NEET UG Counselling 2026: Round, Dates, Registration, Fees etc.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 for 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats, including Deemed and Central Universities, ESIC, AFMC and institutions such as DU, BHU and AMU will be conducted by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on behalf of the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). MCC will release the counselling schedule for Round 1 as per the 2026 admission timeline. Counselling for state quota seats and other institutions will be conducted separately by the respective state authorities, with merit lists prepared based on the category details provided by candidates during registration.

MCC will conduct the NEET UG Counselling 2026 in four rounds: Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up Round, and Stray Vacancy Round. Candidates can also download the MCC NEET UG Counselling eBook 2026 for complete guidance.

This article provides the latest information on MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026, including important dates, eligibility criteria, registration fees, counselling procedure, and more.

Overview

Factors	Details
Counselling Name	NEET UG Counselling 2026
Conducting Body	Medical Counselling Committee (MCC)
Regulating Bodies	National Medical Commission (NMC) – Medical Dental Council of India (DCI) – Dental
Courses Offered	MBBS and BDS
Purpose	Admission to UG Medical and Dental Colleges
Entrance Exam	NEET UG 2026
Registration Fee	₹1000 (General/OBC/EWS) ₹500 (SC/ST/PwD)
Eligibility	Qualified NEET UG 2026 and age above 17 years old
Counselling Process	1. Registration 2. Choice Filling 3. Seat Allotment 4. Document Upload 5. College Reporting
AIQ Seat Percentage	15%
State Quota Seat Percentage	85%
Total Medical Colleges in India	824
Total MBBS Seats in India	1,29,603
Total Dental Colleges in India	325
Total BDS Seats in India	27,806
Official Website	https://mcc.nic.in/

NEET UG Round 1 Counselling 2026 Dates

SL. No.	Activity	Dates
1	Verification of Tentative Seat Matrix by Participating Institutes & NMC	18th – 19th July, 2026
2	Registration / Payment	21st – 28th July 2026 (till 12:00 noon)
3	Choice Filling / Locking	22nd – 28th July 2026 (till 11:55 PM)
4	Processing of Seat Allotment	29th – 30th July 2026
5	Result	31st July 2026
6	Reporting / Joining	1st – 6th August 2026
7	Verification of Joined Candidates Data by Institutes	7th – 8th August 2026

NEET UG Round 2 counselling Dates

SL. No.	Activity	Dates
1	Verification of Tentative Seat Matrix by Participating Institutes	9th – 11th August 2026
2	Verification of Joined Candidates Data by Institutes	30th August – 1st September 2026
3	Registration / Payment	12th – 18th August 2026 (till 12:00 noon)
4	Choice Filling / Locking	13th – 18th August 2026 (till 11:55 PM)
5	Processing of Seat Allotment	19th – 20th August 2026
6	Result	21st August 2026
7	Reporting / Joining	22nd – 29th August 2026
8	Verification of Joined Candidates Data by Institutes	30th August – 1st September 2026

NEET UG Round 3 counselling Dates

Stage	Activity Details
Tentative Seat Matrix Verification	Verification by participating institutes
Registration & Fee Payment	3rd – 8th September 2026
Choice Filling & Locking	3rd – 8th September 2026 (till 11:55 PM)
Seat Allotment Processing	9th – 10th September 2026
Result Declaration	11th September 2026
Reporting to Allotted College	12th – 18th September 2026
Verification by Institutes	19th – 21st September 2026

NEET UG Stray Vacancy Round counselling Dates

Activity	Dates (as per Server Time)
Verification of Tentative Seat Matrix by Participating Institutes	20th September 2026 (Online)
Registration / Payment	22nd – 24th September 2026 (till 3:00 PM)
Choice Filling / Locking	24th Sept (8:00 PM) – 25th Sept (8:00 AM)
Processing of Seat Allotment	25th – 26th September 2026
Result Declaration	27th September 2026
Reporting at Allotted Institute	27th September – 3rd October 2026

NEET UG 2026 counselling scheme for 15% AIQ

• 15% MBBS/BDS Seats of States
• 100% MBBS/BDS Seats of BHU
• 100% MBBS Seats of AIIMS across India
• All India Quota of JIPMER (Puducherry/ Karaikal)
• All India Quota seats of AMU/ DU/ VMMC/ ABVIMS
• All India Quota Seats of Faculty of Dentistry (Jamia Milia Islamia)
• All India Quota Seats of ESIC

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for NEET UG Counselling 2026 are given in the table below:

Criteria	Details
Qualifying Marks	General Category: Must score at least the 50th percentile in NEET-UG 2026. Reserved Categories: Must obtain a minimum of the 40th percentile. Candidates with Benchmark Disabilities: Must achieve at least the 45th percentile in NEET UG 2026.
Nationality	Indian Nationals, NRIs, OCIs, PIOs, and Foreign Nationals are eligible to take part.
Cut-off	The NEET UG 2026 cut-off establishes eligibility for 85% State Quota and 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats. Candidates who meet or surpass the NEET UG 2026 cut-off must register for counselling.

