OJEE Odisha MBBS/BDS Counselling 2026: Eligibility, Reservation, Documents & Fee Guidelines

The Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) authority has published its detailed guidelines and instructions for counselling and admission to MBBS and BDS courses for the 2026-27 session. This is not a schedule with dates — it is the rulebook that explains who is eligible, how reservation works, what documents are needed, how registration and choice-filling happen, and what the fees are. It applies to 85% of seats in Government medical/dental colleges (the state quota) and all seats in private medical/dental colleges of Odisha; deemed university seats are handled separately by DGHS. Candidates must have qualified NEET-UG 2026 to be considered. The guidelines are strict about certificate formats and timelines, and several small mistakes here can cost a candidate their seat.

What This Notice Is and Who It Covers

This document is OJEE's master guideline for MBBS/BDS admissions in Odisha for the 2026-27 academic session. It governs counselling for 85% of seats in Government Medical/Dental Colleges (the remaining 15% is the All India Quota handled separately by MCC) and 100% of seats in Private Medical/Dental Colleges of the state. Counselling for Deemed University seats is done separately by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), not by OJEE.

Only candidates who have qualified NEET-UG 2026 are eligible to register. Odisha-domicile candidates compete for State Quota seats, while both Odisha-domicile and outside-state NRI candidates can apply for NRI quota seats. The entire process — registration, choice-filling, allotment, and most of document verification — happens online through www.ojee.nic.in, and OJEE has stated it will not send any individual communication to candidates, so checking the website and your registered email/portal regularly is essential.

Eligibility Criteria

To register for Odisha's MBBS/BDS counselling, a candidate must meet all of the following conditions as stated in the guidelines:

• Age: at least 17 years as on 31 December 2026. There is no upper age limit.
• Domicile: must be a permanent native of Odisha, OR a child of an All India Civil Service officer serving in the Odisha cadre.
• Academic background: must have passed Class 12 (or equivalent) with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology/Biotechnology, along with English (even as an additional subject), from a board recognised by the concerned Government.
• Minimum NEET-UG qualifying percentile (subject to any later NMC/Government of India notification): General (GE) — 50th percentile; PwBD-GE — 45th percentile; ST/SC — 40th percentile; SEBC — 50th percentile; PwBD candidates from SC/ST/SEBC — 40th percentile; GE-EWS — 50th percentile; GE-EWS with PwBD — 45th percentile.

Reservation Categories and Quota Percentages

Odisha's state reservation policy applies to counselling. The category codes used throughout the OJEE portal are: S (Odisha State), NRI (Non-Resident Indian), GE (General, Odisha State), SEBC (Socially and Educationally Backward Classes), SC (Scheduled Caste), ST (Scheduled Tribe), EWS (Economically Weaker Section), PC/PwBD (Physically Challenged/Persons with Benchmark Disabilities), ES (Ex-Serviceman), GC (Children of Green Card Holder), and SGS (State Government School).

• Scheduled Tribe (ST): 22.5%
• Scheduled Caste (SC): 16.25%
• Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC): 11.25%
• Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD): 5% within each category
• Ex-Servicemen (ES): 3%
• Green Card Holders (GC): 5%
• State Government Schools (SGS): 15% — this is horizontal, meaning it cuts across all vertical categories including unreserved
• EWS: 10%, applicable when the government has increased seats to accommodate this quota
• If not enough candidates are available in any reserved category, vacant seats go to the unreserved category. ST and SC seats are NOT interchangeable with each other.
• If a sub-category (like SC-ES, ST-GC, EWS-PC, SEBC-SGS) has no eligible candidate, that seat is filled from the parent category (e.g., SC-ES seats go to SC, not to unreserved).

⚠️ Category Certificate Traps — Read This Carefully

OJEE has flagged several certificate requirements as strict, non-negotiable conditions. Getting any of these wrong can disqualify a claim for reservation, even if the candidate genuinely belongs to that category.

