Tamil Nadu Special Stray Vacancy Round NEET UG 2026: Dates, Fees & Eligibility

Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Medical Education & Research has released the schedule for the Special Stray Vacancy Round of MBBS and BDS counselling for the 2026–27 academic session. This round is open to candidates who have not yet secured a seat in any All India Quota or State Quota counselling. Registration and choice filling begin on 4 November 2026 and close on 10 November 2026. Allotment results will be declared on 11 November, and candidates must report to their allotted college by 16 November 2026. This is a final opportunity to secure a medical or dental seat in Tamil Nadu government colleges, self-financing colleges, or state private universities.

What is the Special Stray Vacancy Round?

The Special Stray Vacancy Round is a final counselling round conducted by Tamil Nadu's medical selection authority to fill any remaining MBBS and BDS seats across government colleges, self-financing colleges, and state private universities. It is called a 'stray' round because it captures candidates who did not secure a seat in earlier counselling rounds and seats that remain vacant after those rounds close.

This round covers three categories of seats: Government Quota (GQ) seats in government medical and dental colleges, Management Quota (MQ) seats in self-financing medical and dental colleges, and seats in state private universities. Candidates can apply for whichever category they are eligible for based on their earlier application to the Tamil Nadu Medical Selection Committee.

Who is Eligible to Participate?

You are eligible for this round if and only if you have NOT already joined any MBBS or BDS seat in All India Quota or State Quota counselling. This means you must be a candidate who either did not get allotted in earlier rounds, or got allotted but chose not to join.

You are NOT eligible if: (1) you have already joined any MBBS or BDS seat in All India Quota, State Quota, Government Quota, Management Quota, or NRI Quota; (2) you did not join your seat allotted in Tamil Nadu State Counselling Round-3 or the earlier Stray Round (such candidates are marked 'Not Eligible'); or (3) your name appears in the All India Quota Special Stray Vacancy Round allotted list (you will be weeded out before the state round processing begins).

Additionally, you must have already applied to the Tamil Nadu Medical Selection Committee and your name must appear in the published merit list. If you have not applied or are not on the merit list, you cannot participate in this round.

• Have NOT joined any MBBS/BDS seat in All India Quota or State Quota
• Have already applied to Tamil Nadu Medical Selection Committee
• Your name is in the published merit list
• Did not skip joining your seat in Round-3 or the earlier Stray Round

Important Dates: Registration, Choice Filling & Allotment

The entire process runs on a tight schedule over two weeks. Registration and choice filling open on 4 November 2026 at 12:00 noon and close on 10 November 2026 at 5:00 PM. You must complete both registration and choice filling within this window. If you do not manually lock your choices by the deadline, they will be automatically locked at 5:00 PM on 10 November.

After choice filling closes, the selection committee will process all applications and allotments on 11 November 2026. Results will be declared the same day in the afternoon. You can then download your provisional allotment order between 12 November 2026 and 16 November 2026 at 12:00 noon. Importantly, downloading your allotment order is considered as joining the course, so you must be ready to report to your allotted college immediately.

The final reporting deadline is 16 November 2026 at 5:00 PM. You must physically report to the head of your allotted college on or before this date and time. Failure to report will result in cancellation of your admission without further notice.

Rank & NEET Score Ranges for This Round

The Special Stray Vacancy Round is open to candidates within specific rank and NEET score ranges. For Government Quota (GQ) seats, eligible candidates have ranks from GR 001 to GR 35926 and NEET scores ranging from 705 to 177. For Management Quota (MQ) seats, eligible candidates have ranks from GR 001 to GR 26956 and NEET scores ranging from 693 to 177.

These ranges represent the pool of candidates who are eligible to participate in this round. Your rank and score must fall within these ranges for your category to be considered for allotment. If your rank or score is outside these ranges, you will not be eligible for this round.

