MCC NEET UG 2026 Counselling Bulletin: New Freeze/Float System, Fees, Documents & Rules Explained

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), which conducts NEET UG counselling on behalf of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, has released its revised Information Bulletin and Counselling Scheme for NEET UG 2026 (MBBS/BDS/B.Sc. Nursing), dated 20 August 2026. This is not a new exam or a fresh application window opening today — it is the master rulebook that governs how MCC will run counselling for the 15% All India Quota, 100% Deemed University seats, AIIMS, JIPMER, Central Universities (Delhi University, AMU, BHU, Jamia), ESIC and select B.Sc. Nursing colleges this admission season. It explains eligibility, fees, documents, reservation and — most importantly for this year — a redesigned process for reporting, upgrading and resigning from allotted seats. Every NEET UG candidate planning to register on the MCC portal (www.mcc.nic.in) should read this bulletin carefully before counselling begins.

What exactly changed this year: Freeze vs Float

Until 2025, every candidate allotted a seat — whether they wanted to keep it or upgrade later — had to physically travel to the allotted college with original documents to complete admission formalities, even if they only wanted to try for a better seat in the next round. This year, MCC has removed that requirement for candidates who want to upgrade.

After Round 1 and Round 2 allotment, every candidate who gets a seat must choose one of two paths:

Freeze candidates and Float candidates are both required to upload scanned copies of their documents on the MCC portal within 2-3 days of the result — this is a one-time upload that covers all rounds.

• FREEZE — You are satisfied with your allotted seat and do NOT want to try for an upgrade in the next round. You must physically report at the allotted institute with original documents, get them verified, pay the admission fee, and complete admission.
• FLOAT — You are allotted a seat but want a chance to upgrade in the next round (Round 1→2 or Round 2→3). You give your willingness for upgradation online. Your documents are verified online by the college's Document Verification Committee (DVC) — you do NOT need to visit the college physically at this stage.
• If a Float candidate's documents show an anomaly (blurred copy, wrong certificate, category mismatch, missing document), the college's DVC will raise a query; the candidate must re-upload corrected documents within the schedule or risk seat cancellation.
• After the Round 3 result, this online-only process ends: ALL allotted candidates of Round 3, plus any Round 1/Round 2 Float candidates who did not get upgraded, must physically report at the institute to confirm admission.

What MCC counsels — and what it does not

MCC's role is limited to allotting seats strictly by merit and choice, only after NTA sends the list of qualified candidates. MCC does not allot seats by nomination or manually under any circumstance, and it has no role in deciding State Quota eligibility, fee structures, or bond conditions — those are set by the individual colleges or state authorities.

• 15% All India Quota (AIQ) MBBS/BDS seats contributed by states
• 100% seats of all Deemed Universities (including 15% NRI quota within them)
• 100% seats of all AIIMS institutions across India
• 100% seats of JIPMER Puducherry and Karaikal
• Central Universities: Delhi University (LHMC, UCMS, MAMC, MAIDS), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Jamia Millia Islamia (Faculty of Dentistry) — including their Institutional/Domicile quota seats
• ESIC medical/dental colleges — 15% AIQ, Wards of Insured Persons (I.P.) quota, and 85% state quota of ESIC Basaidarapur and ESIC Rohini
• VMMC & SJH, ABVIMS & RML, ESIC Dental under I.P. University — 15% AIQ and 85% state quota
• AFMC — MCC only handles registration; actual counselling and allotment is done by AFMC itself as per its own rules
• B.Sc. Nursing — only select Central Institutes and institutes affiliated to I.P. University

Counselling rounds and the exit/upgrade rules

There will be four rounds for every stream MCC handles: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and a Stray Vacancy Round. Upgradation is allowed only up to Round 3. Once a candidate joins a seat allotted in Round 3, that seat cannot be given up under any circumstances, and the candidate cannot participate in any further counselling — including state counselling.

The rules for exiting an allotted seat change with each round, and getting this wrong can cost your security deposit.

• Round 1: If you don't want the allotted seat, you can exit with FREE EXIT — no forfeiture of your security deposit.
• Round 2: If allotted a seat and you don't join or don't upgrade, exiting means forfeiture of your security deposit.
• Round 3: No resignation is permitted at all. If allotted a seat and you don't report, your security deposit is forfeited and you are eliminated from further rounds.
• Candidates who upgrade to a higher round automatically lose any claim on their earlier round's seat.
• If you freshly register in a round and are not allotted a seat, you are automatically eligible for the next round without registering again.
• Data on allotted candidates is shared between MCC (Centre) and the states; if your name appears in both an AIQ/Central list and a state allotment list, you will be eliminated from the All India Stray Vacancy Round.

Registration fees and refundable security deposit

Candidates pay two components at registration: a non-refundable registration fee and a refundable security deposit. The amount depends on whether you are applying for Deemed University seats or for AIQ/Central Universities/AIIMS/JIPMER/ESIC/B.Sc. Nursing seats. If you are eligible for and apply to both categories, you only pay the higher (Deemed University) fee once — not both.

Reservation percentages you should know

The Central Government reservation policy applies uniformly across AIQ, AIIMS, ESIC, JIPMER AIQ seats, BHU and Central University AIQ seats. Deemed Universities, however, have NO SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD reservation at all — they may instead reserve seats for Jain Minority, Muslim Minority or NRI candidates depending on the university.

