New Delhi, October 12, 2026: The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has published the tentative Round 1 schedule for NEET PG Counselling 2026. But the PG Medical Counselling page on its website still carries an older message saying that the seat matrix from NMC and NBEMS is awaited.

This can confuse aspirants. A schedule can be announced while the registration link is still not live on the Candidate Activity Board.

The schedule PDF on the official MCC portal shows an e-office generation date of October 7, 2026. It says Round 1 registration is planned from October 12 to October 21, 2026. However, when this was checked, MCC’s Candidate Activity Board showed a “Will update soon” message. So do not assume the application window is open just because the dates have been announced.

What the Official Documents Show

The official notices suggest that seat details from more than one source are being put together before counselling can fully begin.

The key confirmed points are:

• MCC’s Round 1 counselling schedule is now available on the official portal.
• NMC issued a PG Seat Matrix notice on September 29, 2026 for the 2026–27 session. It said the matrix was also sent to MCC.
• MCC’s PG page still shows “seat matrix awaited from NMC and NBEMS,” which does not match the published schedule.

Why the Seat Matrix Still Matters

In NEET PG counselling, the seat matrix is not just a total seat count. It is the working list that decides:

• Which seats are available, institute-wise and course-wise
• Approved intake linked to the counselling categories
• What candidates can actually choose during choice filling

NMC’s notice says its matrix covers seats approved up to September 29, 2026. It also says that:

• pending applications for new courses or intake increase may not be included, and
• the matrix may be revised after further approvals and decisions by the competent authorities.

MCC’s Information Bulletin also covers DNB seats, so the NBEMS-linked seat part matters too. During this review, no clear, combined NBEMS counselling seat matrix was found. So it is too early to say that every seat input is final.

NEET PG Counselling 2026 Round 1: Dates to Track (Tentative)

As per MCC’s schedule, the main dates are:

Event	Date
Institute verification of tentative seat matrix	Oct 10–12
Registration and fee payment	Oct 12–21
Registration closes	Oct 21 (12 noon)
Payment closes	Oct 21 (3 pm)
Choice filling	Oct 13–22 (till 10 am)
Choice locking	Oct 21 (4 pm) to Oct 22 (10 am)
Processing	Oct 22–23
Result	Oct 24
Reporting/joining	Oct 26–Nov 2

 

Note for candidates: the registration deadline and the payment deadline are different cut-offs. Registration closes at 12 noon and payment closes at 3 pm on October 21.

Fee Structure at a Glance (As Given in the MCC Bulletin)

Category	Non-refundable fee	Refundable security deposit
AIQ UR/EWS	₹1,000	₹25,000
AIQ SC/ST/OBC/PwD	₹500	₹10,000
Deemed Universities	₹5,000	₹2,00,000

What Candidates Should Do Now

Until the registration link is clearly active on MCC’s Candidate Activity Board, you can do the following:

• Check the MCC website every day for notices and updates on when registration goes live.
• Read the 2026 Information Bulletin carefully, especially the freeze/float and forfeiture rules.
• Keep your certificates and documents ready in advance.
• Remember that MCC counselling covers only the notified categories (AIQ, central institutes, deemed universities and DNB), while many state quota seats stay with the state counselling authorities.