Fees You Must Pay: Security Deposit & Registration Fee

To participate in this round, you must pay two types of fees: a non-refundable Registration Fee and a non-refundable Additional Security Deposit. The Registration Fee applies only if you have not previously registered with the Tamil Nadu Medical Selection Committee. If you have already registered and paid this fee in an earlier round, you do not need to pay it again.

The Registration Fee is ₹500 for Government Quota and ₹1,000 for Management Quota. The Additional Security Deposit is ₹5 lakhs (₹5,00,000) for MBBS and ₹2 lakhs (₹2,00,000) for BDS. This security deposit is non-refundable if you are allotted a seat but do not join the course. Payment must be made online through the bank payment portal.

IMPORTANT EXEMPTION: If you belong to SC, SCA, ST, or SCC category AND your parents' or guardian's annual income is less than ₹2.5 lakhs AND you have submitted an Income Certificate along with your application, you are exempt from paying the Additional Security Deposit. However, you must still pay the Registration Fee if you are registering for the first time. If you have already paid these fees in a previous round and were not allotted, you do not need to pay again.

• Registration Fee: ₹500 (Government Quota) or ₹1,000 (Management Quota) — only if registering for the first time
• Additional Security Deposit: ₹5 lakhs (MBBS) or ₹2 lakhs (BDS) — non-refundable if you don't join
• SC/SCA/ST/SCC candidates with annual family income < ₹2.5 lakhs and submitted Income Certificate are exempt from security deposit
• All payments are online via bank payment portal
• If you paid fees in a previous round but were not allotted, you do not pay again

How to Register and Fill Your Choices

Registration and choice filling happen together on the online portal. Log in with your credentials (do NOT share your login ID, password, or OTP with anyone). You will be asked to pay your Registration Fee (if applicable) and Additional Security Deposit before you can proceed to choice filling.

Once you have paid the fees, you will see a list of available colleges and seats for the categories you applied for. For example, if you applied for both Government and Management Quota, you will see choices for both. You must carefully review the available colleges and fill your choices in order of preference. You can edit your choices as many times as you wish before locking them, but once you lock your choices, you cannot edit them again.

Before you start, read the prospectus thoroughly. The prospectus contains detailed information about each college, course structure, fees, and other important details. Pay special attention to the colleges you are interested in. If you do not lock your choices by 10 November 2026 at 5:00 PM, the system will automatically lock them for you. After locking, you cannot make any changes, so be very careful with your selections.

• Log in to the online portal with your credentials
• Pay Registration Fee (if first-time) and Additional Security Deposit
• Review the prospectus before filling choices
• Fill colleges in order of your preference
• You can edit choices multiple times before locking
• Once locked, you cannot edit — be careful
• If you don't lock by 10 Nov 5:00 PM, choices auto-lock
• Check vacancy position on the official website before finalizing

What Happens After Allotment: Downloading Your Order & Reporting

On 11 November 2026 in the afternoon, the selection committee will declare the allotment results. You can download your provisional allotment order between 12 November and 16 November 2026 (until 12:00 noon). CRITICAL: Downloading your allotment order is legally considered as joining the course. This means you are committing to join that college.

For BDS seats in government dental colleges, you must pay the tuition fee online (via debit card, credit card, or net banking) at the time of downloading your allotment order. For BDS seats in self-financing dental colleges, you pay the tuition fee directly at the college at the time of admission. SC/SCA/ST/SCC candidates with annual family income less than ₹2.5 lakhs and a submitted Income Certificate are exempt from paying upfront fees for downloading the allotment order.

After downloading your allotment order, you must physically report to the head of your allotted college on or before 16 November 2026 at 5:00 PM. Bring your original certificates and a scanned copy for verification. If you fail to report by this deadline, your admission will be cancelled without any further notice. There is no re-allotment in this round, so missing the deadline means you lose your seat permanently.

