MCC Starts First Stray Vacancy Allotments for NEET PG 2025: Choice Filling Opens Today
Today, February 17, 2026, marks the most high-stakes day of the year for medical postgraduates. While high schoolers are currently focusing on the opening of NEET UG 2026 applications, the senior medical community is holding its breath as the NEET PG 2025 Stray Vacancy Round enters its most critical phase. This is officially the final opportunity for aspirants to secure a seat in MD, MS, or PG Diploma courses for the 2025-26 academic session. For regular updates on the latest seat matrix and counseling alerts, follow Only Education News.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has officially opened the choice-filling window for the NEET PG 2025 Stray Vacancy Round today, February 17, 2026. Following the commencement of registrations yesterday, this phase allows eligible candidates to submit their final preferences for the 2,980 vacant seats available across the All India Quota (AIQ), Deemed Universities, and Central Institutes. Unlike earlier rounds, the Stray Vacancy Round operates under a strict "No-Exit" policy, making every choice submitted today vital for an aspirant's career.
To stay informed about the final seat allotment results and the document verification schedule, follow Only Education News.
Critical Timeline for the Stray Round
The MCC has streamlined the final leg of the counseling process to ensure all vacant seats are filled before the February 28 deadline.
| Event | Date / Time |
|---|---|
| Registration Period | February 16 – February 18, 2026 (12 PM) |
| Choice Filling Window | February 17 – February 19, 2026 |
| Choice Locking Facility | Feb 19, 2026 (4 PM – 11:55 PM) |
| Seat Allotment Processing | February 20, 2026 |
| Final Allotment Result | February 21, 2026 |
| Reporting to Colleges | February 22 – February 28, 2026 |
Key Rules and Forfeiture Policies
Aspirants must exercise extreme caution during today’s choice-filling. The Stray Vacancy Round comes with heavy administrative penalties to prevent seat wastage:
- Fresh Choice Filling: Any choices filled in Rounds 1, 2, or 3 are now null and void. Candidates must enter fresh choices today to be considered for allotment.
- Mandatory Joining: If a seat is allotted in this round, the candidate must join. Failure to join will lead to the forfeiture of the security deposit and a debarment from the NEET PG exam for the next academic year.
- Eligibility: Only those who do not hold any seat in AIQ or State Quota rounds are eligible. The MCC has shared a consolidated list of 10,084 admitted candidates to ensure no dual-holding of seats occurs.
Seat Matrix Analysis
According to the latest data released by MCC, there are 2,980 seats still up for grabs. While clinical branches like Radio Diagnosis and General Medicine have very few openings, there is a significant volume of seats in Anaesthesiology, Pathology, and non-clinical branches. Candidates are encouraged to check the "Clear Vacancy" and "Virtual Vacancy" lists on mcc.nic.in before locking their preferences.
As the academic session is already underway, those allotted seats in this round will need to move quickly for physical reporting and document verification. For a checklist of the original documents required at the time of joining, follow Only Education News.
