The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has released the official tentative NEET PG Counselling 2026 schedule for postgraduate medical admissions. Candidates waiting for the counselling process can now check the round-wise dates for registration, payment, choice filling, seat allotment, result and reporting.

According to the schedule, the NEET PG 2026 Round 1 counselling process will begin on October 10, 2026, with verification of the tentative seat matrix. Online Round 1 registration and payment will begin on October 12, 2026.

Choice filling will start on October 13, while the Round 1 seat allotment result is scheduled for October 24, 2026.

The schedule covers counselling for 50% All India Quota seats and participating Deemed/Central Universities, AFMS and other institutions included under the MCC counselling process.

Candidates planning to participate should now start preparing their documents and college-branch preference list instead of waiting until the choice-filling window opens.

NEET PG Counselling 2026: Latest Update

The release of the MCC counselling schedule is an important update for NEET PG 2026 candidates because the complete admission timeline is now clearer.

Round 1 will begin with seat matrix verification from October 10 to October 12, 2026.

Registration will remain open from October 12 to October 21, 2026, while choice filling will take place from October 13 to October 22, 2026.

MCC will process the Round 1 allotment on October 22 and 23, followed by publication of the result on October 24, 2026.

Candidates allotted a seat in Round 1 will be required to report to their respective institutes between October 26 and November 2, 2026.

NEET PG Counselling 2026 Important Dates

Candidates can check the complete round-wise NEET PG counselling schedule below.

Activity	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Stray Vacancy Round
Seat Matrix Verification	October 10–12, 2026	November 6–7, 2026	November 25–26, 2026	December 15, 2026
Registration & Payment	October 12–21, 2026	November 6–11, 2026	November 26–December 1, 2026	December 16–21, 2026
Choice Filling & Locking	October 13–22, 2026	November 7–12, 2026	November 27–December 2, 2026	December 16–21, 2026
Seat Allotment Processing	October 22–23, 2026	November 12–13, 2026	December 2–3, 2026	December 22–23, 2026
Seat Allotment Result	October 24, 2026	November 14, 2026	December 4, 2026	December 24, 2026
Reporting/Joining	October 26–November 2, 2026	November 16–23, 2026	December 5–12, 2026	December 24–31, 2026
Joined Candidate Data Verification	November 3, 2026	November 24, 2026	December 14, 2026	—

Candidates should remember that MCC has described this as a tentative schedule, so any subsequent revision issued by the authority should be treated as final.

NEET PG 2026 Round 1 Counselling Schedule

Round 1 is the first major counselling opportunity for candidates seeking postgraduate medical admission through MCC.

Round 1 Seat Matrix Verification

Verification of the tentative seat matrix by participating institutes will take place from:

October 10 to October 12, 2026

The seat matrix is important because it gives candidates an idea of the seats available across participating colleges and specialties.

Candidates should carefully study the final seat matrix before submitting their preferences.

Round 1 Registration and Payment

NEET PG 2026 Round 1 registration will take place from:

October 12 to October 21, 2026

Registration will remain available up to 12:00 noon on October 21, 2026, as per server time.

The payment facility will remain available up to 3:00 PM on October 21, 2026.

Candidates are advised not to wait until the last few hours to complete registration or payment.

Technical issues, payment failures or incorrect details close to the deadline can create unnecessary problems.

NEET PG 2026 Round 1 Choice Filling Dates

Choice filling will be available from:

October 13 to October 22, 2026

According to the schedule, candidates can submit choices up to 10:00 AM on October 22, 2026.

Choice locking will begin from 4:00 PM on October 21 and remain available until 10:00 AM on October 22, 2026.

Choice filling is one of the most important stages of counselling because the order in which candidates arrange their colleges and branches can directly affect the seat allotted to them.

Candidates should therefore prepare their preference list in advance.

NEET PG 2026 Round 1 Seat Allotment Result

MCC will process the Round 1 seat allotment from:

October 22 to October 23, 2026

The Round 1 seat allotment result will be declared on October 24, 2026.

Candidates should check their allotment status carefully and follow the reporting instructions applicable to the seat allotted.

NEET PG Round 1 Reporting Dates

Candidates allotted seats in Round 1 will have to report or join their allotted institutes between:

October 26 and November 2, 2026

The verification of data of joined candidates by institutes and sharing of data with MCC is scheduled for:

November 3, 2026

Candidates should keep all original documents ready before reporting to avoid last-minute difficulties.

NEET PG 2026 Round 2 Counselling Schedule

Candidates eligible for Round 2 will get another opportunity to participate in the counselling process.

The Round 2 seat matrix verification is scheduled from:

November 6 to November 7, 2026

Registration and payment will remain available from:

November 6 to November 11, 2026

Registration will be available up to 12:00 noon on November 11, while payment can be made up to 3:00 PM.

Round 2 Choice Filling and Result

Round 2 choice filling will take place between:

November 7 and November 12, 2026

Choice filling will remain available up to 10:00 AM on November 12.

Choice locking will begin at 4:00 PM on November 11 and continue until 10:00 AM on November 12, 2026.

Seat allotment processing will take place on November 12 and 13.

The NEET PG 2026 Round 2 result will be released on November 14, 2026.

Candidates allotted seats will be required to report between:

November 16 and November 23, 2026

NEET PG 2026 Round 3 Dates

Round 3 will provide another opportunity to eligible candidates who have not secured their preferred seat in the earlier rounds or are eligible to participate according to MCC rules.

