The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has released a revised schedule for NEET UG Counselling 2026, updating the timelines for the next two rounds of admissions. The change came on September 14, 2026, through two notices on MCC's official website — “UG AIQ Counselling Schedule 2026 Round 2, 3 and 4 14.09.2026” and “AIQ and State Schedule Round 2_3_4_14.09.2026.”

For most candidates, what matters is what happens next: anyone hoping to upgrade or get a fresh allotment in Round 3, or still in the race for leftover MBBS/BDS seats in the Stray Vacancy Round (Round 4), now has firm dates to plan around.

How MCC Counselling Is Structured

MCC runs UG counselling across four online rounds — Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, and the Stray Vacancy Round. According to the 2026 Information Bulletin, upgradation is only possible through Round 3; once a candidate is allotted a seat in that round, there's no option to resign or exit.

The process covers a fairly wide net of seats: 15% All India Quota seats, all Deemed University seats, seats at select Central Universities and Institutes, plus AIIMS, JIPMER, and a handful of other specified categories.

Round 3: The Revised Dates

Here is the timeline institutes and candidates are now working against (all times are server time):

  • Seat matrix verification by institutes: September 21
  • Registration and fee payment: September 22–27 (registration closes 3 PM on the 27th, payment by 6 PM)
  •  Choice filling: September 23–28, until 12 noon
  • Choice locking: 7 PM on the 27th through noon on the 28th
  • Seat allotment processing: September 28–29
  • Result: September 30
  • Reporting and joining: October 1–9
  • Verification and sharing of joined-candidate data: October 10

Freeze or Float — What Round 3 Participants Need to Decide

Round 3 isn't reserved for new applicants; candidates from earlier rounds can still come in for an upgrade or a fresh allotment. This year, MCC is again pushing candidates to choose between two paths.

Freeze means accepting the seat you've been allotted and not chasing an upgrade — you'll still need to complete admission formalities as the institute requires. Float means holding on to your allotted seat while trying for something better in the next round; here, documents go through online verification, and physical reporting is only needed if the institute's joining rules call for it.

The Catch: No Backing Out After Round 3

One rule worth flagging carefully: MCC's bulletin is explicit that candidates cannot resign or exit a seat once allotted one in Round 3. Skip joining after that, and a candidate risks forfeiting the security deposit and being barred from future MCC counselling altogether. That's reason enough to think through choice filling carefully before locking anything in.

Round 4: Stray Vacancy Round Dates

Once Round 3 wraps up, MCC opens the Stray Vacancy Round to fill whatever seats are left:

Registration and payment: October 12–14 (registration closes 3 PM on the 14th, fee by 6 PM)

  • Choice filling: October 12–15, until 10 AM
  • Choice locking: 4 PM on the 14th through 10 AM on the 15th
  • Processing: October 15–16
  • Result: October 17
  • Reporting and joining: October 19–26

Don't Mix Up AIQ and State Schedules

The combined notice lays out separate windows for AIQ/Deemed/Central seats versus State counselling, and they don't line up exactly. AIQ Round 3, for instance, runs September 22–30, while State Round 3 stretches from September 28 to October 9, with verification and joining happening later still. Candidates need to track both MCC's updates and whatever their state counselling authority puts out.

One More Thing: Round 2 Joining Deadline

Before everyone's attention shifts to Round 3, it's worth remembering that the last date to join an AIQ Round 2 seat is September 18 — just a few days before Round 3 activities kick off on the 21st and 22nd. The schedule also notes that the UG academic session officially began on September 15, 2026.

Sources

  • MCC's UG Counselling page (for the latest notices)
  • Revised UG AIQ Counselling Schedule 2026, dated 14.09.2026
  • Combined AIQ and State Schedule for Rounds 2, 3 and 4, dated 14.09.2026
  • MCC UG Counselling 2026 Information Bulletin