Bihar PGDAC 2026 MDS Counselling: Registration, Fees & Choice Filling Dates

The Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (BCECEB) has opened online registration and choice filling for PGDAC 2026 — the state-quota counselling for MDS (Master of Dental Surgery) admission in Bihar's government and private dental colleges. Qualified NEET-MDS 2026 candidates must register, pay the counselling fee and security deposit, and fill their college and course preferences between 20 and 27 August 2026. The board will conduct four rounds of counselling, with seat allotment on merit-cum-choice basis. This is the official notice for Rounds 1 and 2; candidates must act now to secure their place in the process.

What is PGDAC 2026 and who can apply?

PGDAC 2026 is Bihar's state-level counselling for admission to MDS (postgraduate dental) courses for the 2026–27 academic year. It is open to all candidates who have qualified the NEET-MDS 2026 exam and appear on the official NEET-MDS 2026 merit list published by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS).

Seats are available in one government dental college (Patna Dental College, Patna) and two private dental colleges (Mithila Minority Dental College & Hospital, Darbhanga, and Buddha Institute of Dental Science & Hospital, Kankarbagh, Patna). The board has published a seat matrix on its website showing how many seats are available in each college and course, broken down by category (UR/EWS, SC/ST/EBC/BC). You must check this before filling your choices.

The counselling will be conducted entirely online in four rounds. All rules, eligibility criteria, and detailed instructions are in the PGDAC 2026 Prospectus, available on the board's website bceceboard.bihar.gov.in.

Important dates: when to register, pay, and lock choices

The timeline for Rounds 1 and 2 is strict. Missing any deadline will result in rejection of your application or loss of your choices. Mark these dates in your calendar and set phone reminders.

Seat matrix is already posted (19 August). Online registration and choice filling opens on 20 August 2026. You must complete registration, fill your application form, pay the counselling fee and security deposit, and lock your choices all within the deadlines shown below.

Step-by-step: how to register and apply online

The entire process is done on the PGDAC 2026 online portal. You will go through seven steps: registration, multi-step application form, preview, payment, choice filling, confirmation download, and choice slip download. Each step must be completed in order. Do not close your browser or lose your internet connection mid-process — save and continue at each stage.

**Step 1: Registration.** Go to the online portal and authenticate yourself using your NEET-MDS 2026 Roll Number, your name, and your date of birth exactly as they appear on your NEET admit card. An OTP (one-time password) will be sent to the mobile number and email address you provided when you applied for NEET-MDS. You cannot change this mobile or email during the entire counselling session — so if you have changed your phone number since NEET, you must update it with NBEMS first. Create a strong password and keep it confidential. After successful registration, you will receive a PGDAC ID — save this for all future reference.

**Step 2: Multi-step Application Form.** Log in with your Roll Number and password. You will fill in six sections in order: (a) Personal Information (name, date of birth, etc.); (b) Contact Details (permanent and correspondence address); (c) Educational Information (your BDS degree, college, marks); (d) Employment Details (if applicable); (e) Other Details (as prompted on screen); (f) Upload Photo, Signature & Documents. At each section, click 'Save & Continue' to move to the next. For the photo and signature, upload a high-contrast colour photograph and signature as scanned PDFs, following the on-screen instructions.

**Step 3: Application Preview & Final Submit.** Review all the information you entered. If you find any errors, click 'Back to Edit', correct them, and click 'Save & Continue' again. Once everything is correct, click 'Final Submit & Proceed to Payment' and give your declaration. If you do not complete this step and payment by the deadline, your application will be rejected and you will have no recourse.

**Step 4: Payment of Counselling Fee & Security Deposit.** You must pay online only — by Debit Card, Credit Card, Net Banking, or UPI. The counselling fee is ₹2,200 (non-refundable) for all categories. The security deposit depends on the college type and your category (see the fee table below). You will also pay a processing charge on top of these amounts. If your payment fails but the amount is debited from your account, you must re-pay immediately to ensure the board receives it by the deadline. Failed transactions will be refunded in due course, but do not wait — re-pay to be safe.

**Step 5: Choice Filling.** After successful payment, fill in your college and course choices in order of preference. Click 'Save Choices' to save them, then click 'Choice Locking' to lock them before the deadline. Once locked, you can unlock them later using your password and OTP if you want to edit, but you must re-lock before the deadline. If you save but do not lock by 27 August 11:59 pm, your choices will auto-lock and you cannot edit them after that.

**Step 6: Download Confirmation Page & Fee Receipt.** After payment, download your confirmation page and fee receipt. Check all details for errors. If you find any, you can correct them during the editing window (see 'Editing Your Application' section below).