⚠️ Documents that can get your admission cancelled — read this carefully

The bulletin lists exactly what original documents (with attested photocopies) you must carry at the time of physical reporting. Missing even one, or carrying a certificate in the wrong format, can mean you are refused admission on the spot.

Certificates in a regional language are NOT accepted by themselves — you must also carry an attested English/Hindi translation along with the original. Some states insist on English only.

• Allotment Letter issued by MCC
• NEET UG Admit Card issued by NTA
• NEET UG Result/Rank letter issued by NTA
• Date of Birth Certificate (if your Class 10 certificate does not show DOB)
• Class 10th Certificate and Class 10+2 Certificate with Marks Sheet
• Eight (8) passport-size photographs, same as used on the application form
• Proof of identity — Aadhaar / PAN / Driving Licence / Passport
• ⚠️ SC/ST Certificate: must be in the standard prescribed format, in English or Hindi, and must clearly mention the sub-caste — a certificate without the sub-caste shown can be rejected
• ⚠️ OBC-NCL Certificate: must be from the Central List of OBC, sub-caste must match, and it must confirm you are NOT in the creamy layer, in the standard prescribed format
• ⚠️ EWS Certificate: must be in the prescribed format (see Annexure-5 of the bulletin)
• Eligibility Certificate from a Medical Assessment Board of MCC, for candidates claiming a PwD/PwBD seat
• For NRI/OCI/PIO/Foreign National candidates — the full separate document set described in the NRI chapter (passport, NRI/OCI certificate, notarized affidavits, etc.)

PwBD (disability) candidates: new NMC eligibility guidelines for 2026

For NEET UG 2026, the National Medical Commission has issued fresh 'Guidelines on Assessment of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) for Admission to the MBBS Course, 2026' (dated 21.07.2026), which MCC has adopted. The certificate issued is now called an 'Eligibility Certificate' rather than simply a 'Disability Certificate' — because it certifies whether the candidate can complete the MBBS course, not merely the existence of a disability. Eligibility is based on a functional competency assessment, not just the percentage of disability recorded on the UDID card.

The number of centres authorised to conduct this assessment has been expanded from 16 to 33 Medical Assessment Boards across the country (full list in Annexure-1 of the bulletin).

• Candidates wanting a PwBD seat must visit one of the listed Medical Assessment Boards and submit: NEET UG 2026 score card, Permanent UDID card, a self-certified affidavit (Schedule-I format) declaring functional abilities, and disability-specific affidavits (Appendix A to F depending on the disability type).
• Only candidates who obtain this Eligibility Certificate will be shown PwD seat choices during counselling.
• If the UDID card or affidavit is found to be fake, the seat will be cancelled and legal action taken.
• The Eligibility Certificate is valid only for this academic session.
• Candidates unhappy with the Board's decision can appeal to one of five Appellate Disability Assessment Boards (VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital Delhi, Grant Government Medical College Mumbai, BHU Varanasi, Madras Medical College Chennai, IPGMER Kolkata) before their counselling round begins — appeal emails go to disabilityappeal-chair@gov.in and disabilityappeal-convener@gov.in.

NRI, OCI and Foreign National candidates

MCC counsels 15% NRI quota seats within Deemed Universities. Candidates fall into four categories, each with a distinct document checklist, and OCI cardholders are now treated at par with Indian citizens (eligible for both UR/General and NRI seats) following the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Anushka Rengunthwar.

• Category I — NRI candidate/parent/real brother/real sister: needs DOB certificate, 10th & 12th mark sheets, NEET scorecard, valid passport, NRI certificate from Embassy/Consulate, a notarized affidavit of sponsorship backed by NRE bank passbook, and relationship verification by a competent revenue officer.
• Category II — Indian to NRI conversion: candidates who registered as 'Indian' in NEET but now want NRI category, requiring additional guardian documents including proof of guardianship under the Guardian and Wards Act, 1890.
• Category III — OCI candidates: DOB certificate, 10th/12th certificates, NEET scorecard, valid passport and OCI/PIO card.
• Category IV — Foreign Nationals: DOB certificate, AIU equivalence certificates for Class X/XII, NEET scorecard, valid passport, and Visa/Residence/Work Permit.
• Online category conversion (Indian to NRI) goes through a Document Verification Committee; if discrepancies are found, candidates get a correction window before the round closes.

Refund of security deposit — what to know

Refunds are processed by the Financial Custodian, HLL Lifecare Ltd, only after ALL rounds of counselling are complete, and only to the same bank account/card used to make the original payment. There is no interest paid on the security deposit.

• Refund starts within 15 days of MCC's notification and completes within 30 days.
• You cannot request the refund be sent to a different account — MCC will not entertain such requests.
• Do NOT initiate a chargeback claim through your card issuer; doing so blocks the Financial Custodian from processing your refund and will cause long delays.
• Security deposit cannot be paid from an NRI account (RBI rules); it must go through an NRO account, and refunds will only go back to that NRO account.
• No bank charges incurred during payment will be reimbursed by MCC.

Frequently asked questions

This bulletin is the single most important reference document for anyone participating in MCC's 2026 counselling — keep a copy handy through all four rounds. Register only on www.mcc.nic.in, decide carefully whether to Freeze or Float after each round, and double-check every certificate against the formats and traps listed above before reporting. Watch the MCC website directly for the exact counselling schedule, since MCC does not contact candidates individually about dates or updates.