With the NEET UG 2026 results declared on July 16, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is expected to begin Round 1 registration for All India Quota (AIQ) counselling around July 21, 2026. The official schedule has not yet been confirmed by MCC and will be published on mcc.nic.in.
Expected Counselling Timeline
| Stage | Expected Date |
| Round 1 Registration & Choice Filling | Begins around 21 July 2026 (Tentative) |
| Round 1 Registration Closes | 30 July 2026 (Tentative) |
| Round 1 Seat Allotment | End of July / Early August 2026 (Tentative) |
| Round 2 Allotment | August 2026 (Tentative) |
| Mop-Up Round | September 2026 (Tentative) |
| Stray Vacancy Round | October 2026 (Tentative) |
Who Conducts NEET UG Counselling
MCC conducts counselling for 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats in UG courses, along with 100% seats in Deemed Universities, Central Universities, ESIC institutes, and specialised quotas at AIIMS, JIPMER and AFMC. The remaining 85% state quota seats are counselled separately by respective state authorities.
Counselling Process Overview
Join NEET News 2026 - Registration: Candidates register online on the MCC portal using their NEET UG 2026 roll number and application details
- Choice Filling: Candidates select and rank their preferred colleges and courses
- Choice Locking: Once satisfied, candidates must lock their choices before the deadline
- Seat Allotment: MCC allots seats based on NEET rank, category, and seat availability
- Document Verification: Allotted candidates must verify original documents
- Reporting: Candidates must report to the allotted institute within the specified window to confirm admission
Total Seats Available for Counselling 2026
- MBBS seats: 1,18,190
- BDS seats: 27,868
Why the Counselling Schedule Shifted This Year
The NEET UG 2026 cycle has run later than usual this year. The original exam scheduled for May 3, 2026 was cancelled following paper leak allegations, and NTA conducted a re-examination on June 21, 2026. This pushed the result declaration to mid-July instead of the usual June timeline, which has correspondingly delayed the start of counselling by nearly a month compared to previous years.
Eligibility for MCC Counselling 2026
- Candidates must have qualified NEET UG 2026 with valid scorecard
- Minimum age of 17 years as of December 31, 2026
- Must have passed 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology and English as core subjects
- Candidates from Jammu & Kashmir are not eligible for the AIQ round conducted by MCC
Number of Counselling Rounds
MCC conducts counselling for AIQ seats in four rounds – Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 (Mop-Up Round) and the Stray Vacancy Round. Additional rounds may be added if seats remain vacant after the Stray Vacancy Round.