**Step 7: Download Choice Slip.** After locking your choices, download and print your choice slip for your records.

Counselling fees: what you must pay

All candidates pay a non-refundable counselling/registration fee of ₹2,200. In addition, you must pay a refundable security deposit. The amount depends on whether you are applying for government or private colleges and your category (UR/EWS or SC/ST/EBC/BC). See the table below.

If you apply for both government and private colleges, you pay the higher amount (₹1,00,000 for UR/EWS, ₹1,00,000 for SC/ST/EBC/BC). You also pay a processing charge on top of the fee and deposit. Payment is online only; no cash or cheque is accepted. The security deposit is refunded at the end of all counselling rounds if you do not get a seat, or after you are admitted.

⚠️ Critical trap: payment failure and what to do

Many candidates face this problem: the payment gateway shows an error, but the money is deducted from their bank account. The board's system may not immediately reflect the payment, and you may even receive an SMS saying 'Application form submitted successfully' — but your application is actually incomplete.

**Do not wait for the payment to 'update' or for a refund.** If your payment fails or does not reflect in the board's account by the deadline, your application will be rejected and you will not be eligible for counselling. Instead, **re-pay the full fee immediately** to ensure it reaches the board before 24 August 11:59 pm. Your failed transaction will be refunded later, but you must not risk missing the deadline.

If you have questions about a failed payment, contact the helpdesk: bangalorepgsd@billdesk.com or phone 0612-2220230.

Can you edit your application after submitting it?

Yes, but only if you have successfully submitted your application and paid the fee by the deadline. You can edit your application data (personal info, contact details, education, etc.) by logging in with your Roll Number and password, clicking 'Edit your Online Filled Application Form', and verifying your identity via OTP sent to your registered mobile or email.

After editing, you must click 'Final Submit' on the preview page to save your changes. Your choices will not be deleted ('Null & Void') — you can then edit and re-lock your choices if needed. However, if editing your data triggers a change in your category or eligibility, you may have to pay additional fees. You must pay the full fee again and ensure it is received by the deadline.

**Important:** After the choice-locking deadline (27 August 11:59 pm), no further edits to your application are allowed. If you have locked your choices and then want to edit your application data, you must first unlock your choices, edit the application, and then re-lock your choices before the deadline.

Seat allotment, document verification, and admission

After the choice-locking deadline, the board will prepare a rank card based on your NEET-MDS AIR (All India Rank) and publish it on 26 August. Download your rank card using your PGDAC ID and date of birth.

On 30 August, the board will publish the Round 1 provisional seat allotment result. If you are allotted a seat, you must download your allotment order between 30 August and 3 September. You will then have two options: (a) **Freeze** — accept the seat and visit the college in person for document verification and admission by 3 September; or (b) **Float** — do not accept the seat, and your documents will be verified online by the college. You can then participate in Round 2 for a possible upgrade.

If you choose Freeze and visit the college, you must bring all original documents listed in the 'Documents Required' section below. The college will verify them and complete your admission. If you do not complete this by 3 September, your seat will be cancelled and your security deposit will be forfeited.

If you choose Float, the college will verify your uploaded scanned documents online. You do not need to visit in person. If any document is blurred, incorrect, or missing, the college will notify you via SMS/email, and you must re-upload the corrected document within the scheduled period. If you do not, a discrepancy will be generated, your seat will be cancelled, and you will be considered for Round 2 based on the discrepancy data.

If you are not allotted a seat in Round 1, you can participate in Round 2. You will have the option to edit your choices before Round 2 choice filling (13 September).

Documents you must upload and submit

You must upload scanned copies of all applicable documents when you download your provisional seat allotment order. These documents will be verified online by the allotted college. You must also bring the original documents to the college at the time of in-person admission (if you choose Freeze). The board will not accept blurred, corrupted, or incomplete files — if any document is defective, your seat will be cancelled.

Below is the complete list of documents. If a document does not apply to you (e.g., 'No objection certificate from employer' if you are not employed), you do not need to upload it. However, all other documents are mandatory.

• Residential Certificate (issued by your state)
• Caste Certificate (if you are claiming SC/ST/EBC/BC category)
• Certificate for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) — if claiming EWS
• College leaving certificate (from your BDS college)
• Rotatory Internship Completion Certificate
• BDS Passing Certificate
• Mark sheets of BDS (Part I, II, and III)
• No objection certificate from employer (if applicable)
• Dental Registration Certificate (from your state dental council)
• Matric Certificate (10th standard)
• Admit Card of NEET-MDS 2026
• Score Card of NEET-MDS 2026
• Rank Card of PGDAC 2026
• Six passport-size colour photographs
• Downloaded print of your online filled application form (confirmation page)
• Check Slip and Biometric Identification Report Form (one copy each)
• Any other certificates in support of eligibility mentioned in the PGDAC 2026 Prospectus

Special rules for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (DQ quota)

If you are a person with benchmark disability and are applying for the DQ (Disability Quota) seats, you must upload a DQ certificate issued by an authorised centre or institute on the prescribed proforma. The certificate must be accompanied by your UDID Card and an affidavit. You must upload these documents when you download your provisional seat allotment order.

