursing programmes at selected participating institutes
The remaining 85% of state-quota seats are handled separately by individual state counselling authorities, not through mcc.nic.in.
Where Round 2 Stands Right Now
Round 2 counselling is still being wrapped up. Candidates who were allotted seats in round 2 must report to their allotted institutes between September 12 and 18, 2026; participating institutes will then verify joined-candidate data on September 19, 2026. Round 3 registration opens immediately after this window closes.
Documents Required
Candidates should keep the following ready for round 3 registration, choice filling, and seat allotment:
- NEET UG 2026 admit card
- NEET UG 2026 scorecard/rank letter
- MCC seat/provisional allotment letter (once allotted)
- Class 10 certificate and mark sheet
- Class 12 certificate and mark sheet
- Valid photo ID proof (Aadhaar/PAN card/driving licence/passport)
- Eight passport-size photographs
- Category/caste certificate, if applicable
- PwD certificate, if applicable
Reservation Policy
For Central Universities and institutions covered under MCC counselling, the category-wise reservation is:
| Category | Reservation |
|---|---|
| General-Economically Weaker Section (GEN-EWS) | 10% |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Other Backward Classes – Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) | 27% |
| Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) | 5% (horizontal reservation) |
NEET UG 2026 Qualifying Cut-off
| Category | Qualifying Percentile | 2026 Cut-off Marks |
|---|---|---|
| UR/EWS | 50th | 715–213 |
| OBC/SC/ST | 40th | 212–177 |
| UR/EWS-PwBD | 45th | 212–194 |
| OBC/SC-PwBD | 40th | 193–177 |
| ST-PwBD | 40th | 191–177 |
Total Seats Available for 2026-27
| Particulars | Number |
|---|---|
| Total medical colleges | 823 |
| Government medical colleges | 441 |
| Private medical colleges | 382 |
| Total MBBS seats (2026-27) | 1,36,939 |
| Renewed MBBS seats | 1,27,028 |
| Newly approved MBBS seats | 9,911 |
| MBBS seats in government colleges | 63,296 |
| MBBS seats in private colleges | 73,643 |
Separately, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has said it added 13,186 new MBBS seats this year — though it cites 836 participating private and government colleges, a figure that does not match the 823-college count above. [VERIFY the correct college count against NMC's official notification before publishing.]
A total of 20 AIIMS institutions currently participate in NEET UG counselling, from AIIMS New Delhi to newer campuses such as AIIMS Bibinagar, Rae Bareli and Rajkot.
What Happens After Round 3
Seats not filled after round 3 reporting move into the online stray vacancy round in October — registration October 12–14, choice filling through October 15, and results on October 17. Candidates allotted seats in that round must report between October 19 and 26, 2026.
Official Website
All MCC counselling activity — registration, choice filling, and seat allotment — must be completed only through the official portal: mcc.nic.in.