NEET 2025 MCC Choice Filling: AIQ & State Counselling

MCC Choice Filling: The NEET 2025 counselling process will decide which college you will get for MBBS. MCC has released the revised seat metric for only about 1.15 lakh MBBS seats, around 3,000 less than what was expected. This is because of NMC’s action and CBI’s raids on many colleges, which debarred these colleges from participating in MCC NEET UG 2025 Counselling.

With only one chance per candidate per round, careful planning of your college preferences becomes even more crucial now.

In this MCC Choice Filling Guide, we will explain the NEET 2025 Counselling All India Quota (AIQ) and State Quota processes,a step-by-step guide and how to secure your dream college.

NEET 2025 Counselling: All India Quota vs State Quota

NEET seats are divided into AIQ and state quotas.

NEET 2025: MCC AIQ Counselling

• About 15% of MBBS/BDS seats in each government college are reserved for the All India Quota.
• It is handled by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).
• This AIQ also covers 100% of seats in AIIMS, JIPMER, central universities (DU, AMU, BHU, etc.), and all deemed universities.
• Registration, choice filling, and allotment are done on the MCC website (mcc.nic.in).
• You must fill in a common list of preferences here.

NEET 2025: State Counselling

• The remaining 85% of seats in government colleges (and all private college seats, except those in Deemed/Central universities) fall under the State Quota
• It is managed by each state’s counselling authority.
• Each state (or union territory) runs its own schedule and online portal.
• Only candidates with domicile in that state can compete for its 85% quota.
• You should register separately for your home state (or other eligible states) counselling and make choices there too.

Important Note:

• Always check whether a college is 100% AIQ (like AIIMS) or has both AIQ/State seats (like most govt colleges), so you list it in the correct counselling process.
• Central bodies like NMC often update seat matrices, but the rule is clear: only colleges on your list can be allotted to you
• So don’t skip any college you might accept, and omit those you definitely won’t join.

NEET 2025 MCC Choice Filling

Step-by-Step Guide to MCC Choices Filling Online (AIQ)

The MCC choice filling is entirely online. Follow these steps carefully:

Register and Pay Fee on MCC Portal

• Visit the official MCC counselling website mcc.nic.in (UG Medical).
• Create a new registration by entering your NEET roll number, name, category, etc., and upload any required documents.
• Pay the registration fee (for 2025, ₹1,000 for General/EWS and ₹500 for SC/ST/OBC/PwD under AIQ/Central; ₹5,000 for Deemed university seats).
• You will also pay a tuition fee deposit (refundable) – e.g., ₹10,000 for general AIQ and ₹5,000 for reserved categories (or ₹2,00,000 for a deemed university seat).
• The portal confirms your registration and gives you login credentials.

Login and View Available Choices.

• After registering, click “Sign In” and enter your credentials.
• Then click Available Choices on the portal.
• The system shows all courses/colleges for which you are eligible (based on your category and quota).
• When you click on the Choice Filling icon, the left-side “basket” will list all those options.
• Click each college-course option you want, and it moves from the left basket to your right-side “Selected” list. For example, clicking Government Medical College X – MBBS shifts it into your preference list.
• Continue adding all colleges you might join.
• There is no limit to how many choices you can fill, so include every realistic option (even private or BDS courses you’d accept if MBBS slips out); the more, the better your chances.
• After adding, click Save & Continue to update.

Order Your Preferences

• Once your list is built, use the up/down arrows to rank them by priority.
• Put your most desired college (e.g. a top government college or preferred city) at the top, and so on.
• You can also delete any entries using the Delete button if you change your mind. For instance, if you prefer a good Deemed university MBBS over a lower-ranked state college, list it higher.
• Make sure to click Save & Continue after reordering. You may repeat reordering up until the lock deadline.

Tip: always research key factors, quality of education, hospital facilities, and fees, on each college’s official site before prioritizing.

Lock Your Choices

• Once rechecked and satisfied, click Lock Choices (during the lock window) to finalise your list.
• This prints an acknowledgement.
• After locking, no changes are allowed.
• Keep a copy of your locked list.
• If you forget to lock by the deadline, the system will auto-lock at the last moment, but it’s safest to do it yourself so you can verify.

Remember: until locked, you can keep adding, deleting, or reordering choices. Plan to lock on the last day or before to accommodate last-minute updates.

Monitor Seat Allotment and Reporting

• MCC will run the allotment after closing choices.
• When the allotment list is published, log in to check if you got a seat.
• Download the allotment letter and report to the allotted college by the deadline with all documents and fees.
• If allotted, you may choose to Freeze (accept) or Float (accept but try for upgrade next round). If you decline or choose a “free exit,” your security money is returned and you can enter Round 2.

Note that, you must fill fresh choices in each round, the system does not auto-carry over your old list.

MCC Choice Filling in State Quota Counselling

In parallel, participate in your state’s counselling too. Each state has its own portal and schedule (check your state’s DME or medical admissions website).

Step-by-Step Guide for Choice Filling in State Quota

The procedure (register – choice filling – lock) is similar to AIQ but managed at state level.

Key points:

Domicile Eligibility for NEET State Counselling 2025

• Make sure you fulfil the state’s domicile criteria if using state quota.
• Some states allow out-of-state seats for private colleges.

State College List in NEET State Counselling 2025

• Government colleges in your state (85% seats) and the state’s share of private college seats appear in this counselling.
• For example, Tamil Nadu had about 5,050 state-government MBBS seats and 1,683 BDS seats in 2024, plus additional management/private seats.

