Gujarat MBBS BDS Special Stray Round: 88 Seats, ₹3 Lakh Deposit Required

Gujarat's Admission Committee for Professional Undergraduate Medical Educational Courses (ACPUGMEC) has opened a special stray vacancy round to fill 88 remaining MBBS and BDS seats across the state's medical and dental colleges. This round is designed for candidates who participated in the fourth stray round but were not allotted a seat. To be considered for seat allotment, eligible candidates must deposit a refundable security amount of ₹3 lakh by November 4, 2026, at 3:30 PM. This is an important opportunity for NEET-UG aspirants still seeking admission to a medical or dental college in Gujarat.

How Many Seats Are Available in This Special Round?

The special stray vacancy round offers a total of 88 seats across MBBS and BDS programmes in Gujarat. Of these, 56 seats are available for MBBS courses, while 32 seats remain vacant in BDS courses. These vacancies have arisen after the completion of the fourth online stray round of counselling, where some seats could not be filled despite eligible candidates being available.

The availability of seats across both MBBS and BDS means that candidates have options depending on their NEET-UG score, merit rank, and preference. The distribution reflects the current demand and capacity of medical and dental colleges operating under the state's admission framework.

Who Is Eligible to Apply for the Special Stray Round?

To participate in this special stray round, you must have given your consent and filled your choice preferences during the fourth online stray vacancy round of MBBS/BDS counselling, but you must not have been allotted any seat in that round. This is the primary eligibility criterion set by ACPUGMEC.

Candidates who have already secured and confirmed admission to MBBS, BDS, BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery), or BHMS (Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery) courses through any previous counselling round are not eligible to apply. Similarly, if you were allotted a seat in the fourth stray round, you cannot participate in this special round. The committee ensures that seats are offered only to those who genuinely remain without admission.

• You must have participated in the fourth stray round but received no seat allotment
• You cannot have already confirmed admission to any medical, dental, or AYUSH course
• You cannot have been allotted a seat in the fourth stray round
• You must be a NEET-UG qualified candidate as per the original counselling eligibility

Deposit Payment: Amount, Deadline, and Payment Methods

All eligible candidates must deposit a refundable security amount of ₹3 lakh to participate in the special stray round. This deposit is mandatory and must be paid between November 2 and November 4, 2026, by 3:30 PM. The payment window is short, so candidates should complete this step as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline.

You can pay the deposit through three methods: (1) online payment gateway available on the ACPUGMEC website, (2) cash deposit at authorized HDFC Bank branches, or (3) demand draft in the name of 'ACPUGMEC', payable at Gandhinagar. The list of authorized bank branches is available on the admission committee's official website. Only candidates who successfully deposit the full ₹3 lakh amount will be considered eligible for seat allotment in this round.

• Deposit amount: ₹3,00,000 (refundable)
• Payment window: November 2–4, 2026, until 3:30 PM
• Payment methods: Online gateway, cash at authorized HDFC branches, or demand draft
• Payee name: ACPUGMEC, payable at Gandhinagar
• Only deposited candidates are eligible for allotment

What Happens If You Don't Confirm Your Allotted Seat?

If you are allotted a seat in the special stray round but fail to confirm your admission within the stipulated time, you will forfeit your entire ₹3 lakh refundable security deposit. Additionally, you will be liable to pay an extra penalty of ₹10,000 on top of the forfeited deposit. This means the total financial loss would be ₹3,10,000.

The committee has implemented this penalty to ensure that candidates who are allotted seats actually intend to pursue admission and do not block seats that could be offered to other eligible candidates. It is therefore crucial to carefully consider your choice preferences and be prepared to join the college if a seat is allotted to you.

• Forfeiture of ₹3 lakh deposit if you don't confirm admission
• Additional penalty of ₹10,000 on top of the forfeited deposit
• Total financial loss: ₹3,10,000
• Penalty applies only if you fail to confirm within the stipulated time

Steps to Take After Seat Allotment

Once you are allotted a seat in the special stray round, you must follow a specific sequence of steps to complete your admission. First, you must pay the tuition fee within the time frame specified in the admission schedule. This is separate from the ₹3 lakh deposit and is the actual course fee charged by the college.

Next, you must submit your original certificates (10th, 12th, NEET scorecard, caste certificate if applicable, and other required documents) at the designated help center. After verification, you will receive your formal admission order from the college. Finally, you must physically appear at the institution on the date specified to complete the admission process and begin your course.

• Pay tuition fee as per the admission schedule
• Submit original certificates at the help center
• Obtain the admission order from the college
• Appear at the college on the specified date to complete admission

What If BDS Seats Remain Vacant After This Round?

If any BDS seats remain vacant after the special stray vacancy round is completed, ACPUGMEC will conduct a fifth online stray round to fill the remaining vacancies. This provides an additional opportunity for candidates who may not have been eligible for or did not participate in the special stray round. However, no such provision has been mentioned for MBBS seats, suggesting that the special round is expected to fill all remaining MBBS vacancies.

Candidates should monitor the admission committee's website for announcements regarding the fifth stray round if they are interested in BDS seats and were not allotted in the special round.

• A fifth online stray round may be conducted if BDS seats remain vacant
• No fifth round has been announced for MBBS seats
• Check the ACPUGMEC website for updates on the fifth round

How Are Seats Allocated Across Different Quotas?

All 100% of seats in Gujarat's undergraduate medical and dental colleges are allocated through online counselling on a merit basis by ACPUGMEC. These seats are divided into three categories: Government Quota (GQ), Management Quota (MQ), and NRI Quota (NQ). Each quota has reserved seats for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and General (Open) categories.

If reserved category seats remain vacant after all reserved category candidates have been allotted, those vacant seats are transferred to unreserved categories in a cascading manner. For example, vacant NRI quota seats may be transferred to Management quota, Management quota seats to Government quota, and so on. Within Government quota, vacant reserved seats are transferred to the General (Open) category. This system ensures that no seats remain unfilled and that merit is maintained throughout the allocation process.

• All seats allocated through online merit-based counselling
• Three quota categories: Government Quota (GQ), Management Quota (MQ), NRI Quota (NQ)
• Reserved seats for SC, ST, SEBC, EWS, and General categories
• Vacant reserved seats cascade to unreserved categories
• Ensures maximum seat utilization and merit-based allocation

Why Is This Special Round Being Conducted?

The special stray vacancy round is being conducted to address the 88 seats that remained vacant after the fourth online stray round. In counselling processes, it is common for some seats to remain unfilled despite multiple rounds because eligible candidates may have already secured admission elsewhere, declined their allotted seats, or did not participate in earlier rounds. This special round provides a final opportunity to fill these vacancies before the admission season concludes.

By conducting this round, ACPUGMEC ensures that the maximum number of available seats are utilized and that deserving NEET-UG candidates who are still seeking admission get another chance to secure a place in a medical or dental college in Gujarat. The ₹3 lakh deposit requirement is a mechanism to ensure that only serious candidates participate and that seats are not blocked by those who may not actually join.

• Addresses 88 vacant seats from the fourth stray round
• Provides a final opportunity for unplaced candidates
• Maximizes seat utilization across the state
• Deposit requirement ensures serious participation

Frequently asked questions

If you participated in Gujarat's fourth stray round but didn't secure a seat, this special round is your opportunity to get admission to an MBBS or BDS college. Act quickly: deposit ₹3 lakh by November 4, 2026, at 3:30 PM, and be prepared to confirm your admission immediately after allotment. Monitor the ACPUGMEC website for the final allotment list and further instructions.