The NEET UG counselling schedule has been released. Based on this, the first round of counselling for admission to MBBS and other undergraduate medical courses under the All India Quota (AIQ) will begin on August 4, and the counselling for state quota seats will begin from August 13.
According to the schedule released by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), the first round of counselling for the AIQ students in deemed and central universities will be conducted from August 4 to August 17, with the last date for joining set for August 22.
The schedule further notes that the academic session for the 2026–27 batch is scheduled to commence on September 8.
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First round of counselling from August 4-17
As per the schedule released by the MCC< the registration for the first round will begin from August 5. Students who have cleared the NEET UG exam will be allowed to register till 3pm on August 12.
Following the registration, students will have time from August 6 to 13 to fill their choices. The seat allotment will be processed from August 13 to 16, with the result on August 17. Students who have been allotted their desired seat will be required to report to their respective colleges by August 22.
The second round of counselling will be held from August 24 to September 2, followed by the third round from September 10 to September 18.
The stray vacancy round is scheduled from September 28 to October 3, with October 10 being the last date for candidates to join.
Check the full MCC schedule here
Schedule for state quota seats
For state quota seats, the first round of counselling will take place from August 13 to August 22, with candidates required to join by August 28.
The second round will be conducted from August 31 to September 8, followed by the third round from September 16 to September 26. The stray vacancy round for state quota seats will be held from October 3 to October 5.
The schedule also lays down timelines for verification of joined candidates by the MCC and state counselling authorities after each round to facilitate seat processing and subsequent allotments.
Academic session to begin by Sep 8
According to the schedule shared by the MCC, the academic session for undergraduate medical courses will begin on September 8, even as counselling for subsequent rounds continues for vacant seats.
The MCC has directed all participating institutions, state counselling authorities and designated agencies to strictly adhere to the schedule.
It has also instructed institutions to treat all Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days to ensure the counselling process is completed on time.
The MCC, which functions under the Union health ministry, has introduced a series of changes to the NEET-UG 2026 counselling process, including doing away with mandatory physical reporting for candidates opting for seat upgrades and allowing online resignation from allotted seats, in an effort to make the admission process “more transparent and student-friendly”.
What are the key changes?
Among the key changes, candidates who have been allotted a seat and opted for an upgrade in subsequent rounds will no longer be required to physically report to the allotted college solely to complete admission formalities.
Their admission shall remain valid in the counselling system while participating in subsequent rounds, subject to the applicable counselling rules.
The MCC has also introduced an online resignation facility.
Candidates may now submit a resignation from their allotted seat through the MCC counselling portal, wherever permissible under the counselling rules and within the prescribed timelines, without the need for physical submission at the allotted institution, the letter stated.
Candidates seeking NRI reservation in deemed universities “will be able to upload their documents online on the counselling portal”.
(With inputs from PTI)
