NEET UG Counselling 2026: MCC Schedule Awaited, 1.36 Lakh Seats Up For Grabs — Check Full Details

The wait for the NEET UG Counselling 2026 schedule is nearing its end. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is expected to notify the counselling timetable shortly on its official portal, mcc.nic.in, clearing the path for roughly 11.28 lakh NEET-qualified candidates to begin the admission process for MBBS, BDS and allied courses.

How Many Seats Are Available This Year?

According to the seat matrix published by the National Medical Commission (NMC), the MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026 cycle will cover a total of 1,36,939 MBBS seats nationwide. Government medical colleges account for 63,296 seats, while private medical colleges contribute 73,643 seats — together marking an increase of 9,911 seats compared to last year. Of this expansion, government colleges gained 2,111 new seats and private colleges added 7,800 seats for the 2026-27 session.

Beyond MBBS, the broader NEET-based admission pool this year includes roughly 27,868 BDS seats, around 53,000 AYUSH seats, and about 6,000 BVSc seats.

When Will Counselling Begin? What Last Year's Timeline Suggests

MCC has not yet issued the exact counselling start date. For context, last year's cycle saw MCC release the NEET UG schedule on July 12, 2025, with Round 1 registration opening on July 21, 2025 and the allotment result declared on July 31, 2025. In 2023, the gap between result declaration and Round 1 counselling was also 37 days, while in 2024 it stretched to 71 days — meaning this year's timeline will hinge on how quickly MCC finalises logistics after the NEET UG 2026 result and Re-NEET process.

Which Seats Fall Under MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026?

MCC directly administers counselling for:

• 15% All India Quota (AIQ) MBBS and BDS seats of states

• 100% MBBS and BDS seats at BHU

• 100% MBBS seats across all AIIMS institutes

• JIPMER Open seats (Puducherry and Karaikal) plus domicile/internal seats

• AMU open and internal seats

• 85% internal/domicile seats of Delhi University, IP University (VMMC/ABVIMS/ESIC Dental)

• Jamia Millia Islamia Faculty of Dentistry open and internal seats

• 15% AIQ and Insured Persons quota seats under ESIC

• AFMC (registration only)

• 100% BSc Nursing seats at select central institutes

• 100% seats (including 15% NRI quota) in Deemed Universities

The remaining 85% state quota MBBS/BDS seats in government colleges, along with 100% seats in private medical colleges, are filled separately through respective state counselling authorities.

NEET UG 2026 Counselling Process: Step-by-Step

1. Register on mcc.nic.in and pay the counselling fee plus refundable security deposit

2. Fill and lock preferred college and course choices

3. Wait for seat allotment result

4. Report to the allotted medical/dental college with original documents

5. Vacant seats after each round move to the next round or the stray vacancy round

Documents Required for NEET UG Counselling 2026

Keep these ready before registration:

• NEET Admit Card

• NEET Scorecard/Rank Letter

• Class 10 certificate and marksheet (date of birth proof)

• Class 12 certificate and marksheet

• Government ID proof (Aadhaar/PAN/Driving Licence/Passport)

• Eight passport-size photographs

• Provisional Allotment Letter

• Caste certificate (if applicable)

• PwBD certificate (if applicable)

• Migration and Transfer certificates (as required)

NEET UG 2026 Counselling Fee Structure (as per last year's pattern)

Re-NEET UG 2026 Qualifying Cutoffs by Category

Expected General Cutoff Trends 2026

AIIMS Closing Ranks Reported for 2026

AIIMS Jodhpur (392), AIIMS Raipur (1,235), AIIMS Bhubaneswar (706), AIIMS Bilaspur (2,183), AIIMS Rishikesh (685), AIIMS Gorakhpur (2,091), AIIMS Nagpur (862), AIIMS Kalyani (2,276), AIIMS Bathinda (1,733), AIIMS Rajkot (1,997), AIIMS Patna (1,537), AIIMS Bibinagar (1,782), AIIMS Mangalagiri (1,357), AIIMS Guwahati (3,177), AIIMS Jammu (3,389), AIIMS Deoghar (3,164), AIIMS Rai Bareli (2,600), AIIMS Madurai (3,597).

Reservation Policy Applicable in NEET UG Counselling 2026

• 10% for GEN-EWS

• 15% for Scheduled Caste (SC)

• 7.5% for Scheduled Tribe (ST)

• 27% for OBC-Non-Creamy Layer

• 5% horizontal reservation for PwBD candidates

MCC vs State Counselling — Key Differences

Common Mistakes Candidates Should Avoid

Missing the registration deadline, filling too few choices, not locking choices in time, ignoring previous years' cutoff trends, skipping the seat allotment check, missing the reporting deadline, uploading incomplete documents, misunderstanding round-wise upgradation rules, confusing MCC counselling with state counselling, and relying solely on unverified social media updates.

Government MBBS Seat Growth, State-Wise (2026-27)

West Bengal led with 325 new government seats (total 4,350), followed by Chhattisgarh (+295, total 1,725), Andhra Pradesh (+225, total 3,515), Bihar (+190, total 1,710), Karnataka and Tamil Nadu (+150 each, totals 4,400 and 5,349). States including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Haryana, Delhi and several others reported no increase in government MBBS seats this year.

Private MBBS Seat Growth, State-Wise (2026-27)

Karnataka added the most private seats (+1,150, total 10,995), followed by Rajasthan (+900, total 3,600), Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh (+800 each, totals 8,650 and 8,300), and Telangana (+700, total 5,850).