NEET PG Counselling 2026: MCC Schedule, Rounds, Registration, Security Deposit and State Quota — Explained
Quick answer: NEET PG counselling 2026 is live. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) opened round 1 registration on 12 October 2026 for the 50% all-India quota (AIQ) and all deemed, central university and DNB seats. Register and pay by 12 noon on 21 October (payment window to 3 pm), fill choices until 10 am on 22 October, and watch for the round 1 result on 24 October; joining runs 26 October to 2 November. State quota round 1 runs 21 October to 2 November under the national calendar MCC posted on 8 October. As of 14 October, MCC says the seat matrix from NMC and NBEMS is still awaited. All MCC dates are from its tentative schedule of 7 October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Who can take part: candidates who cleared the NEET PG 2026 cut-off declared by NBEMS on 24 September 2026 — 262/720 for General and EWS, 244 for General PwBD and 226 for SC, ST and OBC (our result report).
- Four MCC rounds: round 1, round 2 (from 6 November), round 3 (from 26 November) and a stray vacancy round (from 16 December), with the last stray-round joining date on 31 December 2026.
- AIQ security deposit: ₹25,000 for UR/EWS and ₹10,000 for SC/ST/OBC/PwD, on top of a non-refundable fee of ₹1,000 or ₹500.
- Deemed universities: ₹5,000 fee plus a ₹2,00,000 refundable deposit for every category. If you want both AIQ and deemed seats, you pay only the deemed amount.
- Round 1 is a free exit; from round 2 onwards, not joining an allotted seat forfeits the deposit, and a round 3 seat cannot be resigned at all.
- Only one registration is allowed. MCC's bulletin says a duplicate registration leads to debarment.
- The PG academic session is scheduled to start on 20 November 2026.
MCC NEET PG 2026 schedule (all-India quota, deemed and central universities)
The table below reproduces MCC's tentative schedule dated 7 October 2026. All times are server time.
| Round | Registration and payment | Choice filling and locking | Result | Reporting and joining |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 12–21 Oct, till 12 noon (payment till 3 pm) | 13 Oct–22 Oct, 10 am; locking 4 pm 21 Oct to 10 am 22 Oct | 24 Oct | 26 Oct–2 Nov |
| Round 2 | 6–11 Nov, till 12 noon (payment till 3 pm) | 7–12 Nov, 10 am; locking 4 pm 11 Nov to 10 am 12 Nov | 14 Nov | 16–23 Nov |
| Round 3 | 26 Nov–1 Dec, till 12 noon (payment till 3 pm) | 27 Nov–2 Dec, 10 am; locking 4 pm 1 Dec to 10 am 2 Dec | 4 Dec | 5–12 Dec |
| Stray vacancy | 16–21 Dec, till 12 noon (payment till 3 pm) | 16–21 Dec, till 11:55 pm; locking 4 pm to 11:55 pm 21 Dec | 24 Dec | 24–31 Dec |
Seat allotment processing sits between choice locking and each result: 22–23 October, 12–13 November, 2–3 December and 22–23 December. Our news desk covered the schedule when it was posted (MCC's tentative schedule) and when registration opened (what your deposit is riding on).
Who conducts which counselling
PG medical seats are filled in two parallel streams.
MCC (Directorate General of Health Services) conducts online counselling for:
- 50% all-India quota seats contributed by states;
- 50% of seats at BHU and AMU, and 50% AIQ seats of Delhi University and central institutes (VMMC and Safdarjung, ABVIMS and RML, ESIC Basaidarapur);
- 100% DNB seats and 100% deemed university seats;
- institutional quota seats of central universities and institutes, and AFMS registration.
AIQ seats are domicile-free. The central reservation policy applies: SC 15%, ST 7.5%, OBC (non-creamy layer, central list) 27%, EWS 10% and a 5% horizontal PwD reservation as per NMC norms.
State counselling authorities fill the other 50% of government seats and the seats of private colleges in their state, using their own domicile rules and reservation policy. NBEMS's result notice of 24 September says state merit lists are prepared by each state or UT under its own criteria.
The two streams are kept in step by a combined calendar MCC posted on 8 October 2026:
| Round | AIQ / deemed / central window | Last date to join AIQ seat | State counselling window | Last date to join state seat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 12–24 Oct | 2 Nov | 21 Oct–2 Nov | 10 Nov |
| Round 2 | 6–14 Nov | 23 Nov | 14–23 Nov | 30 Nov |
| Round 3 | 26 Nov–4 Dec | 12 Dec | 4–12 Dec | 18 Dec |
| Stray vacancy | 16–24 Dec | 31 Dec | 22–25 Dec | 31 Dec |
Joined-candidate lists are exchanged after each round — MCC shares AIQ round 1 joiners with states by 3 November, and states send theirs back by 11 November — so a seat you hold in one stream is removed from the other. More on this in our report on the state quota calendar.
