Tamil Nadu NEET UG 2026 Stray Vacancy Counselling: Dates, Fees & Reporting

Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Medical Education and Research has opened the Stray Vacancy Round counselling for MBBS and BDS seats for the 2026–27 academic session. This is a final opportunity for eligible candidates who did not secure a seat in earlier rounds to participate in online counselling and get allotted to government colleges, self-financing colleges, or state private universities. Registration and choice filling begin today (18 October 2026) and close on 21 October at 5 PM. Allotment results will be declared on 22 October, and candidates must report to their allotted college by 26 October 5 PM or risk losing their seat permanently and facing a one-year ban from future TN medical counselling.

Who is eligible for this round?

You are eligible to participate in the Stray Vacancy Round if and only if you are NOT currently holding any MBBS or BDS seat in the All India Quota or State Quota (whether Government, Management, or NRI quota). This means you must be a fresh candidate with no prior seat allotment.

Critically, if you were allotted a seat in Tamil Nadu State Counselling Round-3 but did not join it, you are automatically barred from this round. The notice explicitly states such candidates are 'Not Eligible'. This is a hard rule — there is no exception. If you received an allotment in Round-3 and chose not to report, you cannot participate in Stray.

You must also 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 register for this round.

• Not holding any MBBS/BDS seat in All India Quota or State Quota
• Did not receive an allotment in TN State Counselling Round-3, OR did receive one and joined it
• Already applied to TN Medical Selection Committee
• Your name is in the published merit list

Important dates and timeline

The entire Stray Vacancy Round operates on a compressed schedule. Registration, choice filling, and locking all happen in a single window: from 18 October 2026 at 12:01 PM to 21 October 2026 at 5:00 PM. You have just over 3 days to register, pay fees, and lock your choices. If you do not lock your choices by the deadline, the system will automatically lock them for you at 5 PM on 21 October.

Seat allotment processing happens on 22 October, and results are declared the same day in the afternoon. You can then download your provisional allotment order from 22 October to 26 October at 12:00 noon. Downloading the allotment order counts as joining — you do not need to physically report first. However, you must physically report to the college by 26 October at 5:00 PM. If you fail to report by this deadline, your admission is cancelled without notice.

• Registration & choice filling: 18 Oct 12:01 PM to 21 Oct 5:00 PM
• Seat allotment processing: 22 Oct
• Result declaration: 22 Oct (afternoon)
• Download allotment order: 22 Oct to 26 Oct 12:00 noon
• Last date to report to college: 26 Oct 5:00 PM

Rank and NEET score ranges

The Stray Vacancy Round is open to candidates within specific rank and NEET score ranges. For Government Quota (GQ), candidates with General Rank (GR) from 001 to 35,926 and NEET marks from 705 to 177 are eligible. For Management Quota (MQ), the range is General Rank 001 to 26,956 with NEET marks from 693 to 177.

These ranges represent the pool of candidates who have qualified and are eligible to participate. Your rank is determined by your NEET UG 2026 score and the reservation category you have applied under. If your rank falls outside these ranges, you cannot participate in this round.

• Government Quota: GR 001–35,926 (NEET marks 705–177)
• Management Quota: GR 001–26,956 (NEET marks 693–177)

Fees you must pay: security deposit and registration

To participate in the Stray Vacancy Round, you must pay two types of fees: a registration fee (if you are registering for the first time) and a non-refundable security deposit. These are mandatory and must be paid online via the bank payment portal before or during the choice-filling window.

The security deposit is substantial and course-specific: ₹5 lakhs (Rupees Five Lakhs) for MBBS and ₹2 lakhs (Rupees Two Lakhs) for BDS. This deposit is non-refundable if you are allotted a seat but do not join the course. If you fail to join or discontinue after joining, you forfeit this entire amount in addition to the tuition fee and a discontinuation fee.

If you have not previously registered with the Tamil Nadu Medical Selection Committee, you must also pay a registration fee: ₹500 for Government Quota or ₹1,000 for Management Quota. This is a one-time fee and is non-refundable. However, you can only register if you have already applied to the committee and your name is on the merit list.

