If you're waiting for your NEET UG 2026 seat, this is the week that decides it — the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has set the Round 1 choice-filling and locking window, and missing the cut-off could mean losing out on a preferred college even if your rank is good enough. Registration and fee payment run from August 5 to August 12 (till 3:00 pm), while the choice-filling window itself stays open till August 13 at 11:55 pm. Choice locking — the step that actually finalises your preference order — is active only between August 12 (3:00 pm) and August 13 (11:55 pm). Seat allotment processing follows immediately from August 13 to 16, with results declared on August 17, 2026. For any NEET aspirant tracking Round 1, these dates are worth writing down and setting reminders for.
Lock your choices manually before 11:55 pm on August 13, 2026 — if you don't, the system will auto-lock whatever you last saved, which may not reflect your true preference order.
What exactly happens in this window
Choice filling is where a candidate browses the seat matrix — the list of MBBS and BDS seats available across government and private colleges under All India Quota, deemed universities, central institutions and other pools handled by MCC — and arranges preferred colleges/courses in order of priority.
Choice locking is a separate, final confirmation step. Once you lock, that exact order is what MCC's algorithm will use to allot you a seat based on your NEET rank, category, and seat availability. Candidates who forget to lock manually are not left without an allotment — the portal auto-locks whatever choices were last saved before the deadline, which is why saving your list early and reviewing it matters more than doing it at the last hour.
Round 1 schedule at a glance
The full sequence — from registration to physical reporting at the allotted college — spans a little over two weeks. Missing any single step in this chain can push a candidate out of Round 1 into later rounds, where seat availability and cutoffs can be very different.
| Stage | Dates/Deadline |
|---|---|
| Registration & Fee Payment | August 5 – August 12, 2026 (till 3:00 pm) |
| Choice Filling Window | August 6 – August 13, 2026 (till 11:55 pm) |
| Choice Locking Facility Active | August 12, 3:00 pm – August 13, 11:55 pm |
| Seat Allotment Processing | August 13 – August 16, 2026 |
| Round 1 Result Declaration | August 17, 2026 |
| Physical Reporting at Allotted College | August 18 – August 22, 2026 |
How to fill and lock your choices without mistakes
The process is done entirely on MCC's counselling portal (mcc.nic.in) under the UG Medical Counselling section, using your NEET UG roll number and password.
- Log in and open the Choice Filling section to see the current seat matrix for MBBS and BDS.
- Filter colleges by type (government, deemed, central, private) and course, then add your preferred options to a choice basket.
- Arrange the selected colleges strictly in the order you actually want them — this order is binding once locked.
- Save the list, then move to Choice Locking, where an OTP sent to your registered mobile number is used to confirm the final order.
- Download and save the locked choice-sheet PDF — colleges will ask for this during physical document verification after allotment.
Why the order of preferences matters more than the number of choices
A common mistake among first-time candidates is filling only a handful of 'safe' choices or, conversely, filling too many without ranking them sensibly. The allotment algorithm moves down your list in exact order and stops at the first college where you qualify based on rank and category — it will not automatically upgrade you to a 'better' choice later in Round 1 just because a seat opens up elsewhere.
This means candidates should rank their genuinely most-preferred colleges first, even if the chance of getting them feels slim, rather than placing 'likely' options ahead of true first choices. Adding a wide spread of choices — across states, quotas and course types (MBBS/BDS) — also protects against ending up with no allotment at all in Round 1.
What comes after allotment
Candidates who get a seat in Round 1 must report physically to the allotted college between August 18 and August 22, 2026, carrying original documents for verification. Skipping this reporting window without valid reason can cost a candidate the seat, so families should plan travel and document collection (NEET scorecard, admit card, class 10/12 certificates, category and domicile certificates, ID proof) well in advance rather than at the last moment.
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See My CollegesFrequently asked questions
What happens if I don't lock my choices manually?
The portal will auto-lock the last saved version of your choice list at the 11:55 pm deadline on August 13, 2026. It is safer to lock manually with OTP confirmation so you know exactly what order has been submitted.
Can I edit my choices after locking them?
No. Once choices are locked using the OTP confirmation, that order becomes final for Round 1 allotment and cannot be edited.
When will Round 1 results be declared?
The Medical Counselling Committee is scheduled to declare Round 1 seat allotment results on August 17, 2026.
How many days do I get to report to the allotted college?
Candidates allotted a seat in Round 1 need to report physically to their college between August 18 and August 22, 2026.
Should I fill fewer choices to avoid confusion?
No — filling a wide range of choices, ranked honestly by preference, improves your chances of getting some seat in Round 1 rather than being pushed to later, less predictable rounds.
Does choice order affect which college I get?
Yes. Allotment strictly follows your locked order along with your NEET rank, category and seat availability, so the sequence you set matters as much as which colleges you include.
With locking active only for a short window between August 12 and 13, candidates still working on their Round 1 preference list should finalise it well before the deadline rather than risk an auto-lock. Keep your login credentials, OTP-linked mobile number, and required documents ready now, since the gap between result declaration and physical reporting is short.
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