Punjab NEET UG 2026: Round 1 Choice-Filling Window Extended to August 23 — What Changes for MBBS/BDS Aspirants

If you're chasing an MBBS or BDS seat in Punjab through NEET UG 2026, you now have extra breathing room to finalise your college choices. Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), Faridkot, which runs Punjab's state medical and dental counselling, has moved the Round 1 choice-filling deadline from August 19 to August 23, 2026. This isn't a minor tweak — it also nudges the seat allotment and reporting dates that follow, so every candidate registered for this round needs to recheck the full timeline before acting. Missing the new cut-off means missing your shot at Round 1 seats entirely.

What exactly changed

The original deadline for filling and locking college choices in Round 1 was August 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM. BFUHS has now extended this to August 23, 2026. The extension applies to both MBBS and BDS seats across government, private, and minority medical and dental colleges in Punjab.

This means candidates who had already locked their choices don't need to do anything further, but anyone who hadn't finished — or wants to reorder preferences — gets a few more days to do so.

Revised Round 1 schedule at a glance

Because choice filling has moved, the downstream steps of Round 1 have shifted too. Here is the updated timeline as notified by BFUHS.

Who can actually fill choices

This extension isn't open to everyone who has qualified NEET UG 2026 — it applies only to candidates who registered for Punjab counselling by August 10, 2026. Beyond registration, candidates must meet BFUHS's eligibility norms for NEET UG qualification, and Punjab domicile remains a core requirement for this state quota round.

BFUHS released the provisional combined merit list on August 13, 2026. If you're on that list and registered on time, this is your window to act. If you missed the August 10 registration cut-off, this particular extension does not help you — you'd need to watch for any later rounds or spot-round openings.

Counselling fee reminder

Along with choice filling, candidates should keep the applicable counselling fee ready, since payment is typically tied to the registration and choice-locking process.

How to lock your choices correctly

The process is straightforward but unforgiving of last-minute mistakes, since once locked, choices generally cannot be edited for that round.

• Log in at admission.bfuhsonline.ac.in with your registered candidate ID and password.
• Open the choice-filling section and review the full list of MBBS/BDS colleges available to you.
• Add your preferred colleges and courses in strict order of priority — this order decides which seat you get if you're eligible for more than one.
• Re-check the sequence carefully; a wrongly ordered list can cost you a better seat.
• Click 'lock' well before the August 23 cut-off — do not wait until the last hour in case the portal is slow.
• Download and save the confirmation page as proof of submission.

Why the extension matters for your decision-making

Punjab's entire Round 1 counselling cycle — from merit list to reporting — runs in under a month. A four-day extension in choice filling is proportionally significant: it gives candidates more time to compare colleges, check previous years' closing ranks, and consult family or mentors before committing to an order of preference that is hard to change later.

At the same time, because the allotment, objection, and reporting dates have all moved along with it, candidates must not assume the rest of the schedule stays as originally planned. Anyone working off an older version of the timeline risks missing the reporting window entirely.

Frequently asked questions

If you're in the Punjab NEET UG 2026 merit list, log in now, finalise your college order calmly, and lock it well before August 23 rather than waiting for the last hour. Keep checking the BFUHS portal directly, since the allotment and reporting dates attached to this extension could shift again.