Separate Choices

• Treat AIQ and State as separate.
• Fill an AIQ preference list on MCC and a State list on your state portal.
• Don’t rely on one list for both. This doubles your chances.
• However, you cannot hold two seats simultaneously: if you get an AIQ seat and later take a state seat, you must withdraw from AIQ (or vice versa).
• Some states schedule their rounds after MCC, so often aspirants do AIQ first then state.

Tip: Research previous years’ cutoffs and allotment trends for both AIQ and State. For example, aspirants often find that top colleges in some states (especially in the South) admit at slightly lower ranks than North, which can guide how you order your lists. Use official seat matrices (published by MCC and states) to know seat counts in each college.

NEET 2025 MCC Choice Filling: Mistakes to Avoid

MCC Choice Filling: Mistakes to Avoid

Filling Too Few Choices

• Some candidates only list a few colleges and They miss out chances.
• Since MCC doesn’t limit choices, fill as many colleges as possible.
• If you only list your dream college but not backups, you risk no seat.
• Don’t stop at just government colleges if your rank won’t reach them; include reputable private or BDS options too.

Locking Choices Too Early or Forgetting to Lock

• You may want to wait until the last moment to add any late-breaking preferences.
• However, don’t go past the deadline.
• MCC warns that once locked, you can’t change (and if you forget, it auto-locks at the end).
• Tips: Aim to lock a few hours before deadline so you can double-check.

Including Colleges You Don’t Want

• Only list colleges you would seriously consider.
• Any college not on your list cannot be allotted.
• If there are BDS or management seats you want to avoid entirely, simply don’t add them.
• This way, you won’t accidentally get a seat you hate.

NEET 2025 Counselling: Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring Fees and Bond Details

• Don’t rely on MCC alone for fee info – it often doesn’t detail fees or bonds.
• Check each college’s official website for tuition fees, hostel costs, and any compulsory rural bonds or service obligations.
• For instance, a good private college may cost ₹30lakh/year, which could be unaffordable; know this in advance so you can rank colleges not just by name but by affordability.

Missing Deadlines

• Each round has strict cutoffs for registration, choice filling, locking, and reporting.
• Missing even one date can forfeit your seat.
• The schedules are announced well in advance; set multiple alarms.
• Always verify deadlines on official sites (MCC and state education portals).

Not Updating Between Rounds

• Remember: Round 2 and 3 are fresh starts.
• If you got a seat in Round 1 and still want a possible upgrade, you must re-register and fill choices again for Round 2.
• Many candidates assume their old list carries over, but it doesn’t.
• Use prior allotment results to revise your list – you might drop colleges you got seats in, and add new targets open after others withdrew.

How Seat Allotment is Done in NEET Counselling

• The counselling system works on your merit rank and preference order.
• In AIQ, MCC allocates seats starting with the top rank downwards.
• For each candidate in turn, it checks their highest-preference college that still has a vacancy in the relevant quota.
• If available, that seat is allotted.
• This continues until all candidates or seats are exhausted.
• Thus, rank is king – higher rank gets more options.
• But equally, how you arrange your choices matters greatly.

Strategies to Arrange Choice in NEET Counselling

Better Rank, Better Options

• If your All India Rank (AIR) is very high (small number), you have the luxury to list very competitive colleges (AIIMS, top government).
• You should dream big in your top slots, since the system will likely satisfy them.

Mid/Lower Rank

• For ranks beyond the top 5,000 or 20,000, chances of best MBBS seats drop.
• Here you should be realistic: Also include good private MBBS.
• It’s better to list a slightly less prestigious MBBS than to leave a huge gap between choices.

Reserved Category

• If you have an OBC/SC/ST/EWS/PwD category, the cutoffs are lower.
• You may get into a government college at a lower rank due to reservation.
• Still, list unreserved (General) seats too if you qualify, but known odds will differ.

MCC Choice Filling: Additional Information

• Each round reshuffles vacancies: someone who got a high preference and vacates a lower seat can free up new options for the next round.
• If you choose to float (join and still stay in counselling), you may be upgraded in later rounds.
• If you withdraw free (Round 1 only), you forgo the current seat with no penalty. This “free exit” lets you keep trying in Round 2 with your deposit intact.
• Use free exit if Round 1 offers you a college you really don’t want. (After Round 1, no “free exit” exists; in R2+ withdrawing means you lose your deposit.)

In NEET 2024 Round 1, over 26,000 candidates were allotted MBBS/BDS seats. Many candidates with ranks beyond 20,000 found success by putting top dental colleges or manageable private MBBS colleges high on their list.

For instance, someone who listed a reputed private MBBS (rather than only far-away government colleges) might receive a seat, whereas skipping it could leave them empty-handed. Learning from such patterns (via counselling charts or senior advice) can guide your priority list.

Throughout counselling, stay organized and stress-free. Always have multiple copies of documents (both physical and digital). When reporting to a college, arrive early and have original certificates for verification. Keep a healthy line of communication with the college admissions office in case of queries.

In summary, effective choice filling means: research colleges, list all possible options in true priority order, lock on time, and follow through the process diligently. Use bullet-point checklists if needed:

• Prioritize by rank-based reachability (tougher colleges higher if feasible).
• Consider fees and bonds when ranking, not just name.
• Include backup options (other states’ private colleges) if your primary goals look slim.
• Review and revise your list up to locking, and do so afresh each round.
• Avoid decisions driven by fear or hearsay; base them on data and budget.

By following these steps and being aware of common mistakes, you give yourself the best chance to secure a seat that aligns with your career goals and resources.