NEET UG Counselling 2026 Guide: MCC Process, Fees, Eligibility, Quotas, and Documents

After NEET UG 2026 results have been announced following re-appeal, 11 lakh plus eligible candidates will enter the counselling process.

Counselling for NEET can be a complex procedure for many aspirants and their families. It consists of various bodies, seat quotas, rounds of counselling, registration norms and reporting dates.

There would be four major rounds of NEET UG counselling 2026 – Round 1, Round 2, Round 3/Mop-Up Round and Stray Vacancy Round.

All India Quota seats' counselling will be done by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). State Quota seats will be allocated through state-level counselling authorities.

Only those websites which are authentic should be referred to – neet.nta.nic.in, mcc.nic.in and respective state counselling websites.

Following is the detailed process of NEET UG counselling 2026.

NEET Counselling 2026: MBBS Seats Available

From the available NMC seat matrix, the number of MBBS seats at government medical colleges is 63,296, while that of private medical colleges is 73,643.

The total number of MBBS seats has been raised by 9,911 in comparison to the last academic year.

A total of 2,111 MBBS seats have been allotted to government medical colleges for the academic year 2026–27. 7,800 MBBS seats have been awarded to private medical colleges.

West Bengal has the highest increment in government MBBS seats with an increment of 325 seats. This is followed by Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar, having 250, 225, and 190 seats respectively.

Among private medical colleges, the maximum addition of seats is in Karnataka with 1,150 seats. 900 seats have been added in Rajasthan, whereas 800 seats have been added in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must meet the prescribed eligibility requirements to participate in NEET UG counselling.

They must have qualified for NEET UG 2026 by securing the minimum percentile required for their category.

The qualifying percentile is generally the 50th percentile for General and EWS candidates. It is usually the 40th percentile for SC, ST and OBC candidates.

Candidates must be a minimum of 17 years of age by December 31st of the year of admission.

In addition to the above, candidates must have completed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, or Biotechnology, and English as core subjects.

Indian nationals, NRIs, OCI citizens, and others who are eligible may apply under appropriate seat categories and admissions guidelines.

Candidates are advised to refer to the official counseling bulletin for details regarding eligibility criteria.

Who Conducts NEET UG Counselling?

NEET UG counselling isn’t conducted by a single authority. It takes place through two separate systems. These are MCC counselling and state-level counselling.

Medical Counselling Committee Counselling

The Medical Counselling Committee operates under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

MCC conducts counselling for 15% All India Quota seats in government medical and dental colleges.

It also conducts counselling for seats in several central and national institutions.

These generally include:

• 100% seats in deemed universities
• AIIMS institutions
• JIPMER
• Central universities
• ESIC institutions
• Selected seats in the Armed Forces Medical College
• Other Institutions included under the MCC counseling program

The candidates are advised to check the MCC information bulletin for the participating institutes and seat categories.

State NEET Counselling Authorities

State level counseling authorities perform admission for the rest 85% of state quota seats in Government Medical Colleges.

These authorities also conduct admission for private medical colleges within their respective states on state guidelines.

There is a separate counseling authority, registration portal, fees, domicile, reservation etc for each State.

The candidates who want to fight for All India Quota as well as State quota have to register separately on both MCC portal and respective state counseling portal.

MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026: Round-Wise Process

MCC counselling is generally conducted in four rounds.

These include Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and the Stray Vacancy Round.

The rules for joining, upgrading and leaving an allotted seat may differ in each round.

NEET Counselling Round 1

Round 1 will be available for all eligible candidates who register at MCC.

Candidates have to register themselves, pay the fee, select their desired colleges and courses, and then freeze their choices.

Result of the seat allotment depends upon the NEET rank, category, seat availability, and the choice order of the candidate.

Candidates allotted a seat in Round 1 may accept the seat and report to the college.

They may also join the allotted college and choose to participate in Round 2 for an upgrade, subject to MCC rules.

Candidates may generally use the free-exit option in Round 1. This allows them to leave the allotted seat without the penalties applicable in later rounds.