NEET UG Counselling Registration Fees 2026

The fee structure for NEET UG Counselling 2026 is given below:

Category	Registration Fee	Admission Fee (Refundable)	Private University A Fee (Refundable)
General	INR 1000	INR 10,000	INR 2,00,000
SC	INR 500	INR 5,000	INR 2,00,000
ST	INR 500	INR 5,000	INR 2,00,000
OBC	INR 500	INR 5,000	INR 2,00,000
EWS	INR 500	INR 5,000	INR 2,00,000
PwD	INR 500	INR 5,000	INR 2,00,000

NEET UG Qualifying Cutoff

The previous year’s NEET cutoff marks and percentile is given in the table below:

Category	Qualifying Percentile Criteria	Marks Range
General	≥ 50th percentile	686 – 144
OBC	> 40th but < 50th percentile	143 – 113
SC	> 40th but < 50th percentile	143 – 113
ST	> 40th but < 50th percentile	143 – 113

Central University Eligibility Criteria 2026

The detailed information about central university’s eligibility criteria is given in the table below:

University Name	Eligibility Criteria
Delhi University (LHMC, UCMS, MAMC)	15% seats for AIQ & 85% institutional quota seats for candidates who have passed their 10+2 in Delhi.
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)	50% Institutional reservation for the AMU school candidates studying there for the last 3 years. The rest of the 50% of seats are to All India candidates.
BHU	Open to All India candidates
Faculty of Dentistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi	3 BDS seats are under the internal quota of JMI, and 47 seats are available to All India quota candidates. Students who have passed their 10+ 2 from Jamia Schools can apply for the internal quota.
VMMC & SJH	15% seats for All India and the rest for Institute Quota for students who passed their 10+2 from Delhi.

Counselling for 15% All India Quota

• The Government of India’s Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will conduct counselling for 15% of the All India Quota (AIQ) seats.
• All deemed central state universities will participate in online counselling.
• This counselling will also fill ESIC, AFMC, BHU & AMU seats.
• Candidates will apply for 15% All India Quota seats per the directions of DGHS and Counselling will be stopped as soon as the seats are filled.
• Through this counselling, candidates can get enrolled in any of the medical colleges in India.
• Those candidates who participate in All India Counselling can also participate in State Counselling of their respective states.

MCC NEET UG Counselling Process for AIQ (15%)

Candidates applying for Medical or Dental Colleges in India must register for the AIQ NEET UG counselling 2026. Counselling of NEET for All India Quota will be conducted in two rounds in online mode.

The counselling will consist of these steps:

1. Candidate Registration: Register on the official website.
2. Choice Filling and Locking (Round 1): You have to choose the courses and colleges of your preference and finally lock in the preferences in the online portal.
3. Seat Allotment Result (Round 1): The seat allotment will be published online based on available vacancies and candidate’s choice.
4. Reporting to college: Those who will be allotted a seat in the first round will be required to either reject the allotted seat or report to the allotted college and complete the admission formalities.
5. New Registration (Round 2): For candidates who couldn’t register in the first round of counselling.
6. Fresh Choice Filling and Locking (Round 2): This is similar to Round 1.
7. Seat Allotment Result (Round 2): This is similar to Round 1.
8. Reporting to college (Round 2): Here, it is to be noted that those who will be allotted a seat in the second round of counselling (15% AIQ Quota) will not be permitted to vacate their seats as per the orders made by the Supreme Court of India.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Reservation Quotas in MCC

1. All India Quota NEET UG Counselling 15%: 

• Who can apply: Qualified NEET candidates seeking 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats in medical colleges.

