NEET UG 2026 counselling to begin on August 4

The Medical Counselling Committee has announced the NEET-UG 2026 counselling schedule, with the first round beginning on August 4 and classes starting on September 8. The process includes new student-friendly measures such as online resignation and relaxed reporting requirements for seat upgrades

New Delhi: The first round of counselling for admission to MBBS and other undergraduate medical courses under the All India Quota will begin on August 4, and the academic session for the 2026-27 batch will commence on September 8.

According to the schedule released by the Medical Counselling Committee, the first round of counselling for deemed and central universities will be held from August 4 to August 17. The last date for joining will be August 22.

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The second round of counselling will take place from August 24 to September 2, followed by the third round from September 10 to September 18.

The stray vacancy round is scheduled from September 28 to October 3. The last date for joining after the stray vacancy round is October 10.

For state quota seats, the first round of counselling will be conducted from August 13 to August 22, with candidates required to join by August 28. The second round will be held from August 31 to September 8 and the third round from September 16 to September 26. The stray vacancy round for state quota seats will be conducted from October 3 to October 5.

The schedule also provides timelines for the verification of joined candidates by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and state counselling authorities after each round to facilitate seat processing and subsequent allotments.

According to the schedule shared by the MCC, the academic session for undergraduate medical courses will begin on September 8, even as counselling for the subsequent rounds continues for vacant seats.

The MCC has directed all participating institutions, state counselling authorities and designated agencies to strictly adhere to the schedule. It has also asked institutions to treat all Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days to ensure the timely completion of the counselling process.

The MCC, which comes under the Union health ministry, has introduced a series of improvements in the NEET-UG 2026 counselling process, including doing away with mandatory physical reporting for candidates opting for seat upgrades and allowing online resignation from allotted seats, in an effort to make the admission process “more transparent and student-friendly”.

Among the major changes, candidates who have been allotted a seat and have opted for an upgrade in subsequent rounds will no longer have to physically report to the allotted college merely to complete admission formalities.

Their admission shall remain valid in the counselling system while participating in subsequent rounds, subject to the applicable counselling rules.

The MCC has also introduced an online resignation facility.

Candidates may now submit their resignation from the allotted seat through the MCC counselling portal, wherever permissible under the counselling rules and within the prescribed timelines, without the need for physical submission at the allotted institution, the letter stated.

Candidates seeking NRI reservation in deemed universities “will be able to upload their documents online on the counselling portal”.