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 with your application, you are exempt from paying the security deposit. You still pay the registration fee if applicable.

• Security Deposit: ₹5 lakhs (MBBS) or ₹2 lakhs (BDS) — non-refundable if you don't join
• Registration Fee (first-time registrants only): ₹500 (Government Quota) or ₹1,000 (Management Quota) — non-refundable
• Exemption: SC/SCA/ST/SCC candidates with annual family income <₹2.5 lakhs and submitted Income Certificate are exempt from security deposit only

How to register and fill your choices

Registration and choice filling happen online on the official portal (www.tnmedicalselection.net). You must log in with your credentials and complete both steps within the window: 18 October 12:01 PM to 21 October 5:00 PM. Do not share your login ID, password, or OTP with anyone — the notice explicitly warns against this.

When you register, you will be asked to pay the registration fee (if applicable) and the security deposit online via your bank's payment portal using a debit card, credit card, or net banking. Ensure your bank account has sufficient funds and an expanded credit/transaction limit to process the payment without failure.

After registration, you move to choice filling. You can fill choices only for the quota categories you have applied for. For example, if you applied for both Government and Management quota, you will see choices for both. You are encouraged to carefully analyse the available colleges and seats and rank your choices in order of preference. You can edit your choices as many times as you wish before locking, but once locked, you cannot edit them. If you do not manually lock your choices by 21 October 5:00 PM, the system will automatically lock them for you.

Before you start, read the prospectus thoroughly. It contains critical information about colleges, courses, fees, and rules. The notice emphasises that candidates should be careful during choice filling — a mistake here cannot be undone.

• Log in to www.tnmedicalselection.net with your credentials
• Pay registration fee (if first-time) and security deposit online
• Fill choices for the quota categories you applied for
• Rank choices in order of preference
• Edit choices as many times as needed before locking
• Lock choices by 21 Oct 5:00 PM (or they auto-lock)
• Read the prospectus before starting

What happens after allotment: downloading and joining

On 22 October afternoon, the allotment results are declared. You can download your provisional allotment order from 22 October to 26 October at 12:00 noon. The act of downloading the allotment order itself counts as joining — you do not need to physically report to the college first. However, this is a critical point: once you download, you are committed to joining that college.

After downloading, you must physically report to the allotted college on or before 26 October at 5:00 PM. Failure to report by this deadline will result in your admission being cancelled without any further notice. There is no re-allotment in the Stray Round, so if you miss this deadline, you lose your seat permanently.

To download the allotment order and access your seat, you must pay the tuition fee online via debit card, credit card, or net banking. The tuition fee amount varies by college and course and is available on the official website. Ensure your bank account has sufficient funds before attempting payment.

Exception for SC/SCA/ST/SCC candidates: If you belong to SC, SCA, ST, or SCC category, your annual family income is less than ₹2.5 lakhs, and you submitted an Income Certificate with your application, you are exempt from paying the upfront tuition fee to download the allotment order. However, this exemption applies only to Government Quota and Management Quota seats in self-financing medical colleges. For BDS seats in self-financing dental colleges, all candidates must pay the tuition fee at the time of admission to the college directly.

• Download allotment order: 22 Oct to 26 Oct 12:00 noon
• Downloading = joining (you are committed)
• Pay tuition fee online to download (except SC/SCA/ST/SCC with income <₹2.5L)
• Report to college by 26 Oct 5:00 PM
• Failure to report = admission cancelled, no re-allotment
• Bring original certificates and scanned copies to college

What to bring when you report to the college

When you report to your allotted college, you must bring your original certificates in person for verification. The college will verify them on-site. You should also bring scanned copies of your original certificates to facilitate the verification process.

At the time of reporting, you must also sign a self-declaration form confirming that you are liable for forfeiture of your selection and admission if any suppression of facts or misinterpretation is discovered at any time during or after your admission. This is a legal commitment — false information can result in your admission being cancelled.

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

The critical trap: what happens if you don't join

This is the most important warning in the notice. If you are allotted a seat in the Stray Vacancy Round but fail to join or discontinue the course after joining, you will face severe consequences. You will forfeit the security deposit (₹5 lakhs for MBBS, ₹2 lakhs for BDS), the tuition fee, and any other fees paid. You will also be liable for a discontinuation fee as per the prospectus.

