NEET UG Counselling 2026 Round 3: Registration Closes 27 September, Result on 30 September
MCC NEET UG 2026 Round 3 counselling registration runs from 22 to 27 September with the result on 30 September, followed by the stray vacancy round in October. Full schedule, fee, documents and the free-exit rule that changes from Round 3.
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NEET UG Counselling 2026: Round 3 Is Open
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has opened Round 3 of NEET UG 2026 All India Quota counselling. Registration is open from 22 September and closes on 27 September 2026, with the seat allotment result due on 30 September.
The Stray Vacancy Round follows in October. After that, no further rounds are held, so Round 3 is the last full round for most candidates.
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Counselling | NEET UG 2026, All India Quota |
| Conducting body | Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), DGHS |
| Round 3 registration | 22 to 27 September 2026 |
| Round 3 result | 30 September 2026 |
| Stray vacancy round | 12 to 17 October 2026 |
| Courses | MBBS, BDS, B.Sc Nursing |
| Official website | mcc.nic.in |
What MCC Counselling Covers
- 15% All India Quota seats in state government colleges
- 100% of seats in Deemed Universities, Central Universities, AFMC, AIIMS institutions, JIPMER and ESIC colleges
State quota counselling is separate and runs on each state's own portal, with its own schedule.
Round 3 Schedule
| Event | Date (2026) |
|---|---|
| Registration and fee payment | 22 to 27 September (registration closes 3:00 PM, payment 6:00 PM) |
| Choice filling | 23 to 28 September (till 12 noon) |
| Choice locking | 27 September 7:00 PM to 28 September 12 noon |
| Seat allotment processing | 28 to 29 September |
| Result | 30 September |
| Reporting to allotted institute | 1 to 9 October |
| Institute data verification | 10 October |
Stray Vacancy Round Schedule
| Event | Date (2026) |
|---|---|
| Registration and payment | 12 to 14 October |
| Choice filling | 12 to 15 October (till 10:00 AM) |
| Choice locking | 14 October 4:00 PM to 15 October 10:00 AM |
| Allotment processing | 15 to 16 October |
| Result | 17 October |
| Reporting | 19 to 26 October |
Who Can Register for Round 3
- Candidates who qualified NEET UG 2026 with the category-wise minimum percentile and are on the MCC All India Quota merit list.
- Candidates who registered in Round 1 or Round 2 and did not get a seat do not need to register again for Round 3.
- Fresh candidates who have not registered so far must register in this window.
Fee Structure
| Category of institution | Non-refundable fee | Refundable security deposit |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ / Central Universities / ESIC, General | ₹1,000 | ₹10,000 |
| AIQ / Central Universities / ESIC, SC, ST, OBC, PwD | ₹500 | ₹5,000 |
| Deemed Universities, all categories | ₹5,000 | ₹2,00,000 |
The security deposit is refundable subject to the counselling rules, it is forfeited if a candidate is allotted a seat in the later rounds and does not join.
Documents for Reporting
Carry originals and photocopies of:
- NEET UG 2026 admit card and scorecard
- Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets and certificates
- Birth certificate
- Provisional allotment letter
- Caste, EWS or PwD certificate where applicable
- Valid photo ID
- Eight passport-size photographs
Rules That Trip Candidates Up
- Choice locking is not optional in practice. If you do not lock, the system auto-locks your last saved order at the deadline, and that order may not be what you intended.
- Free exit is available in Round 1 and Round 2 only. From Round 3 onwards, a candidate who is allotted a seat and does not join loses the security deposit and may face a bar on later participation.
- Resignation from an allotted seat is allowed only inside the specified resignation window of that round.
- There is no upgradation after the stray vacancy round. The seat you hold at that point is final.
Because of the free-exit rule, Round 3 is the point where candidates should fill only those choices they are genuinely willing to join.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. When does NEET UG Round 3 registration close? 27 September 2026, with registration closing at 3:00 PM and fee payment at 6:00 PM.
Q2. I registered in Round 2 but got no seat. Do I register again? No. Candidates who registered earlier and were not allotted a seat continue into Round 3 without fresh registration.
Q3. When is the Round 3 result? 30 September 2026, with reporting from 1 to 9 October.
Q4. Is there a round after the stray vacancy round? No. The stray vacancy round is the last one, and no upgradation follows it.
Q5. What happens if I do not join an allotted Round 3 seat? Free exit does not apply from Round 3, so the security deposit is forfeited and further participation may be restricted.
Q6. What is the fee for deemed universities? ₹5,000 non-refundable plus a ₹2,00,000 refundable security deposit.
Q7. Where do I register? On the MCC portal at mcc.nic.in, in the UG Medical Counselling section.
Conclusion
Round 3 is effectively the last full opportunity in the All India Quota, and the window is only five days long. Register by 27 September, lock your choices deliberately rather than leaving them to auto-lock, and fill only colleges you are prepared to join, because free exit no longer applies.
Disclaimer: Dates are based on the revised MCC schedule notice of mid-September 2026. Fee figures follow MCC's published structure, and one secondary source reports a different reserved-category figure, confirm against the MCC UG information bulletin on mcc.nic.in before paying.