Step-by-step: how to register and fill choices on MCC
MCC's Candidate User Guide (posted 12 October) and PG Information Bulletin describe the process:
- Register at mcc.nic.in under PG Medical. Enter your roll number, application number, name, mother's name and date of birth exactly as on your NEET PG 2026 admit card.
- Verify with the OTP sent to the mobile number and email you used with NBEMS. MCC pre-fills these and sends OTPs only there.
- Complete the application: qualification and internship details, the counselling section you are applying for, contact details and document uploads; then preview and submit.
- Pay the non-refundable fee and refundable deposit online, from your own account. Do not pay from an NRI account.
- Fill choices once the seat matrix is shown, in your real order of preference.
- Lock choices in the locking window. Locked choices cannot be changed.
- After the result, download the provisional allotment letter, choose Freeze or Float, upload documents and report.
The bulletin warns that fee, stipend and bond details shown for colleges are supplied by the colleges themselves and that MCC takes no responsibility for them. Check each college's website before you fill choices, especially for deemed universities.
Fees and security deposit
From the PG Information Bulletin 2026 (Q. 7):
| Counselling | Registration fee (non-refundable) | Security deposit (refundable) |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ — UR/EWS | ₹1,000 | ₹25,000 |
| AIQ — SC/ST/OBC/PwD | ₹500 | ₹10,000 |
| Deemed universities — all categories | ₹5,000 | ₹2,00,000 |
When the deposit is forfeited (bulletin, para 2.10 and Q. 8):
- you are allotted a seat in round 2, round 3 or the stray vacancy round and do not join it;
- your admission is cancelled for any reason, for example wrong information in your registration or failure to produce required documents in time.
Refund rules: refunds start only after all rounds are over, go only to the account the payment came from, and carry no interest. MCC says it will not answer refund queries before counselling ends.
Rounds explained
Round 1. Only clear-cut vacancies are shown. If you get a seat you can join it and stay (Freeze), join and ask for an upgrade (Float), or take a free exit and go straight into round 2. Candidates not allotted a seat move to round 2 without registering again.
Round 2. Fresh choice filling is needed. Seats held by round 1 candidates who opted to upgrade appear as "virtual vacancies". If you are upgraded, you must take online relieving from the round 1 seat, and you lose any claim to it. Fresh registration is needed only if you did not register in round 1.
Round 3. A fresh registration with fee payment is needed for those who did not register earlier or who resigned a round 2 seat. Once you join a round 3 seat you cannot upgrade or resign. If you do not join it, you forfeit the deposit and are out of all later MCC rounds.
Stray vacancy round. Registration and choice filling are fresh; round 3 choices are not carried over. It is open only to candidates not holding a seat, and those freshly allotted in round 3 who did not join cannot take part. Not joining a stray-round seat forfeits the deposit.
Freeze or Float. Freeze candidates report in person at the allotted college with original documents. Float candidates upload documents online, and the allotted institute verifies them. Both must upload documents on the MCC portal.
Documents for reporting
MCC's bulletin (Q. 6) lists the originals required at joining:
- MCC allotment letter
- NBEMS admit card and result/rank letter
- Class 10 certificate or birth certificate as proof of date of birth
- marksheets of MBBS first, second and third professional examinations
- MBBS degree or provisional certificate
- internship completion certificate, or a certificate from the head of institution that you will complete internship by 30 September 2026
- permanent or provisional registration with a state medical council
- photo ID: driving licence, voter ID, passport or Aadhaar
- where applicable: SC/ST, OBC (non-creamy layer, central list) or EWS certificate in the bulletin's format, in English or Hindi; the PwD Eligibility Certificate from an MCC-designated medical assessment board; NRI/OCI documents
A college will not admit you on a letter saying your originals are deposited elsewhere.
PwD candidates: only the Eligibility Certificate from MCC's designated boards is accepted. MCC's PG page says the Primary Assessment Board is available until 15 October and the Appellate Board until 18 October 2026 — later than the windows in its 28 September notice (our PwD report).
State quota counselling: Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra
Gujarat. State PG medical admissions are run by the Admission Committee for Professional Post-Graduate Medical Educational Courses (ACPPGMEC) at medadmgujarat.org. Its round 1 advertisement of 1 October 2026 covered MD, MS and diploma seats in government and self-financed colleges. PIN purchase closed at 3 pm on 8 October, registration at 5 pm on 8 October, and document verification at help centres on 9 October. The fee is ₹3,000 non-refundable plus a ₹25,000 refundable deposit. Verification is against originals only; DigiLocker copies and colour printouts are not accepted. On 12 October the committee posted the list of PwD applicants with their medical board venue and date. Details are in our report on Gujarat MD/MS admissions.