• Open seats (no domicile restrictions):
  • 15% of MBBS/BDS seats are from participating states
  • 100% of MBBS/BDS seats at BHU (Open category)
  • 100% of MBBS seats at all AIIMS institutes
  • Open seats at JIPMER (Puducherry/Karaikal)
  • Open seats at AMU
  • 15% of MBBS/BDS seats at DU/IP University (VMMC/ABVIMS/ESIC Dental)
  • Open seats at Jamia Hamdard (Faculty of Dentistry)
  • 15% of MBBS/BDS seats at ESIC medical colleges

• Reservations:
  • 50.5%: General (Unreserved)
  • 15%: Scheduled Castes (SC)
  • 7.5%: Scheduled Tribes (ST)
  • 27%: Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL)
  • 10%: Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
  • 5%: Persons with Disabilities (PwD) (horizontal reservation across categories)

• Counselling rounds: Four rounds: Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up, Stray Vacancy.

2. AIIMS 

• Number of seats: 2037 MBBS seats across 20 AIIMS institutes.
• Entrance exam: NEET UG scores are now used for AIIMS admissions (previously separate exam).
• Counselling: Same as NEET UG AIQ counselling with four rounds (Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up, Final).
• Reservation policy:
  • Follows Central Government policy (applicable only to seats contributed to MCC)
  • 50.5% Unreserved
  • 15% SC
  • 7.5% ST
  • 27% OBC-NCL
  • 10% EWS
  • 5% PwD (horizontal reservation across categories)
• PwD reservation: Requires disability certificate as per NMC norms (Gazette Notification No. MCI-34(41)/2018-Med./170045 Dated 04/02/2019).

3. JIPMER 

JIPMER has its own eligibility and admission policies for its state quota seats. Check their website for details.

For NEET UG All India Quota seats:

• Four rounds of counselling: Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up, and Online Stray Vacancy.
• Eligibility: Based on NEET UG rank.
• Reservation policy: Follows Central Government policy for open seats:
  • 15% SC
  • 7.5% ST
  • 27% OBC-NCL
  • 10% EWS
  • 5% PwD (horizontal reservation)

4. AFMC

Important note: AFMC admissions have their own separate process and are not part of the regular NEET UG Counselling conducted by MCC.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Registration: You must register on the MCC portal (mcc.nic.in) to express interest.
• Selection: After registration, your details are forwarded to AFMC authorities who conduct their own selec:tion process based on their specific rules and regulations.
• MCC’s role: MCC only facilitates registration, they have no role in the actual selection process or seat allotment.
• Eligibility: Before registering, thoroughly check the eligibility criteria on the AFMC website, especially regarding medical fitness.

5. ESIC Insured Persons Quota:

• Who can apply:
  • Candidates qualified for NEET-UG seeking seats reserved for insured persons under the ESIC scheme.
  • No domicile restrictions.
• Counselling process:
  • Conducted by MCC through four rounds (Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up, Stray Vacancy).
  • Eligibility based on NEET UG rank.
• Reservation policy:
  • 15% SC
  • 7.5% ST
  • 27% OBC-NCL
  • 10% EWS
  • 5% PwD (horizontal reservation)
• PwD reservation:
  • Requires disability certificate as per NMC norms (Gazette Notification No. MCI-34(41)/2018-Med./170045 Dated 04/02/2019) from designated centres.

6. Central Universities (BHU/AMU/DU) Admissions: 

• Who can apply:
  • Candidates who qualified for NEET-UG.
• Eligibility:
  • Specific eligibility criteria may vary for each university (BHU, AMU, DU). Always check their official websites.
• Counselling process:
  • Conducted by MCC through four rounds (Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up, Stray Vacancy).
  • Based on NEET-UG rank. Download the rank letter/result from the NTA website.

7. Deemed Universities 

• Counselling rounds:
  • Four rounds: Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up, Stray Vacancy.
  • MCC handles Rounds 1, 2, and Mop-Up online.
  • Stray Vacancy rounds are handled by individuals Deemed universities.
• Eligibility:
  • Qualified NEET-UG candidates.
  • Specific NRI eligibility criteria apply for NRI seats.

Documents Required

The documents required for NEET Seat Allotment are mentioned below:

• Admit card
• NEET UG 2026 Rank Letter
• Date of Birth Certificate
• Category Certificate (if applicable)
• Class X Certificate
• Class XII Certificate
• Class XII Marksheet
• 8 passport-sized photographs (Must be the Same as the one affixed on the application form)
• Provisional Allotment letter generated online
• Proof of Identity

Reservation Criteria of AIQ Seats

The detailed information about MCC NEET UG 2026 AIQ Counselling Seat reservation criteria is given below:

Category	Reservation Percentage
SC	15%
ST	7.5%
PwD	5% (Horizontal Reservation)
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer)	27% only in National Institutes/Central Universities
EWS	10% only in National Institutes/Central Universities