If you cleared NEET UG 2026 and are waiting to start the admission process, the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has now put out the official timeline for All India Quota (AIQ) counselling — the centralised process that fills 15% of government MBBS/BDS seats plus all seats in AIIMS, JIPMER and a few other central institutions. This matters because missing a registration or choice-locking deadline in this process can cost you a seat you were otherwise eligible for. The schedule covers four stages — Round 1, Round 2, a Mop-Up round, and a final Stray Vacancy round — and Round 1 alone is expected to cover roughly 1,36,939 MBBS seats along with BDS, AYUSH and B.Sc Nursing seats. Below is a plain breakdown of the dates and what each one means for you.
Round 1 registration for NEET UG 2026 AIQ counselling opens on August 5 and closes August 12, with seat allotment results due August 17 — so aspirants should keep documents and college preferences ready well before registration begins.
The Round 1 timeline at a glance
MCC's bulletin lays out a tight sequence of events for the first round of AIQ counselling. Registration and choice filling overlap slightly, which means you don't have to wait for registration to close before you start listing your preferred colleges and courses.
Here is the schedule as released:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Counselling notification issued | 1 August 2026 |
| Round 1 registration begins | 5 August 2026 |
| Last date for registration | 12 August 2026 |
| Choice filling and locking | 6 to 13 August 2026 |
| Round 1 seat allotment result | 17 August 2026 |
| Reporting to allotted institute | 18 to 22 August 2026 |
| Round 2 registration | 25 to 29 August 2026 |
What exactly falls under MCC counselling
It helps to remember that MCC does not fill every medical seat in the country — it only manages a specific set of quotas. Everything else is handled by individual state counselling authorities through separate processes with their own timelines.
MCC's AIQ round covers:
- 15% All India Quota seats in government medical and dental colleges in every state and Union Territory
- 100% of seats in AIIMS institutes and JIPMER (Puducherry and Karaikal)
- Seats in central universities such as BHU, AMU, and University of Delhi
- All seats in deemed universities
- Registration for Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) seats — though AFMC has its own selection process beyond registration
- ESIC seats under the IP quota
- The remaining 85% state quota seats are filled separately by each state's own medical admission body, not by MCC
Why the choice-filling window matters more than you think
The choice filling and locking period runs from 6 to 13 August — meaning it starts a day after registration opens and extends a day past the registration deadline. This overlap is intentional: it gives you time to research colleges, compare cutoffs from previous years, and rank your preferences carefully rather than rushing through it in the last 24 hours.
A seat allotment in Round 1 is based purely on your NEET rank, category, and the order in which you've ranked your choices. If you lock in too few choices, or leave out colleges you'd have actually accepted, you narrow your own options unnecessarily. Aspirants should treat the choice list as a strategic document, not a formality.
After allotment: reporting and what happens if you don't
Candidates allotted a seat in Round 1 get from 18 to 22 August to report to their allotted institute and complete admission formalities — typically document verification, fee payment, and physical or online reporting as specified by MCC for that round. Missing this window without valid reason can lead to forfeiture of the allotted seat, so this is not a date to treat casually.
Those who do not get a seat in Round 1, or who choose to try for a better option, move into Round 2, for which registration opens on 25 August. The eventual Mop-Up and Stray Vacancy rounds (dates for which are typically announced after Round 2 concludes) exist to fill seats left vacant after the first two rounds, including any seats vacated by candidates who don't report.
Practical checklist before August 5
With registration only days away from opening, aspirants and parents should use the remaining time to get organised rather than waiting for the portal to go live.
- Keep NEET UG 2026 scorecard, rank letter, and category/disability certificates (if applicable) scanned and ready
- Shortlist a realistic list of AIQ colleges based on your rank, cross-checked against previous years' closing ranks
- Register on the MCC counselling portal (mcc.nic.in) as soon as it opens rather than waiting near the deadline, since server load tends to spike close to closing dates
- Double-check category certificates and domicile-related documents where relevant, since verification issues are a common reason for delayed or rejected allotments
- Track your state's own counselling schedule separately — it runs on its own calendar for the 85% state quota seats and does not follow MCC's dates
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See My CollegesFrequently asked questions
When does NEET UG 2026 Round 1 counselling registration open?
Round 1 registration on the MCC portal opens on 5 August 2026 and closes on 12 August 2026.
When will Round 1 seat allotment results be declared?
MCC has scheduled the Round 1 seat allotment result for 17 August 2026.
How much time do candidates get to report after seat allotment?
Candidates allotted a seat in Round 1 must report to their institute between 18 and 22 August 2026.
Does this schedule cover all MBBS/BDS seats in India?
No. MCC's counselling covers only the 15% All India Quota, plus 100% seats in AIIMS, JIPMER, central universities and deemed universities. The remaining 85% state quota seats are counselled separately by each state.
What if I don't get a seat in Round 1?
You can register for Round 2, which opens on 25 August 2026. Later, a Mop-Up round and a Stray Vacancy round are conducted to fill any remaining seats.
Can I change my choice list after locking it?
Once choices are locked within the 6–13 August window, they generally cannot be edited for that round; candidates should finalise preferences carefully before locking.
Is AFMC part of the same counselling process?
AFMC registration is coordinated through MCC, but AFMC conducts its own additional selection steps beyond the standard AIQ allotment process.
With Round 1 registration opening on August 5, the next couple of weeks are the most decision-heavy stretch of the entire admission cycle — get your documents and college shortlist ready now rather than during the choice-filling window. Keep checking mcc.nic.in directly for any date revisions, and remember your state's own counselling calendar runs independently for the state quota seats.
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