NEET UG Counselling 2026: Information bulletin out at mcc.nic.in; major changes

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has released the NEET UG information bulletin and counselling scheme on the official website of MCC at mcc.nic.in. The bulletin consists of eligibility criteria, seat allocation procedure and guidelines for aspirants who have applied for admissions in undergraduate medical courses, including MBBS, BDS, and B.Sc. Nursing.

MCC will conduct the NEET UG counselling in four rounds i.e., round 1, round 2, round 3, and stray vacancy round. As per the official NEET UG Counselling schedule, the registration process for round 1 will begin from August 5, 2026 and will end on August 12, 2026. Applicants can opt for seat upgradation only till round 3, after which those who join an allotted seat cannot resign or participate in any further counselling. For the stray vacancy round, aspirants already allotted a seat through either MCC or state counselling will not be eligible for the All India stray vacancy round.

The counselling process will be based on NEET UG re-exam result 2026 announced on July 16 by the National Testing Agency (NTA). The counselling process will be held online for the All India Quota (AIQ) 15%, 100% seats in Deemed universities, AIIMS, JIPMER, and some central universities/institutions.

NEET UG Counselling 2026: Changes this year

One of the major changes introduced in NEET UG counselling is the new 'Freeze' and 'Float' system after seat allotment. Under the revised process, applicants should choose whether to accept their allotted seat without seeking any further upgrade (Freeze) or opt to participate in the next counselling round for a better seat (Float).

Also read NEET UG 2026 Counselling: MCC rolls out online seat upgrade, resignation facility

Applicants choosing the freeze option will have to physically report to the allotted institute for admission and document verification. Those opting for float can submit their willingness for seat upgradation online and upload the required documents for online verification by the allotted institute. As per the bulletin, the change has been introduced to make the counselling process more convenient and reduce repeated physical reporting by applicants.

NEET UG Counselling 2026: Registration fees

As per the bulletin, applicants applying for 15% AIQ, Central Universities, AFMC, ESIC, AIIMS, JIPMER and B.Sc Nursing seats will have to pay a registration fee of Rs. 1000 and a refundable security deposit of Rs 1000 for the UR/EWS category, while SC/ST/OBC/PwD applicants will have to pay a Rs 500 registration fee along with a Rs 5000 refundable security deposit. For deemed universities, all candidates will have to pay a Rs 5000 registration fee and a refundable security deposit of Rs 2 lakh. Applicants opting for both government/AIQ seats and deemed university seats will not be required to pay both seats of fees and will only have to pay the higher applicable amount.