• For ANY reserved category or sub-category (ST/SC/SEBC/EWS and ES/PwBD/GC/SGS), the candidate must be a native of Odisha and must produce a Resident/Nativity Certificate issued ONLINE by an appropriate Odisha State authority.
• ST/SC/SEBC/EWS category certificates must be issued ONLINE by the appropriate Odisha Government authority. A relevant original certificate must also be produced at document verification during counselling. Certificates from another state will not give reservation privileges in Odisha.
• EWS candidates must submit an Income & Asset Certificate from the Tahsildar/Additional Tahsildar, and it MUST be issued for the 2025-26 financial year — an older certificate will not be accepted.
• Ex-Serviceman (ES) candidates do not apply through OJEE directly. They must apply at the Rajya Sainik Board office, Bhubaneswar, with their NEET roll number. Only candidates on the Board's verified list are treated as valid ES candidates. Candidates whose parents are still serving in defence are NOT eligible for this category.
• Green Card reservation requires the original Green Card of the parent, issued by the Government of Odisha. The date of birth and name on the card must exactly match the HSC (Class 10) certificate — any mismatch means the candidate loses Green Card reservation and is placed in the General category instead, with no exceptions via affidavit. Tampered or mutilated cards are rejected outright.
• PwBD candidates must appear before the Medical Assessment Board at SCB Medical College & Hospital (MCH), Cuttack, as per a separate notice. The Board's decision is final and binding, and PwBD candidates should NOT upload a disability document themselves — the process goes through the Board.
• SGS (State Government School) reservation requires that the candidate passed BOTH Class 10 (Board of Secondary Education, Odisha) and Class 12 (Council of Higher Secondary Education, Odisha) from Government or Government-aided schools/junior colleges — not from private schools.
• Providing false information or a fake/withheld document leads to rejection of the application, cancellation of admission, possible legal action, and a three-year ban from participating in Odisha's admission process.

NRI Quota Eligibility

Both Odisha-domicile and outside-state NRI candidates who have qualified NEET-UG 2026 can apply for NRI quota seats. OJEE has adopted the Supreme Court's criteria (from the Anshul Tomar vs. State of M.P. case) to decide who genuinely qualifies as an NRI candidate.

According to these criteria, a candidate is considered eligible under NRI quota if their mother or father is an NRI ordinarily residing abroad, OR if a first-degree relative (real brother/sister of the candidate, or the parents themselves) is an NRI residing abroad. A broader set of blood relatives — real uncle/aunt (father's or mother's sibling), grandparents, or first-degree cousins — can also sponsor a candidate as their 'ward,' but only if that person is genuinely the nearest relation, ordinarily resides abroad, has actually looked after the candidate as guardian (with evidence), and an affidavit to this effect is submitted.

For 2026, candidates must submit evidential proof or a legal document showing the sponsor is the candidate's bona fide legal guardian under the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, at the time of counselling. NRI and OCI applicants also need to upload a certificate from the concerned Indian Diplomatic Mission in their country of residence confirming their NRI/OCI status.

NRI seats are filled in this order: first by eligible NRI candidates who are Odisha-domicile, then by eligible NRI candidates from outside Odisha, and finally — if seats remain — by eligible unreserved (UR) candidates of the state.

Documents Required

Keep scanned copies (PDF format, clearly readable, no special characters in file names) of the following ready before starting registration:

• Class 10th Certificate (for date-of-birth verification)
• Class 12th Marksheet
• Class 12th Certificate
• NEET-2026 Rank Card
• Photograph
• Nativity Certificate / Residence Certificate (proof of being a native of Odisha)
• Certificate to claim reservation, if applicable (SC/ST/SEBC/GC/EWS)
• Bond, prepared and signed in the proper format

Registration and Online Counselling Process

Registration is done on www.ojee.nic.in under the 'Counselling for MBBS and BDS Courses' section. A candidate creates their own username and password — these must never be shared with anyone else.

