CENTAC Puducherry NEET UG 2026-27 Brochure: MBBS & BDS Admission Process, Seats, Fees and Documents Explained

The Government of Puducherry's Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) has published its Information Brochure for admission to NEET UG-based courses for the academic year 2026-27. This is not a result or a final schedule — it is the master rulebook that explains how counselling will work for MBBS, BDS (and also BAMS and BVSc & A.H.) seats in Puducherry, before the actual application dates are announced separately through notices on the CENTAC website. It covers who can apply, under which quota, what documents are needed, how much fee is payable at each stage, and how the four rounds of counselling (Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and Stray Round) will function. Candidates and parents need to read this now so they are ready the moment the application window opens.

What CENTAC Counsels and What Seats Are Available

CENTAC is the single counselling authority for all NEET-based UG courses run in the Union Territory of Puducherry. It handles 85% of seats in Government medical/dental colleges (Government Quota and NRI Quota), plus 100% of Government Quota, Management Quota and NRI Quota seats in the private colleges. The remaining 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats in government institutions are filled separately by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), not by CENTAC.

For MBBS, CENTAC counsels seats in Indira Gandhi Medical College & Research Institute (IGMCRI, government), and three private colleges — Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College & Hospital (SMVMCH), and Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College Hospital & Research Centre (SVMCH&RC). For BDS, the colleges are Mahatma Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Dental Sciences (MGPGIDS, government), Sri Venkateshwaraa Dental College (SVDC), and Mahe Institute of Dental Sciences (MINDS).

The brochure also covers BAMS (at Rajiv Gandhi Ayurveda Medical College, Mahe) and BVSc & A.H. (at RIVER, Puducherry) under the same single application, and separately lists a few BSMS/BUMS/BHMS seats in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka reserved for Puducherry-resident candidates, which are counselled by those states directly.

Who Can Apply: Quotas and Residence Rules

Candidates can apply under one or more of three broad quotas — Government Quota (GQ), Management Quota (MQ), and NRI Quota — but all quotas to be applied under must be selected before the application deadline. No new quota can be added later.

Government Quota seats are reserved only for 'Residents of the U.T. of Puducherry.' A candidate qualifies as a Puducherry resident if they meet at least ONE of several conditions: the candidate or a parent/guardian has resided continuously in Puducherry for at least 5 years before the application; OR the candidate studied 5 successive classes up to the qualifying exam in a Puducherry school while residing there (hostel stay does not count); OR they are children of natives who declared Puducherry as their home town; OR children of Defence/Government personnel killed/disabled/died in service in Puducherry; OR French Nationals covered by the Treaty of Cession; OR children of Central/State Government employees posted in Puducherry for at least 3 continuous years who also completed both years of HSC in a Puducherry school.

Management Quota seats for MBBS at PIMS and SMVMCH, and BDS at SVDC and MINDS, are open to All India General (AGE) candidates — any Indian citizen or eligible OCI, not just Puducherry residents. A separate Telugu Minority Management Quota (MQT) exists at SVMCH&RC (MBBS) and SVDC (BDS), open only to Puducherry residents whose mother tongue is Telugu.

NRI Quota covers NRI candidates, NRI-sponsored candidates, OCI, OCI-sponsored candidates, and Foreign Nationals (FN is not eligible for the BVSc & A.H. seat at RIVER). OCI cardholders who got their card before 4 March 2021 can also compete for General category seats; those who got their OCI card after that date are eligible only for NRI seats.

• Government Quota (GQ): only for Puducherry residents.
• Management Quota (MQ): All India General category — open to all Indian citizens/eligible OCI.
• Telugu Minority Management Quota (MQT): Puducherry residents of Telugu linguistic minority only, at SVMCH&RC (MBBS) and SVDC (BDS).
• NRI Quota: NRI, NRI-sponsored, OCI, OCI-sponsored, and Foreign Nationals (FN not eligible for BVSc & A.H.).
• ⚠️ Candidates with 'dual nativity' (eligible as resident/native in Puducherry AND another State/UT) must choose only ONE jurisdiction's Government Quota. Applying to both can mean cancellation of admission and legal action.

Application Fees and How to Apply

The entire process — from application to final admission — is online only, through www.centacpuducherry.in. A candidate can submit only ONE application; multiple applications lead to cancellation of candidature. The application fee is mandatory and non-refundable — an application without fee payment is treated as incomplete and summarily rejected, with no reconsideration.

After registration (mobile number, email ID and a password of maximum 6 characters — these cannot be changed later), candidates fill personal and academic details, upload documents, pay the fee, and only then can submit course preferences. Editing of most details is allowed only until the last date for submission of the online application.

Documents to Upload — Watch the Certificate Dates Carefully

All candidates must upload: passport photo, signature, birth certificate/10th marksheet (as DOB proof), 10th marksheet, 12th marksheet (with UGC equivalence certificate if from a foreign board, or Pondicherry University equivalence for Lycée Français students), the NEET UG 2026 score card, and the HSC Transfer Certificate.

This is the single biggest trap in the brochure: ALL certificates submitted for Residence, Community and Special Category claims must be dated on or after 1 January 2026. EWS certificates specifically must be dated on or after 1 April 2026. A certificate issued before these dates will fail verification, and a candidate whose verification status shows 'FAILED' and is not corrected in time will not appear in the Final Merit List — losing eligibility for a seat even after filling course preferences, with no refund of the application fee.

