Maharashtra NEET UG Counselling 2026: Full Round-Wise Schedule for State Quota MBBS, BDS and AYUSH Seats

If you're a Maharashtra domicile candidate hoping for an MBBS or BDS seat through the state quota, the wait for the counselling calendar is over. The State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell has published the schedule for NEET UG 2026 counselling, which governs admission to 85% of state quota seats in MBBS, BDS and AYUSH courses like BAMS, BHMS and BUMS across Maharashtra's government and private medical colleges. This schedule matters because every date — registration, choice filling, seat allotment, reporting — is fixed, and missing even one deadline can cost you a round or an entire admission cycle. Here's what the process looks like and what you need to do at each stage.

What this counselling covers

This is the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) run by Maharashtra's State CET Cell for the 85% state quota seats — the seats reserved for candidates with Maharashtra domicile, as opposed to the 15% All India Quota seats handled separately by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).

The process covers admission to MBBS and BDS seats, as well as AYUSH undergraduate courses — BAMS (Ayurveda), BHMS (Homoeopathy) and BUMS (Unani) — in colleges located within the state.

Round-wise schedule

The counselling runs across three main CAP rounds followed by a stray vacancy round, spread over roughly two months. Each round has its own registration window, choice-filling period, allotment date and reporting deadline.

How to register

Registration happens entirely online on cetcell.mahacet.org. Candidates need their NEET UG 2026 roll number, application ID and date of birth handy to verify identity before filling in personal, category and academic details.

• Go to cetcell.mahacet.org and open the 'CAP Portal 2026-2027' section, then select NEET UG 2026.
• Click 'New Registration' and verify using your NEET roll number, application ID and date of birth.
• Fill in personal, category and academic information.
• Upload scanned documents: domicile certificate, NEET UG scorecard, Class 10 and 12 mark sheets, and caste/category certificate if applicable.
• Pay the counselling registration fee online — this fee is non-refundable, so double-check eligibility and documents before paying.

What happens after registration

Once registration closes, the CET Cell will publish a provisional state merit list. Only candidates whose documents have been verified can move to the choice-filling stage, where they select and rank their preferred colleges and courses.

Seat allotment is based on a combination of NEET UG score, state merit rank, reservation category and the preferences a candidate has entered. After each round's result, allotted candidates must download their provisional allotment letter and report physically to the designated nodal centre or institute for document verification and admission confirmation.

Practical takeaways for aspirants

The gap between choice-filling and result declaration is short in each round, so candidates should shortlist their preferred colleges and courses in advance rather than deciding during the live window. It also helps to know your likely rank range from previous years' state cutoffs before you start ranking colleges, so you don't waste time on options far outside your reach.

Because the fee is non-refundable and documents are verified strictly, keep scanned, correctly sized copies of the domicile certificate, category certificate and mark sheets ready before registration opens on August 13.

Frequently asked questions

Maharashtra aspirants should mark the August 13 registration date and the choice-filling window immediately, since each CAP round leaves only a few days to lock preferences before allotment. Keep documents scanned and ready, track the official cetcell.mahacet.org portal for any date revisions, and plan your college shortlist using past years' state merit cutoffs before the process begins.