NEET Counselling Round 2

Candidates who didn’t receive a seat in Round 1 can participate in Round 2.

Candidates who didn’t register during Round 1 may also be allowed to complete fresh registration, depending on the official schedule.

Students who joined a Round 1 seat and selected the upgrade option may also participate.

Candidates have to give and lock new preferences for the second round because previous preferences will not necessarily carry over.

Following the second round, candidates should read and understand the guidelines regarding seat resignation, security deposit forfeiture, and participation in subsequent rounds.

AIQ seats will not be handed back to the state government following the second round of counseling. As a result, candidates should take the first two rounds seriously.

NEET Counselling Round 3 or Mop-Up Round

Round 3 is commonly called the Mop-Up Round.

It is conducted to fill seats left vacant after the first two rounds.

Candidates who haven’t secured or joined a seat may be eligible to participate, depending on the official MCC rules.

Fresh registration and filling of choice may be allowed for qualified candidates.

Failure to occupy the seat allotted through this round may lead to forfeiture of the deposit or penalties.

Candidates are advised to read the eligibility criteria and exit policy before registering.

NEET Stray Vacancy Round

The Stray Vacancy Round is conducted to allocate seats that are left vacant after the completion of Round 3.

Allotment of seats generally depends on the number of vacancies, ranking, and choice of candidates as per the notified procedure.

New registration may not be permitted for all kinds of seats in this round.

Those candidates who get their seats allotted through the Stray Vacancy Round are supposed to register themselves at the college during the reporting period.

Not doing so may result in forfeiting of security deposit and other sanctions as per MCC guidelines.

The number of counseling rounds may vary according to vacant seats. The MCC may also conduct extra rounds for certain programs like BDS and BSc Nursing.

How NEET UG Choice Filling Works

Choice filling is one of the most crucial steps in NEET counseling process.

After the registration process and seat matrix has been released, candidates can choose the colleges and courses of their choice.

There isn’t any set upper limit on the number of choices a candidate has to enter.

It is important that candidates enter only the colleges and courses which they are ready to join.

Choices should be entered in an order of preference. Highest priority should be given to the college or course of the highest preference.

Allotment of seats depends upon the rank of the candidate in NEET, his/her category and seat availability among other things.

Candidates should keep on saving and locking their choices till the deadline of choice filling process.

In case, candidates don’t lock their choices manually, then automatically the last saved choices get locked after the expiry of choice filling period.

MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026 Fees

Candidates must pay a non-refundable registration fee and a refundable security deposit during MCC registration.

The fee may vary according to the candidate’s category and the type of institution selected.

Candidates applying for deemed university seats generally have to pay a higher security deposit than those applying only for AIQ or central institution seats.

The exact NEET UG counselling fee for 2026 will be mentioned in the official MCC counselling notification.

Candidates should pay the fee only through the payment options available on the official MCC portal.

They should also save the payment receipt and registration confirmation page.

Documents Required for NEET UG Counselling 2026

Candidates allotted a seat must report to the institute within the specified period.

They’ll have to complete document verification and other admission formalities.

Candidates should carry original documents along with the required photocopies.

Documents generally asked for are:

• Admit Card of NEET UG 2026
• Scorecard/Rank Card of NEET UG 2026
• Provisional allotment letter from MCC
• Certificate & Marksheet of Class 10th
• Certificate & Marksheet of Class 12th
• Photograph with Valid Govt. ID Proof
• Birth Certificate (if required)
• Category Certificate for SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS candidates
• PWD Certificate (if applicable)
• Domicile Certificate (if required for State Counselling)
• Passport size photographs
• Migration Certificate (if required)
• Character Certificate (if required)
• Medical Fitness Certificate
• Documents related to NRI or NRI Seats (if applicable)

The name, date of birth, and other information written in the documents provided by the candidate should be same as the information filled while filling up the NEET application form.

Those candidates availing the facility of reservation have to produce a valid certificate of the respective category according to the format prescribed.