Basic steps: go to 'New Candidate Registration,' agree to the terms, enter NEET-UG application number, name, date of birth, gender, and the security PIN shown on screen. Once these details are verified, the system displays a pre-filled profile; the candidate adds mobile number, email, and a password to complete registration.

After logging back in, the candidate uses the 'Available Services' menu to fill the Application Form, Qualification Details, Contact Details, upload documents/images, and do a final preview and submission. A non-refundable registration fee of Rs. 1,000 must be paid online before registration is treated as complete.

During document verification, a Verifying Officer may raise a query. ⚠️ This query must be answered within 24 hours — if it is not, document verification is cancelled and the candidate's name will NOT appear in the State Merit List, meaning they cannot take part in counselling at all. Only candidates whose documents are successfully verified appear in the merit list, which is ranked purely by NEET UG 2026 rank.

Choice-Filling, Allotment, Rounds and Freeze/Float

Once placed in the State Merit List, a candidate fills and locks their preferred order of course (MBBS/BDS) and college. If the choices are not manually locked, the system locks them automatically once the deadline passes. Seats are allotted purely on merit rank and the locked choices.

After Round 1 allotment, the candidate must personally report at the OJEE office (Gandamunda, Bhubaneswar) with original certificates, mark sheets, and the prepared bond, pay the admission fee, and choose Freeze or Float. Choosing Freeze locks in that seat; choosing Float keeps the candidate eligible to be upgraded to a better seat in the next round. The original School/College Leaving Certificate must be deposited, and a Provisional Admission Letter is issued in return.

If a candidate does not report and complete formalities after being allotted a seat, the seat becomes vacant for the next round, and the candidate can only re-enter by fresh choice-filling. The same reporting-and-choice cycle repeats for Round 2 and Round 3, though candidates who already reported after Round 1 do not need to report again unless upgraded.

Important round-3 rule: if a candidate is allotted a seat for the first time in Round 3, they cannot upgrade or resign from it. If they don't join, they exit with elimination and cannot take part in any further round, including the stray vacancy round.

After Round 3, any remaining vacancies go through upgradation among candidates who chose Float, then possibly a Stray Vacancy round (which may require physical presence for spot counselling). Candidates who already took admission through the All India Quota (MCC) counselling and retained that seat after Round 3 are barred from surrendering it to join Odisha state counselling — doing so can invite legal action.

Fee Structure

Fees vary sharply between government and private colleges, and NRI candidates pay a multiple of the private-college fee. A University Registration fee of Rs. 3,500 applies to every admitted candidate on top of the course fee, and hostel/other institutional fees may be charged separately by individual colleges.

Bond, Withdrawal Rules and Penalties

As per the Odisha Health and Family Welfare Department's order, every candidate reporting after allotment must submit a bond prepared on a non-judicial stamp paper of Rs. 21, in the format given in the government order's Annexure-A, available on the OJEE website.

If a candidate resigns after admission but before the scheduled withdrawal deadline, they get back 90% of the admission fee deposited; the remaining 10% is kept as processing fee. No resignation is allowed after that deadline. If a candidate walks away after the deadline, no refund is given, and a financial penalty (as decided by the State Government) applies. If a candidate resigns after final admission and after the withdrawal window closes but before completing the course, they must pay a penalty as per government order, and their original documents/CLC will be withheld until the penalty is paid — with no refund of the admission fee.

All counselling and allotment-related documents will be preserved by the committee only until 31 December 2026, after which they may be disposed of.

Frequently asked questions

This guideline document does not carry specific counselling dates — those will be released separately by OJEE on www.ojee.nic.in and www.odishajee.com, so keep checking both sites regularly since no personal communication will be sent to candidates. Before you begin registration, gather every document listed above in the exact format required (especially an online, Odisha-issued category certificate and a current-year EWS certificate if applicable), since a rejected or delayed verification can knock you out of the merit list entirely.