More critically, you will be barred from participating in Tamil Nadu UG Medical Counselling for the next one full academic year. This means if you get allotted in Stray 2026–27 and don't join, you cannot apply for TN medical counselling in 2027–28. This is a permanent, non-negotiable penalty.

The notice also states that if you fail to report to the college by the stipulated date and time, your selection and admission will be cancelled without any further notice. There is no grace period, no appeal, no second chance. The deadline is absolute: 26 October 5:00 PM.

• ⚠️ Forfeit security deposit (₹5L MBBS / ₹2L BDS) if you don't join
• ⚠️ Forfeit tuition fee and pay discontinuation fee
• ⚠️ Barred from TN medical counselling for next 1 academic year
• ⚠️ Failure to report by 26 Oct 5 PM = admission cancelled, no notice

Colleges and seats available in this round

The Stray Vacancy Round offers seats in the following institutions: Tamil Nadu Government Medical and Dental Colleges, Government and Management Quota seats in self-financing medical and dental colleges, and state private universities. The exact number and location of vacant seats varies and is published on the official website (www.tnmedicalselection.net) before choice filling begins.

You should check the vacancy position on the website before filling your choices. This will help you understand which colleges have seats available and in which courses (MBBS or BDS). The notice does not provide a fixed list of colleges or seat numbers — these are dynamic and depend on candidates who did not join in earlier rounds.

• Tamil Nadu Government Medical Colleges
• Tamil Nadu Government Dental Colleges
• Government Quota seats in self-financing medical colleges
• Management Quota seats in self-financing medical colleges
• Government Quota seats in self-financing dental colleges
• Management Quota seats in self-financing dental colleges
• State Private Universities

Important disclaimers and your responsibility

The Selection Committee does not take responsibility for connectivity errors or procedural errors on your part. If your internet connection fails during choice filling or payment, or if you make a mistake while filling choices, the committee will not reverse or correct it. You are responsible for ensuring a stable internet connection and for carefully reviewing your choices before locking.

All candidates are responsible for staying informed. The Selection Committee will not send individual notifications or emails to candidates. You must regularly check the official website (www.tnmedicalselection.net) for updates, schedules, results, notices, and news. No communication will be sent directly to you — the website is your only source of official information.

Admission to MBBS and BDS courses is made strictly on the basis of rank by applying the rule of reservation. The committee follows the reservation policy of Tamil Nadu, which includes categories such as SC, SCA, ST, SCC, and others. Your eligibility for a particular seat depends on your rank, category, and the reservation rules applicable to that seat.

• Committee not responsible for connectivity or procedural errors
• Check www.tnmedicalselection.net regularly for updates
• No direct communication will be sent to you
• Admission based on rank and reservation rules

Fee structure and payment details

The complete fee structure for all colleges and courses is available on the official website www.tnmedicalselection.net. This includes tuition fees, hostel fees, and other charges. You must review this before filling your choices so you understand the financial commitment for each college.

When paying the tuition fee to download your allotment order, ensure your bank account has sufficient funds and an expanded credit/transaction limit. Some banks may block large transactions by default, so contact your bank in advance if you are paying a large amount. Payment failures can prevent you from downloading your allotment order and meeting the reporting deadline.

• Check fee structure on www.tnmedicalselection.net
• Ensure bank account has sufficient funds before payment
• Request expanded credit/transaction limit from your bank if needed
• Payment failure = cannot download allotment order = miss reporting deadline

Frequently asked questions

If you are eligible and interested in participating, register immediately on www.tnmedicalselection.net. Pay the registration fee and security deposit, fill your choices carefully in order of preference, and lock them by 21 October 5:00 PM. On 22 October, check the website for your allotment result, download your provisional allotment order (after paying tuition fee), and report to your allotted college by 26 October 5:00 PM with original certificates. Missing any deadline will result in permanent loss of your seat and a one-year ban from TN medical counselling. Do not delay — you have only 3 days to complete registration and choice filling.