NEET SS Counselling 2025: Seat matrix out for special stray round; 1,814 DM, MCh, DNB seats available

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has announced the seat matrix for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Super Speciality Courses (NEET SS) 2025 special stray vacancy round, with a total of 1,814 vacant seats across DM, MCh and DNB Super Speciality (DNB SS) programmes.

The NEET SS seat matrix vacancies include seats under different speciality groups such as Anaesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Medical Group and Surgical Group.

The special stray vacancy round is being conducted after the NEET SS qualifying percentile was reduced from 50th to 30th percentile in compliance with the Supreme Court's September 17, 2026 order in Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association & Anr vs Union of India & Ors. MCC confirmed the revised eligibility criteria in its September 28 notice.

The NEET SS counselling seat matrix includes seats in government, private and deemed institutions across several states and Union Territories. It also includes vacancies in Tamil Nadu, where MCC has stated that any in-service seats left vacant after the state's stray round are expected to be reverted to the central counselling authority and added to the All India NEET SS seat matrix.

Also read NEET PG 2026 cut-offs slashed for all categories; general category needs 262 marks

NEET SS special stray round

According to the latest MCC notice, the special stray vacancy round is a non-upgradation round.

The following candidates can participate:

• Those who were not allotted a seat in Round 1 or Round 2.
• Candidates who became eligible after the qualifying percentile was reduced from 50th to 30th.
• Candidates who were allotted seats in Round 1 or Round 2 but did not join the allotted seat.

Candidates in the last category will have to complete fresh registration and pay the applicable fees, as their earlier exit involved forfeiture, MCC said.

NEET SS Counselling 2025: Special stray round dates

MCC's counselling schedule provides the following timeline for the NEET SS special stray vacancy round:

Eligible candidates have to complete registration on the MCC website and pay the required counselling fee and security deposit. They then need to fill and lock their preferred courses and institutes within the specified dates.