The certificate must be issued by an authorised centre only — certificates from any other source will not be accepted and you will lose your DQ eligibility. For full details on DQ eligibility, required documents, and authorised centres, refer to Chapter 4 ('Persons with Benchmark Disabilities') of the NEET-MDS Counselling 2026 Information Bulletin & Counselling Scheme on the MCC official website.

Category and reservation rules

You must fill in your reservation category (UR, EWS, SC, ST, EBC, or BC) very carefully when you apply. The category you select must match the reservation policy and rules applicable in Bihar on the date you submit your application. Details of Bihar's reservation rules are in Para-6 of the PGDAC 2026 Prospectus.

**Important for private college applicants:** If you have filled your category as UR/EWS for admission to private colleges but you are actually a reserved category candidate (BC, EBC, SC, or ST) and you are NEET-MDS qualified, you are still eligible for admission to private colleges. You can participate in PGDAC 2026 counselling and apply for private college seats.

What happens in Rounds 2, 3, and 4?

The board will conduct four rounds of counselling in total. Details for Rounds 3 and 4 will be published later in separate advertisements. For Round 2, the key dates are: choice filling on 13 September, last date to lock choices on 14 September (11:59 pm), seat allotment on 17 September, and document verification/admission on 18–19 September.

If you are allotted a seat in Round 1 and choose Freeze (accept the seat), you will not be eligible for Rounds 2, 3, or 4. If you choose Float (do not accept), you can participate in Round 2 for a possible upgrade. If you are not allotted in Round 1, you can participate in Round 2 with the option to edit your choices. If you are allotted in Round 2 and choose Float, you can participate in Round 3. Candidates allotted in Round 3 must appear in person at the college with all original documents and fees to complete admission — there is no Round 4 option for them.

Free Exit, Freeze, Float, and resignation options

After Round 1 seat allotment, you have three options: (a) **Free Exit** — do not accept the seat and exit without forfeiture of your security deposit. You will be eligible for Round 2. (b) **Freeze** — accept the seat and visit the college in person for admission. Your security deposit will be held until the end of all counselling rounds. (c) **Float** — do not accept the seat, but your documents will be verified online. You can participate in Round 2 for an upgrade.

If you choose Freeze and are admitted in Round 1, you can later resign your seat by visiting the college and providing a reason to the Principal. You will receive a system-generated resignation slip. Your security deposit will be forfeited if you resign after Round 1.

If you choose Float in Round 1 and are allotted a seat in Round 2, you can resign that seat online without visiting the college. If you resign from Round 2, your security deposit will be forfeited. If you are allotted in Round 2 and choose Freeze, you must visit the college in person for admission. If you later resign from Round 2, your security deposit will be forfeited.

If you resign from Round 1 or Round 2, your previous choices become 'Null & Void' and you must fill fresh choices for the next round if you want to participate.

Private college fees and other important notes

The fee structure for private dental colleges is high and varies by college. The board has published the fee structure on its website (bceceboard.bihar.gov.in) and on each college's website. You must confirm the fee structure before you register and fill your application. The board takes no responsibility for private college fees and will not entertain complaints about fee structure.

The board will not be responsible for any interruption in internet or banking systems. Do not wait until the last day to complete your registration, payment, and choice filling — complete everything well before the deadline. If you face a technical issue, contact the helpdesk immediately.

After you submit your online application form, it cannot be withdrawn and no refund of the counselling fee will be entertained. The confirmation page (application form) does not need to be sent to the board's office — keep it for your records and bring it to the college at the time of admission.

Frequently asked questions

Register now on the PGDAC 2026 online portal (bceceboard.bihar.gov.in) using your NEET-MDS 2026 Roll Number. Complete your application form, pay the counselling fee (₹2,200) and security deposit by 24 August 2026 at 11:59 pm, and lock your college choices by 27 August 2026 at 11:59 pm. Download your rank card on 26 August. Check the seat matrix and PGDAC 2026 Prospectus on the board's website for full eligibility criteria and reservation rules. Do not wait until the last day — complete all steps well before the deadline to avoid technical issues.