Ranchi: Bringing fresh relief to postgraduate dental aspirants, the Jharkhand Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (JCECEB) has announced a revised schedule for Round 3 of the NEET MDS 2026 State Quota online counselling. Issued on October 27 via Advertisement No. 113, the move follows the Union Health Ministry’s decision to lower the qualifying percentiles, enabling previously ineligible candidates to compete for 2026–27 academic session admissions.

Lowered Cut-Offs Open Doors for New Applicants

Following the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) notice on October 12, JCECEB has recalibrated the minimum qualifying thresholds (out of 960 marks):

  • General (UR) / EWS: 29.424 percentile (234 marks)

  • General-PwD: 24.424 percentile (218 marks)

  • SC, ST, BC-I, and BC-II (including PwD): 19.424 percentile (200 marks)

The board clarified that only newly eligible candidates need to submit fresh applications. Aspirants already included in the Round 2 State Merit List, or those who applied earlier for Round 3, need not reapply.

Revised Round 3 Counselling Timeline

Candidates must adhere strictly to the updated schedule on the official JCECEB portal, as no specific closing hour is mentioned for the final application date:

  • Online Application and Document Upload: October 29 to November 1, 2026

  • Publication of State Merit List: November 3, 2026

  • Online Registration and Choice Filling: November 4 to November 7, 2026

  • Provisional Seat Allotment Letter: November 10, 2026

  • Document Verification and Admission: November 11 to November 16, 2026

Seat Matrix: 42 Vacancies Across Private Colleges

According to the provisional seat matrix, 42 out of 58 State Quota MDS seats remain vacant for Round 3. Notably, all vacancies lie in private institutions, as the government-run Dental Institute at RIMS, Ranchi, has zero vacant seats left across its 13 sanctioned places. Available vacancies include:

  • Awadh Dental College, Jamshedpur: 21 vacant seats (out of 22)

  • Vananchal Dental College, Garhwa: 14 vacant seats (out of 16)

  • Hazaribagh College of Dental Sciences: 7 vacant seats (out of 7)

Eligibility, Fees, and Essential Guidelines

Merely clearing the revised NEET MDS cut-off does not guarantee a seat. Applicants must fulfil Jharkhand’s State Quota norms—having completed their BDS from a Jharkhand institute (or qualifying under specific pre-bifurcation Bihar or in-service state government doctor provisions), holding DCI or Jharkhand State Medical Council registration, and completing their rotating internship by May 31, 2026. Valid Local Resident and caste certificates issued by an SDO (Civil) or Deputy Commissioner are mandatory for reservation claims, along with Non-Creamy Layer status for BC-I and BC-II contenders.

New applicants must pay an application fee of ₹1,000 (₹500 for SC, ST, and all female candidates), alongside a counselling fee of ₹2,000 (₹1,200 for SC, ST, and female applicants). Additionally, contenders opting for private dental colleges must furnish a refundable security deposit of ₹1 lakh, which faces forfeiture if an allotted seat is declined or original documents fail verification. Aspirants should carefully select Advt. No. 113 for State Quota seats, as All India Quota counselling runs separately under Advt. No. 114.