Uttar Pradesh. The Directorate of Medical Education and Training, Lucknow runs state counselling at upneet.gov.in. It has posted the UP NEET PG-2026 brochure (MD/MS/Diploma/DNB/MDS, government and private colleges) and the UP NEET PG-2026 policy GO. When we checked on 14 October, its notices covered MDS rounds only; no MD/MS round 1 schedule had been posted. The national calendar puts state round 1 between 21 October and 2 November.
Maharashtra. The State CET Cell's 2026-27 admission portal (cetcell.mahacet.org) lists a NEET-PGM entry under Medical Education, but when we checked on 14 October no live registration link or MD/MS schedule was posted there.
For other states, check your state directorate of medical education. State registration is separate from MCC registration and usually needs a domicile certificate.
Common mistakes that cost seats
- Not joining a round 2, round 3 or stray seat. You lose the deposit, and after round 3 you are out of later MCC rounds.
- Filling round 3 choices you would not accept. Round 3 seats cannot be resigned.
- Registering twice. One registration only; duplicates are debarred.
- Using a different phone or email from NBEMS. OTPs go only to the NBEMS-registered contacts.
- Paying from someone else's account or an NRI account. Refunds go only to the source account.
- Wrong details in the form. MCC will not edit registration data, and an admission cancelled for wrong information forfeits the deposit.
- Arriving without originals. Without them the college will not admit you.
- Waiting for the last joining day. MCC advises joining early because some colleges take two to three days to complete formalities.
Frequently asked questions
When is the NEET PG counselling 2026 round 1 result? 24 October 2026, per MCC's tentative schedule of 7 October 2026. Joining runs from 26 October to 2 November.
What is the last date for NEET PG counselling registration in round 1? 12 noon on 21 October 2026 (server time). Payment stays open until 3 pm the same day.
Is the NEET PG counselling security deposit refundable? Yes, unless it is forfeited. It is refunded after all rounds end, to the paying account, without interest. Not joining a round 2, round 3 or stray seat, or having an admission cancelled, forfeits it.
Can I leave a round 1 seat without losing money? Yes. Round 1 allows a free exit, and you can take part in round 2 directly.
I searched for "NEET PG counselling 2025" — is that schedule still relevant? No. The live cycle is NEET PG 2026, for the 2026-27 session. Use the 2026 schedule on mcc.nic.in.
Do I have to register separately for state quota counselling? Yes. MCC registration covers AIQ, deemed, central university and DNB seats only. Each state runs its own registration on its own portal.
When does the PG academic session start? MCC's schedule lists 20 November 2026.
Has the NEET PG 2026 seat matrix been released? Not as of 14 October 2026. MCC's PG page says the seat matrix from NMC and NBEMS is awaited.
Where to go next
- Exam overview: NEET PG
- Undergraduate route: MBBS course guide
- Compare colleges: medical colleges in India
- Latest updates: CareerBox News
Sources
All checked on 14 October 2026.
- Medical Counselling Committee — PG Medical Counselling page and notices: https://mcc.nic.in/pg-medical-counselling/
- MCC — Tentative schedule for NEET PG 2026 AIQ, deemed and central universities (7 October 2026): https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3e0f7a4d0ef9b84b83b693bbf3feb8e6e/uploads/2026/10/202610071411981089.pdf
- MCC — Combined AIQ and state quota schedule PG 2026 (8 October 2026): https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3e0f7a4d0ef9b84b83b693bbf3feb8e6e/uploads/2026/10/202610081115756031.pdf
- MCC — PG Information Bulletin 2026: https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3e0f7a4d0ef9b84b83b693bbf3feb8e6e/uploads/2026/10/202610082121348550.pdf
- MCC — Candidate User Guide, NEET PG Counselling 2026 (12 October 2026): https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3e0f7a4d0ef9b84b83b693bbf3feb8e6e/uploads/2026/10/202610121388624358.pdf
- MCC — Notice for PwD assessment, PG round 1 2026 (28 September 2026): https://cdnbbsr.s3waas.gov.in/s3e0f7a4d0ef9b84b83b693bbf3feb8e6e/uploads/2026/09/202609291035233397.pdf
- NBEMS — NEET-PG 2026 result notice (24 September 2026), natboard.edu.in
- ACPPGMEC Gujarat — PG MD/MS/Diploma admissions 2026-27, medadmgujarat.org
- DGME Uttar Pradesh — UP NEET PG-2026 counselling, upneet.gov.in
- State CET Cell Maharashtra — admission portal 2026-27, cetcell.mahacet.org
Dates and rules can change. Confirm them on the official portals before you act.