Medical institutions across India are on standby for final Round 3 and stray vacancy instructions from the MCC and DGHS Following the recent NEET PG cutoff reduction, colleges are updating their seat matrices to accommodate newly eligible candidates. Strict adherence to the January 31 admission deadline remains mandatory for all central and state medical universities.

With the third round of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) counselling officially commencing yesterday, medical institutions nationwide are closely monitoring the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) portal for real-time administrative directives. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has recently issued a notification to all participating deans and principals, emphasizing the need for rapid seat matrix verification. This follows the landmark decision to reduce the qualifying percentile, which has significantly expanded the pool of eligible candidates for the remaining 2025-26 academic year vacancies.

Seat Matrix Verification and Institutional Readiness

As of today, January 16, medical colleges have been tasked with the "Verification of Tentative Seat Matrix" to ensure that every available MD, MS, and Diploma seat is accurately reflected on the official portal. The DGHS has warned that any discrepancy in the reporting of vacant seats could lead to legal complications during the final allotment phase. Colleges are currently auditing their internal records to account for candidates who resigned from Round 1 or Round 2, ensuring that these high-value clinical slots are made available for the Round 3 allocation cycle.

• Reporting Vacancies: Institutes must update the "Intra-MCC" portal with clear vacancy data by the end of today's business hours.
• Cutoff Impact: The reduction to the 7th percentile (General) has necessitated a re-evaluation of category-wise seat distribution in several state institutions.
• Newly Added Seats: Following recent NMC appeals, several private and government colleges are integrating additional sanctioned seats into the current round.
• Technical Compliance: Deans are instructed to ensure that the college-level biometric and document verification systems are fully operational for the influx of students expected in late January.

Guidelines for Round 3 and Stray Vacancy Rounds

The MCC has reiterated that the 2025-26 admission cycle must strictly conclude by January 31, 2026. This hard deadline has prompted the DGHS to issue a "no-delay" instruction regarding the physical reporting process. While Round 3 registration and choice filling are active until January 26, colleges have been advised to prepare for a "Stray Vacancy" round immediately thereafter. This final round will be conducted online to prevent seat wastage and ensure that even the most remote medical institutions achieve full occupancy.

• Non-Resignable Seats: MCC has clarified that seats joined in Round 3 cannot be resigned under any circumstances, a rule colleges must strictly enforce.
• Security Forfeiture: Institutions are required to report candidates who fail to join after allocation, triggering the forfeiture of their security deposits.
• Document Retention: Colleges have been reminded to retain original documents of candidates who opted for upgradation from Round 2 to Round 3.
• State vs. Central Coordination: State medical councils are being urged to align their Round 3 counselling dates with the central schedule to prevent double-blocking of seats.

Projected Timeline for Final Admission Stages

To maintain transparency, the DGHS has released a comprehensive schedule for the remaining weeks of the admission cycle. Medical colleges are expected to follow these dates without deviation to meet the national instruction for session commencement.

Conclusion

The current climate within medical institutions is one of high alertness as the 2025-26 admission season reaches its pinnacle. The synergy between the MCC’s digital portal and the physical reporting centers at colleges is vital for the success of this extended counselling phase. As the DGHS continues to refine its instruction list to accommodate the revised cutoff, medical colleges are preparing for a busy final quarter of January, ensuring that every deserving candidate is successfully integrated into the national healthcare workforce.

For regular updates follow Only Education News. For more details on medical entrance exams and courses, check here: Medical Exams List.