The Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (BCECEB) has officially activated the Stray Vacancy Round for UGMAC-2026, initiating a final opportunity for NEET UG 2026 aspirants to secure admission into government and private medical, dental, veterinary, and fisheries colleges across the state. With the formal notification released on 18 October 2026, the online registration and choice-filling window opened the following day, targeting 324 vacant seats distributed across four course categories. This round is particularly significant for candidates who missed earlier counselling cycles or were unable to complete admission formalities due to procedural gaps or seat cancellations.

Key Dates at a Glance

  • Notice issued: 18 October 2026

  • Registration window opens: 19 October 2026

  • New registration closure: 21 October 2026, 10:00 PM

  • Application and fee payment deadline: 21 October 2026, 11:59 PM

  • Choice filling and locking deadline: 22 October 2026, 11:59 PM

  • Rank card publication: 22 October 2026

  • Provisional seat allotment result: 24 October 2026

  • Document verification and admission: 25–26 October 2026

A critical distinction exists between the new registration cutoff and the application-completion deadline; candidates must finalize payment and submit the form by 11:59 PM on 21 October, even though fresh registrations close at 10:00 PM the same evening.

Stray Vacancy Seat Matrix: Course-Wise Breakdown

The official Seat Matrix, published on 18 October, reveals 324 aggregate vacancies. MBBS commands the largest share with 249 seats—26 in government institutions and 223 in private colleges. Government MBBS seats are scattered across Nalanda Medical College Patna (5 seats), Patna Medical College Patna (3), J.L.N. Medical College Bhagalpur (3), Jannayak Karpoori Thakur Medical College Madhepura (3), B.M.I.M.S. Pawapuri Nalanda (2), ESIC Medical College Bihta Patna (2), Government Medical College Purnea (2), Shri Ram Janki Medical College Samastipur (2), and single-digit allocations at Bettiah, Chapra, Muzaffarpur, and IGIMS Patna. Private MBBS seats are dominated by Mamta Medical College Siwan (53), Viraat Ramayan Institute East Champaran (51), Mahabodhi Medical College Gaya (27), Buddha Hospital Research Institute Gaya (20), and Himalaya Medical College Paliganj Patna (19), among others.

BDS contributes 17 vacant seats across Patna Dental College (3), Buddha Institute of Dental Science Patna (2), Mithila Minority Dental College Darbhanga (10), and Sarjug Dental College Laheriasarai (2). The veterinary and fisheries streams offer 18 seats for B.V.Sc & A.H. and 40 for B.F.Sc., primarily at Bihar Veterinary College Patna and College of Fisheries Kishanganj, with several slots reserved under self-financed categories.

Eligibility Parameters and Counselling Conditions

Purity of eligibility defines participation in this round. Fresh candidates who never registered for UGMAC-2026, or those who registered but failed to submit the application and remit the required counselling fee and security deposit, are welcome to apply. However, a strict bar applies to MBBS/BDS aspirants: students who secured admission through Round 1, 2, or 3 of BCECEB counselling, or through All India Quota (AIQ) rounds, are permanently ineligible for MBBS/BDS seats in the stray vacancy round. Similarly, candidates who received AIQ stray vacancy allotments are excluded.

A nuanced provision exists for those whose Round 3 allotment was cancelled due to non-reporting or documentation discrepancies. Such candidates may apply exclusively for B.V.Sc & A.H. or B.F.Sc. courses; MBBS/BDS eligibility remains revoked. Applicants must rigorously consult Paragraph 15 of the official notice, which delineates these conditional restrictions based on prior counselling history and course category.

Counselling Fees and Security Deposit Structure

The BCECEB has standardised the counselling fee at ₹1,200 for unreserved (UR/EWS/BC/EBC) categories and ₹600 for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Divyangjan (DQ) candidates. This amount is non-refundable and must be paid during application. Security deposit amounts vary substantially by college type and category: ₹10,000 for government medical/dental/veterinary/fisheries colleges under UR/EWS; ₹5,000 for the same under SC/ST/BC/EBC; ₹2,00,000 for private medical colleges; ₹50,000 for private dental colleges; and proportionate hybrid sums for mixed-option selections. Self-financed B.V.Sc & A.H. and B.F.Sc. aspirants should note a ₹50,000 security deposit requirement under specified conditions. Refunds are processed post-counselling per regulations, barring cases of seat forfeiture or non-compliance.

Seven-Step Application Protocol

  • Access the official BCECEB UGMAC-2026 portal and select the Online Portal link.

  • Register using NEET UG 2026 roll number, candidate name, and date of birth; validate via OTP sent to the registered mobile or email.

  • Complete the application form with personal, contact, and academic details; upload clear scans of photograph, signature, and required documents.

  • Preview all entries, rectify discrepancies using the edit function, and finalize submission before proceeding to payment.

  • Remit the counselling fee and security deposit exclusively through the portal using net banking, credit/debit card, or UPI; verify the payment status before exiting.

  • Exercise choice filling by ranking preferred colleges and courses in order of priority; save selections and execute mandatory choice locking before the deadline.

  • Download and safeguard the confirmation page, choice slip, and payment receipt for future reference and admission formalities.

Essential Precautions and Final Instructions

  • Chronometry: Respect the differentiated deadlines; late registration or delayed payment nullifies candidacy.

  • Prior Status Review: Applicants must audit their previous counselling trajectory. Any MBBS/BDS allotment in earlier rounds—regardless of whether the seat was accepted, declined, or cancelled—generally disqualifies the candidate from MBBS/BDS contention in this stray vacancy cycle.

  • Financial Due Diligence: Private college aspirants must independently verify total fee structures, hostel charges, and ancillary expenses before listing institutions.

  • Matrix Vigilance: The published Seat Matrix may be revised if new vacancies emerge from non-joining or other administrative reasons; always cross-check the latest PDF on the official website.

  • Choice Locking Discipline: After saving preferences, immediately proceed to lock choices. Do not rely on automatic timeout mechanisms; manual locking guarantees intent and avoids processing errors.

Concluding Outlook

The Stray Vacancy Round for UGMAC-2026 represents the concluding phase of Bihar’s NEET UG 2026 admission cycle. With a compressed timeline and precise eligibility gatekeeping, candidates are urged to proceed methodically: register or finalise applications before 11:59 PM on 21 October, complete fee formalities, lock choices before the 22 October deadline, and monitor the provisional allotment result on 24 October. Subsequent document verification from 25–26 October will determine final admission, requiring candidates to report to allotted colleges with original and photocopy sets of all mandated documents. This final opportunity could be the difference between a reserved seat in a government institution or a fresh start in the next academic year.