NEET UG counselling, step by step

NEET UG 2026 was held twice. NTA cancelled the 3 May exam on 12 May 2026 after a paper leak, held a re-exam on 21 June and declared results on 16 July. 19,99,895 candidates appeared and 11.21 lakh qualified.

NEET UG 2026 qualifying marks

How MCC counselling works

1. Step 1

   Registration and fee payment

   Register online at mcc.nic.in using the mobile number and email from your NTA NEET form. Pay the non-refundable registration fee and the refundable security deposit online. Only one registration is allowed, and a duplicate registration means debarment. A one-time RESET option lets you change the quota selection, but you must re-register and pay the full fee again.

2. Step 2

   Choice filling and locking

   There is no limit on the number of choices. Choices can be edited until they are locked, and unlocked choices auto-lock at the scheduled time. Locked choices cannot be changed, even by MCC. Each round needs fresh choices; if you do not fill fresh choices, you keep your existing seat.

3. Step 3

   Seat allotment result

   Seats are allotted by merit (AIR) and choice order. Download the provisional allotment letter from the MCC portal.

4. Step 4

   Freeze or Float (new in 2026)

   Freeze: you keep the seat and do not want an upgrade, so you report physically at the college. Float: you want an upgrade in the next round, so you give willingness online and your documents are verified online with no physical visit. This applies to Rounds 1 and 2.

5. Step 5

   Document upload

   Both Freeze and Float candidates must upload clear scans of their documents on the MCC portal. This is a one-time upload for all rounds, ideally within 2-3 days of the result. If the college raises a discrepancy, re-upload within the deadline or the seat is cancelled.

6. Step 6

   Physical reporting

   Freeze candidates report in person with original documents and pay the admission fee at the college. After Round 3, every Round 3 allottee and every Float candidate who was not upgraded must report physically. No one else can report on the candidate's behalf.

7. Step 7

   Upgrade

   Upgrades are available up to Round 3. If you are upgraded, the earlier seat is cancelled automatically and you have no claim on it.

8. Step 8

   Stray vacancy round

   Fresh registration is required. Anyone holding or having joined any seat (central or state) is excluded, as are Round 3 allottees who did not report. A stray seat must be joined, or you lose the deposit.

9. Step 9

   Security deposit refund

   Refunded only after all rounds end, and only to the same account or card that paid it, with no interest. HLL Lifecare Ltd (the financial custodian) starts refunds within 15 working days of MCC publishing the eligible list and completes them within 30 days. Payment from an NRE account is not allowed; pay via NRO.

Registration fee and security deposit

A candidate applying to both government and deemed seats pays only the higher (deemed) fee: Rs 5,000 + Rs 2,00,000.

Round rules: when you lose your deposit

• There are four MCC rounds: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and an online Stray Vacancy round (Supreme Court order in Nihila P.P. v MCC, 2021). No AIQ seats revert to states after Round 2.
• Round 1 offers a FREE EXIT. You may decline or not join the seat, or resign online within the window, and keep your security deposit. You can then take part in Round 2.
• Round 2: if you are allotted a seat and do not join, or join and then resign, you forfeit the security deposit. You can enter Round 3 only by paying the deposit again.
• Round 3: you must join. Resignation is not allowed. If you do not report, you forfeit the deposit and are excluded from the stray round.
• Stray round: you must join. If you do not, you forfeit the deposit and cannot join any further rounds.
• Upgrades are allowed from Round 1 to 2 and from Round 2 to 3 (via the Float option). If you get no seat in the next round, you keep your earlier seat.
• The deposit is also forfeited if admission is cancelled for wrong information or missing documents.
• In Round 3, unfilled reserved seats convert in this order: PwD to its parent category, ST to SC, SC to UR, EWS to UR, NRI to UR. Deemed NRI and minority seats convert to general self-financed seats.

MCC 2026 schedule as it happened

Use this to plan for 2027: expect the same order of rounds, starting a few weeks after NEET results.

Documents to carry when reporting

• Allotment letter issued by MCC
• NEET UG admit card (NTA)
• NEET UG result/rank letter (NTA)
• Date of birth certificate (if the Class 10 certificate does not show DOB)
• Class 10 certificate
• Class 12 certificate
• Class 12 marksheet
• 8 passport-size photographs, the same as on the NEET application
• Photo ID proof (Aadhaar / PAN / Driving Licence / Passport)
• SC/ST certificate (English or Hindi, sub-caste mentioned), if applicable
• OBC-NCL certificate (central list, non-creamy layer), if applicable
• EWS certificate in the prescribed format, if applicable
• PwD eligibility certificate from an MCC Medical Assessment Board (plus UDID), if applicable
• NRI/OCI/foreign national documents as per the NRI chapter, if applicable
• Originals plus attested photocopies; an affidavit if the name spelling differs across documents; the college may ask for more

Other rules worth knowing

• No domicile is needed for AIQ, deemed, AIIMS, BHU, AMU open, JIPMER open, or ESIC IP seats. The MCC bulletin lists them as domicile-free.
• You can take part in both MCC and state counselling. The MCC flowchart shows Freeze and Float candidates also taking part in state counselling. To take a state seat after joining an AIQ seat, resign the AIQ seat: free in Round 1, deposit forfeited in Round 2. MCC and the states share allotment data, and anyone holding a seat in either is removed from the AIQ stray round.
• State quota seats (85%) and state private colleges are counselled by each state's own authority, not MCC.
• Fees, stipends, bond amounts and rural service conditions vary by state and college. MCC says to check college information before choice filling. Many states impose service or seat-leaving bonds (general note; amounts vary by state).
• NRI quota eligibility (Anshul Tomar v State of MP, 2008, applied by MCC): the NRI can be a parent or first-degree relative (real brother or sister) who ordinarily lives abroad. Sponsorship by a close blood relative (uncle, aunt, grandparent, first cousin) who is an NRI and is the candidate's bona fide legal guardian is also allowed. That needs proof of guardianship under the Guardian and Wards Act 1890, a notarised affidavit to sponsor the full fees and living costs, an NRE bank passbook, and an NRI certificate from the embassy or consulate. Documents are verified online by the MCC NRI committee.
• OCI cardholders are treated on par with Indian citizens for MCC counselling (eligible for UR and NRI seats) per Anushka Rengunthwar v Union of India (SC, 3 Feb 2023).
• The NEET qualifying percentile does not guarantee a seat. In 2026 the last government AIQ MBBS General seat closed around AIR 22,000-27,000 depending on the round.

Common questions