Puducherry-resident candidates also need a Residence Affidavit (on Rs. 20 e-stamp paper, notarised) declaring they have not claimed Government Quota residence benefits in any other State/UT — this is the Dual Nativity Affidavit. Regional claim (Karaikal/Mahe/Yanam), Freedom Fighter, Ex-Servicemen, PwBD (UDID card), Telugu Minority, EWS, and Government School Student (10%) certificates are needed only if the candidate is claiming that specific category.

NRI/OCI/FN candidates face an even tighter rule: the NRI Embassy Certificate and Sponsor Relationship Certificates must be obtained within six months prior to the date of application and remain valid until the last date of application submission — and all documents are cross-verified with the Ministry of External Affairs, with criminal action possible for false claims.

• Residence/Community certificates (Annexures 1, 3, 4): obtained on or after 1 January 2026.
• EWS certificate (Annexure 5): obtained on or after 1 April 2026.
• Sponsor Relationship & Relationship Tree certificates (NRI/OCI): obtained on or after 1 January 2026.
• NRI/OCI Embassy Certificates: obtained within six months before application date, valid till the application deadline.
• ⚠️ A certificate dated even one day before these cut-offs will be rejected at verification — get certificates freshly issued, not old ones lying at home.

Reservation of Seats for Puducherry Residents

Government Quota seats are split by both category (vertical reservation) and region (Puducherry/Karaikal/Yanam vs Mahe, since Mahe has a different social composition), plus horizontal reservations that cut across categories.

Regionally, Government Quota Government-institution seats are split as 75% for Puducherry region candidates, 18% for Karaikal, 4% for Mahe, and 3% for Yanam — but candidates must prove 5 years' residence plus 3 years of schooling in that specific region to claim its share.

Counselling Rounds, Registration Fees and Forfeiture

There are FOUR rounds of online counselling: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, and Stray Round. Round 1 has no registration fee. From Round 2 onwards, candidates must pay a registration fee (Government Quota) or the much larger Management/NRI Quota fee just to participate — and fresh course preferences must be submitted every single round; preferences from earlier rounds do not carry forward.

'Sliding' — moving up to a better allotted seat — is allowed only in Round 2 and Round 3, and taking a new seat automatically cancels the earlier one. Mutual transfer between candidates or colleges is never permitted. Candidates admitted in Round 3 cannot resign at all.

Important Warnings Every Candidate Must Know

Beyond dual nativity, the brochure flags several other traps. JIPMER-allotted candidates: if you are allotted an MBBS seat in JIPMER under the Puducherry Domicile Internal Quota and do not opt out, CENTAC will simply not allot you any seat, even if you are otherwise eligible — unless you deposit a Rs. 1,00,000 Cautionary Deposit, which is forfeited if you still don't join after being allotted by CENTAC.

Resignation rules are also strict: a Round 1-admitted candidate can resign without penalty only before the CENTAC-specified deadline; resigning before Round 3 carries the forfeiture applicable to that round; and once admitted in Round 3, resignation is not allowed at all. In the Stray Round, failing to join after allotment means forfeiture of the full tuition fee paid AND debarment from CENTAC counselling for the following academic year as well.

All original certificates must be produced only at the time of physical admission at the college, and no person other than the candidate is permitted to submit documents or complete admission formalities on their behalf. If false or incorrect information is later discovered — even after joining — the admission can be cancelled at any stage without notice and fees will not be refunded, along with possible criminal prosecution and debarment from future counselling.

• ⚠️ Dual nativity (claiming residence benefit in Puducherry AND another State) leads to cancellation of admission and legal action.
• ⚠️ JIPMER-allotted candidates need to pay Rs. 1,00,000 Cautionary Deposit to still be considered by CENTAC.
• ⚠️ No resignation possible once admitted in Round 3.
• ⚠️ Failing to join in the Stray Round debars the candidate from counselling for the NEXT academic year too.
• ✅ Keep sufficient photocopies of all original documents — most originals (except Transfer Certificate) are returned only after university/regulatory approval.

Eligibility, Age Limits and Other Key Numbers

Admission to 100% MBBS/BDS seats is based purely on NEET UG 2026 All India Rank. Candidates need Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Botany & Zoology/Biotechnology and English in HSC, with minimum 50% marks for Unreserved/EWS candidates and 40% for OBC/MBC/EBC/BCM/SC/ST/BT/PwD candidates. For MBBS and BDS, the lower age limit is 17 years as on 31 December 2026, with no upper age limit. (For BAMS and BVSc & A.H., there is an upper limit of 25 years, relaxed by 5 years for SC/ST/OBC and disabled candidates.)

MBBS interns in Private Medical Colleges in Puducherry will be paid a stipend of Rs. 20,000, on par with the government IGMCRI college.

Frequently asked questions

This brochure is the rulebook, not the starting gun — keep watching the CENTAC website (www.centacpuducherry.in) for the actual notice announcing application dates, round-wise deadlines and the seat matrix. In the meantime, get your residence, community and other certificates freshly issued on or after 1 January 2026 (1 April 2026 for EWS), and if there is any chance of dual nativity or an alternate JIPMER offer, decide your strategy before you submit your application, since these choices cannot be changed later.