• Download allotment order between 12–16 Nov 2026 (by 12:00 noon on 16 Nov)
• Downloading = joining the course (you are committed)
• BDS (Govt Dental): Pay tuition fee online when downloading allotment order
• BDS (Self-Financing): Pay tuition fee at college during admission
• SC/SCA/ST/SCC (income < ₹2.5L + Income Certificate): Exempt from upfront fee payment
• Report to college head by 16 Nov 2026, 5:00 PM with original certificates
• Failure to report = admission cancelled, no re-allotment

Critical Trap: What Happens If You Don't Join After Allotment

If you are allotted a seat in this Special Stray Vacancy Round but fail to join or discontinue the course after joining, you will face severe consequences. You will forfeit (lose) your entire Additional Security Deposit (₹5 lakhs for MBBS or ₹2 lakhs for BDS) AND the tuition fee you paid. On top of that, you must pay a Discontinuation Fee as defined in Clause 23 of the Government Quota Prospectus or Clause 20 of the Management Quota Prospectus.

Even more importantly, if you fail to join or discontinue after allotment in this round, you will be barred from participating in Tamil Nadu UG Medical Counselling for the next one full academic year. This means you cannot apply for any MBBS or BDS seat in Tamil Nadu for the 2027–28 session. This is a permanent consequence, so only accept a seat if you are absolutely certain you will join and complete the course.

• ⚠️ Forfeit security deposit (₹5L for MBBS, ₹2L for BDS) if you don't join
• ⚠️ Forfeit tuition fee paid
• ⚠️ Pay additional Discontinuation Fee
• ⚠️ Barred from Tamil Nadu UG Medical Counselling for next 1 academic year (2027–28)
• ✅ Only accept a seat if you are certain you will join and complete the course

Documents You Must Bring When Reporting to College

When you report to your allotted college, you must bring your original certificates in person for verification. The college will verify your documents on-site. You should also bring a scanned copy of your original certificates to speed up the verification process.

Additionally, you must sign a self-declaration form at the time of reporting. This form states that you are liable for forfeiture of your selection and admission if any suppression of facts or misinterpretation is found at any time during or after your admission to the course. In other words, if you have provided false information in your application or if any discrepancy is discovered later, your admission can be cancelled and you will lose your seat and fees.

• Original certificates (in person)
• Scanned copy of original certificates
• Self-declaration form (signed at college)

How Seats Are Allocated: Rank, Reservation & Quota

Admission to MBBS and BDS seats in this round is made strictly on the basis of your rank in the NEET UG 2026 exam, with the rule of reservation applied. This means seats are allocated according to your rank within your eligible category (Government Quota or Management Quota) and your reserved category (if applicable, such as SC, ST, OBC, etc.).

The selection committee does not take responsibility for connectivity errors or procedural errors on your part. It is your responsibility to ensure you register, pay fees, fill choices, and lock them correctly within the given time. If you miss a deadline or make an error, the committee will not extend the deadline or correct it for you.

• Allocation based on NEET rank
• Reservation rules applied (SC, ST, OBC, etc.)
• Government Quota and Management Quota processed separately
• Selection committee not responsible for connectivity or procedural errors

Where to Find Information & Updates

The selection committee will NOT contact you individually by phone, email, or SMS. All official information, schedules, results, notices, and updates will be posted on the official website only. You must check the website regularly for any changes or announcements.

The official website is www.tnmedicalselection.org. Bookmark this site and visit it daily during the counselling period. The fee structure for all courses is also available on this website. Do not rely on rumors, social media, or unofficial sources — always verify information from the official website.

• Official website: www.tnmedicalselection.org
• Check website daily for updates, results, and notices
• No individual communication from selection committee
• Fee structure available on official website
• Do not share login ID, password, or OTP with anyone

Frequently asked questions

Act immediately: registration opens on 4 November 2026 at 12:00 noon. Log in to www.tnmedicalselection.org, pay your Registration Fee and Additional Security Deposit, carefully fill your college choices in order of preference, and lock them by 10 November 2026 at 5:00 PM. Check the official website on 11 November afternoon for your allotment result, download your allotment order by 16 November 12:00 noon, and report to your allotted college by 16 November 5:00 PM with your original certificates. Missing any deadline will result in cancellation of your admission with no second chance.