If a candidate does not produce a valid category certificate, the reservation benefit will be denied to him/her. In that case, the candidate will be considered under General Category only if he/she is eligible.

There may be some other documents asked for by the colleges. It is advisable for the candidates to go through their reporting notice issued by the allotted college.

NEET UG 2026 Quota Structure

Seats for medical courses come under various quotas depending upon the type of institute, counselling body, and criteria for admissions.

There are two major quotas set up by the government, which are All India Quota and State Quota.

All India Quota

15% All India Quota refers to the number of seats offered by government medical and dental colleges who are part of MCC.

Eligible candidates can apply for these seats via counselling by MCC.

Admission through AIQ is decided on All India Rank, category, preference order, and availability of seat.

There is no need for a candidate’s home state to limit his/her admission in these seats.

State Quota

Rest 85% of seats in government medical colleges get filled by state counselling.

The eligibility for such seats might be determined on the basis of domicile, schooling, residing, or any other conditions laid by the state.

Students should refer to the state counselling brochure for exact eligibility criteria.

Seats in Deemed Universities

100% counselling for MBBS and BDS seats in deemed universities is carried out by MCC.

Such seats carry higher fees than government medical colleges.

The students should be well aware of the annual fees, hostel fees, bond conditions and other costs.

MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026 Reservation Policy

The GOI reservation scheme covers AIQ seats in the participating central institutes and universities.

Typical reservation scheme consists of:

PwBD 5% horizontal reservation, applicable in the respective categories under the appropriate rules.

The applicant for the OBC-NCL category should make sure that his caste falls under the Central OBC category, and the certificate fulfills MCC guidelines.

The same is true for EWS and other categories' certificates.

The state reservation schemes might be different from the central reservation scheme.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Registration Process

Here are the basic steps that candidates should follow to get registered for MCC counselling:

Step 1: Go to the official MCC website at mcc.nic.in

Step 2: Choose the NEET UG counselling tab.

Step 3: Select the new registration tab.

Step 4: Give the NEET roll number and other details.

Step 5: Verify the provided details very carefully.

Step 6: Make payment of the registration charges along with security deposit.

Step 7: Provide the preferences of college and courses.

Step 8: Prioritize the preferences according to personal preference.

Step 9: Save the choices by locking them well before time limit.

Step 10: Take printouts of the registration form and locked choice sheet.

Once the counselling allotment result comes out, the candidate needs to take printout of the allotment letter and join the allotted institute.

NEET Counselling: Common Mistakes to Avoid

The candidates must refrain from entering their personal/academic information that does not match with their certificate.

Incorrect details could lead to some issues at the time of document verification.

Candidates must make sure that they have saved their options by the end of the stipulated deadline.

Forgetting to join Round 1 even though they believe that better options might arise in the subsequent rounds could prove to be a mistake. Seat availability decreases in subsequent rounds.

Candidates need to carefully look into the fees, location, bond, services required, etc. of the colleges before including them in the preference list.

Missing the reporting deadline could lead to the cancellation of allotted seats.

The candidates must note that the category details cannot be modified after the completion of registration process.

Candidates should not consider the unofficial schedule that is floating on social media, messaging applications, etc.

Important Tips for NEET UG 2026 Aspirants

Candidates must visit mcc.nic.in for any updates regarding the AIQ counselling process.

For state-level counselling, candidates should go to the respective website of state counselling authority.

It is advisable that candidates prepare the scanned and printed copies of all documents before beginning the process of registration.

Candidates must also create a list of preferred colleges by comparing the closing rank, tuition fees, location, hospital experience, bond criteria, etc.

Sharing login password, one-time passcode, or payment details with an unauthorized individual must be avoided by all means.

No one in the private sector can provide a government seat in medical institute, modify NEET score, or block seat from outside the counselling process.

Registration, choice filling, seat allotment, and reporting of allotment should be done only by counselling authorities and portals.

Seat matrix, counselling fee, participating institutes, and other rules should be compared with official notifications of MCC/NMC.

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