If you cleared NEET UG 2026 and are hoping for a seat in an MBBS, BDS or BSc Nursing programme through the 15% All India Quota, you now have a concrete calendar to work with. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), the body that conducts centralised counselling for these quota seats, has published the schedule for its 2026 admission cycle. Registration for Round 1 opens on August 5, and the process is set to run across three main rounds before a final mop-up exercise called the Stray Vacancy Round. Knowing these dates well in advance matters because every stage — registration, choice filling, seat allotment, and reporting — has a strict deadline, and missing even one can cost you a seat or a round.
Register on the MCC portal as soon as the link opens on August 5, and treat every date in the Round 1 timeline — especially the August 18–22 reporting window — as non-negotiable.
What exactly has been announced
The MCC counselling covers admission to the 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats in MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing courses across government and deemed medical colleges. This is distinct from state quota counselling, which each state conducts separately for its own seats.
The process will unfold in three structured rounds, followed by a Stray Vacancy Round to fill any seats that remain vacant after the main rounds. All allotments are based purely on a candidate's NEET UG 2026 rank, and admissions remain subject to eligibility rules set by the National Medical Commission, the Dental Council of India, and other applicable regulatory bodies.
Round 1 timeline you need to track
Round 1 registration and fee payment run from August 5 to August 12, 2026. Choice filling and locking of college/course preferences follow closely, from August 6 to August 13. Seat allotment processing then takes place between August 13 and August 16, with results declared on August 17.
Candidates allotted a seat must report to their allotted institute between August 18 and August 22, and institutes will verify joined candidates' data on August 23. This reporting step is where many students slip up — failing to report within the window can mean forfeiting the seat entirely.
- Registration/Payment: August 5–12
- Choice Filling/Locking: August 6–13
- Seat Allotment Processing: August 13–16
- Result: August 17
- Reporting/Joining: August 18–22
- Institute Verification: August 23
Round 2 and what comes after
Round 2 opens registration and payment from August 25 to August 29, with choice filling continuing until August 30. Seat allotment processing is scheduled for August 31 to September 1, with results due on September 2. Reporting and joining for Round 2 run from September 3 to September 8, followed by institute-level verification on September 9.
Round 3 dates and the Stray Vacancy Round have not been detailed in the announced schedule yet, but based on past cycles, they typically follow within a few weeks of Round 2's completion. Candidates who don't get an allotment in Round 1 or Round 2, or who choose to upgrade, remain eligible to participate in subsequent rounds without needing to register again from scratch — though choice filling still needs to be redone each round.
- Registration/Payment: August 25–29
- Choice Filling/Locking: August 25–30
- Seat Allotment Processing: August 31–September 1
- Result: September 2
- Reporting/Joining: September 3–8
- Institute Verification: September 9
How to register — the practical steps
Registration happens entirely online on the official MCC counselling website using the same credentials created during the NEET UG application process. There is no separate account to create from scratch.
- Visit the official MCC counselling portal once the link is live
- Click the NEET UG Counselling 2026 registration link
- Log in with your existing NEET UG application ID and password
- Pay the counselling registration fee
- Fill in personal and academic details as required
- Upload any documents the portal requests before final submission
What this means for your preparation over the next two weeks
With only about three days between registration opening and choice filling beginning, candidates should not wait until the last moment to gather documents — category certificates, domicile proof (where relevant), photo ID and marksheets should be scanned and ready before August 5.
Equally important is doing your homework on colleges before choice filling opens on August 6. Once locked, choices cannot usually be edited, so research on cutoff trends, fee structures, and hostel/infrastructure details for colleges you're likely to be allotted should happen now, not during the choice-filling window itself.
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See My CollegesFrequently asked questions
When does NEET UG counselling 2026 registration open?
Registration for Round 1 of MCC's All India Quota counselling opens on August 5, 2026, and closes on August 12.
How many rounds of counselling will there be?
There will be three main rounds followed by a Stray Vacancy Round to fill any seats left vacant after the main rounds.
Which courses does this counselling cover?
This schedule applies to 15% All India Quota seats in MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing courses. State quota seats are counselled separately by individual states.
When will Round 1 results be declared?
Round 1 seat allotment results are scheduled for August 17, 2026, with reporting and joining required between August 18 and August 22.
What happens if I don't get a seat in Round 1?
You remain eligible to participate in Round 2, which opens for registration on August 25, and later rounds, without starting the registration process over from the beginning.
Do I need new login credentials for MCC counselling?
No. You log in to the MCC counselling portal using the same application ID and password you used for your NEET UG 2026 application.
Is admission guaranteed once a seat is allotted?
No. Allotment must be followed by physical reporting to the allotted institute within the specified window, and admission remains subject to eligibility norms set by the National Medical Commission, the Dental Council and other regulators.
The safest approach now is to mark August 5 for registration, August 6 for choice filling, and August 18–22 for reporting on your calendar, and to have all documents ready well before the first deadline. MedAdmit will track official updates on Round 3 and the Stray Vacancy Round dates as MCC releases them.
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