NEET UG counselling 2026: the full process, round by round

MCC (the Medical Counselling Committee, under DGHS in the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare) runs the all-India NEET UG counselling. It is a fully online process at www.mcc.nic.in, and MCC does not allot any seat manually or on nomination - every seat comes out of the software, from your rank and your locked choice list.

What MCC actually counsels for

A common early mistake is assuming MCC handles every medical seat in India. It does not. MCC conducts counselling for:

• 15% All India Quota seats in government medical and dental colleges
• 100% of the seats in Deemed Universities
• Central Universities - Delhi University, AMU and BHU, including their institutional and domicile quotas
• ESIC seats, and AFMC (registration part only)
• Institutes under I.P. University - VMMC & Safdarjung, ABVIMS & RML, and ESIC Dental Delhi (15% AIQ plus 85% institutional quota)
• 100% of AIIMS seats across the country, and 100% of JIPMER seats
• B.Sc. Nursing in central institutes only

Everything else - the 85% state quota, and private colleges under state authority - is handled by your state's admission authority or Directorate of Medical Education. MCC has explicitly said it cannot guide candidates on state counselling, so track your state's notifications separately and in parallel.

The four rounds

Following the Supreme Court order in Nihila P.P. v/s MCC, all-India counselling runs as four online rounds: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and a final Stray Vacancy Round. No seats are reverted to the participating states after Round 2, and upgradation is available up to Round 3.

The process, step by step

1. 1Registration and fee payment. Register on www.mcc.nic.in and pay the non-refundable registration fee plus the refundable security deposit online. Only fully paid candidates move forward.
2. 2Choice filling. Select your course and institute preferences, in true preference order, then save and lock them within the scheduled window.
3. 3Seat allotment. MCC allots on merit and preference, then publishes the result.
4. 4Freeze or Float. If you get a seat, you declare whether you want to keep it (Freeze) or try to upgrade in the next round (Float). This choice decides whether you report physically or verify online.
5. 5Document upload. Both Freeze and Float candidates must upload clear scanned documents on the MCC portal once - the upload carries across all rounds.
6. 6Reporting. Freeze candidates report physically at the allotted institute. Float candidates have their documents verified online by the institute's nodal officer.
7. 7Next round or join. Float candidates whose documents pass become eligible for the next round and fill fresh choices. After Round 3, physical reporting is mandatory for everyone still holding a seat.

Who is eligible for Round 2

MCC groups Round 2 eligibility into five buckets. You qualify if you fall into any one of them:

• Group I - registered candidates who were not allotted any seat in Round 1
• Group II - candidates whose Round 1 seat was cancelled during document verification (considered again, with the changed category, subject to seats being available)
• Group III - candidates who reported at the allotted institute in Round 1 and submitted willingness for upgradation
• Group IV - candidates allotted a seat who did not join (free exit)
• Group V - candidates who resigned online, within the time frame, from their Round 1 seat

You are not eligible for Round 2 if your documents were found inadequate under the eligibility criteria, or if you never registered. Candidates who registered for Round 1 and got no seat do not need to register again - but you must submit fresh choices for every round, or you will simply retain whatever seat you already hold.

Round 3 eligibility

• Group I - registered candidates with no seat from Round 1 or Round 2
• Group II - candidates whose Round 2 seat was cancelled at document verification
• Group III - candidates who submitted willingness for Round 3 upgradation
• Group IV - candidates allotted a Round 2 seat who did not join, or who resigned and exited with forfeiture

Stray Vacancy Round

Fresh registration and fresh choice filling are required for the stray round. You are not eligible if you did not register for it, if you are holding or have joined any seat at that time, or if you were allotted a Round 3 seat through MCC and did not report.

Choice filling: the part people get wrong

• There is no limit on how many choices you can fill - but they must be in genuine preference order, because the software works strictly down your list.
• Prepare a tentative list on paper from the seat matrix first, then enter it. Do not compose it live in the portal on the last day.
• Locked choices cannot be unlocked - not even by MCC. If you do not lock them, they are auto-locked as per schedule.
• Only fill choices you actually prefer over your current seat. If you are upgraded, the earlier seat is cancelled and given away immediately, and you have no claim over it.
• One common software covers AIQ, Deemed, Central Universities, B.Sc. Nursing, AIIMS, JIPMER, AMU and BHU choices.

Practical setup notes

• Your MCC registration uses the email address and mobile number from your NTA application form. MCC will not entertain requests to change either, and all official communication goes to them.
• Keep details identical to your NTA form - same spellings, same number formats. Mismatches are the usual cause of failed logins.
• Use a laptop or desktop with an up-to-date browser. Losing your connection changes your IP mid-session and expires it.
• MCC advises installing the Sandes app on your registered number for OTPs.
• There is a one-time reset option on the registration page if you picked the wrong quota - but using it means registering afresh and paying the full fee again.