Important Round 3 dates include:

• Seat matrix verification: November 25–26, 2026
• Registration/payment: November 26–December 1, 2026
• Choice filling/locking: November 27–December 2, 2026
• Seat allotment processing: December 2–3, 2026
• Result: December 4, 2026
• Reporting/joining: December 5–12, 2026

Candidates participating in Round 3 should carefully understand the applicable joining, resignation and eligibility rules before filling choices.

NEET PG 2026 Stray Vacancy Round Dates

The Stray Vacancy Round is intended to fill eligible seats remaining vacant after the previous counselling rounds.

The current schedule includes:

• Seat matrix verification: December 15, 2026
• Registration and payment: December 16–21, 2026
• Choice filling and locking: December 16–21, 2026
• Seat allotment processing: December 22–23, 2026
• Result: December 24, 2026
• Reporting/joining: December 24–31, 2026

Candidates should not assume they will automatically be eligible for the stray round. MCC eligibility and participation rules for each round must be checked carefully.

Who Can Participate in MCC NEET PG Counselling 2026?

Candidates who have qualified NEET PG 2026 and satisfy the applicable eligibility conditions can participate in the MCC counselling process.

Depending on the seat category and institution, candidates may need to meet specific eligibility requirements.

Candidates generally need to:

• Qualify NEET PG 2026
• Complete MCC online registration
• Pay the required registration fee
• Pay the applicable security deposit
• Complete the prescribed internship requirement
• Hold valid medical registration
• Meet quota or institution-specific eligibility requirements
• Submit valid category certificates wherever applicable

Candidates should read the official MCC counselling information bulletin carefully before completing registration.

NEET PG 2026 Counselling Documents Required

Candidates should arrange their documents before registration and reporting begin.

The commonly required documents may include:

• NEET PG 2026 admit card
• NEET PG 2026 scorecard/result
• MBBS degree or provisional degree certificate
• MBBS mark sheets
• Internship completion certificate
• Permanent/provisional medical registration certificate
• Valid government photo ID
• Date of birth proof, wherever required
• Passport-size photographs
• SC/ST/OBC certificate, if applicable
• EWS certificate, if applicable
• PwD certificate, if applicable
• NRI documents, wherever applicable
• Allotment letter at the reporting stage
• Other institution-specific certificates

Candidates should verify the final document requirements from MCC and their allotted institution.

How to Register for NEET PG Counselling 2026

Once the MCC registration window opens, candidates can follow these general steps:

1. Visit the official MCC website.
2. Open the PG Medical Counselling section.
3. Click on the NEET PG 2026 registration link.
4. Complete the candidate registration process.
5. Enter the required NEET PG and personal details.
6. Pay the counselling registration fee.
7. Pay the security deposit, wherever applicable.
8. Review the information entered.
9. Complete registration and save the confirmation details.
10. Proceed to choice filling within the prescribed period.

Candidates should enter all information carefully because incorrect details may create problems later in the counselling process.

How to Prepare for NEET PG 2026 Choice Filling

Read blog also - NEET PG 2026 Choice Filling strategy

Choice filling should not begin with simply selecting a few popular medical colleges.

Candidates should first analyse their NEET PG rank and prepare a broad list of possible branches and institutions.

A useful preference strategy can include:

Dream Choices

These are highly preferred colleges or specialties where the previous closing rank may be better than the candidate's present rank.

They can still be included because cutoff movement is never completely predictable.

Realistic Choices

These are branches and colleges where previous counselling trends suggest a reasonable possibility of allotment.

Safer Choices

These options may have historically closed at a rank lower than or around the candidate's current range and can help reduce the risk of missing an allotment.

Candidates should not arrange choices simply according to cutoff.

The correct preference order should represent which seat the candidate would genuinely prefer if all those choices were available.

Factors to Check Before Selecting a College

Before adding a postgraduate medical college to the preference list, candidates should compare several factors.

Course and Branch

Branch preference should generally be the first major consideration.

Candidates should think about their long-term career plans rather than selecting a specialty only because it is currently popular.

Clinical Exposure

For clinical specialties, patient load and hands-on exposure can significantly affect postgraduate training.

Fees

Candidates considering private or deemed institutions should carefully check the complete fee structure.

Apart from tuition fees, consider:

• Hostel charges
• Security deposit
• Miscellaneous charges
• Other institutional expenses

Bond

Check whether the college or state has a compulsory service bond and understand the bond penalty.

Stipend

The monthly stipend may vary considerably between states and institutions.

Location

Location can influence living costs, travel, language comfort and overall training experience.

MCC AIQ Counselling vs State NEET PG Counselling

Candidates should not confuse MCC counselling with state counselling.

MCC conducts counselling for applicable central and All India Quota seats, while states conduct separate counselling for eligible state quota and other seats.

State authorities may have different:

• Registration dates
• Eligibility criteria
• Domicile requirements
• Fees
• Seat matrices
• Choice-filling dates
• Counselling rules

Candidates interested in both AIQ and state quota seats may therefore need to register separately.

Common Mistakes to Avoid During NEET PG Counselling

Candidates should avoid some common counselling mistakes:

• Waiting until the last day to register
• Filling only a very small number of choices
• Copying someone else's preference order
• Ignoring tuition fees
• Not checking the service bond
• Choosing a college only because of its previous cutoff
• Ignoring DNB options
• Not understanding round-wise counselling rules
• Missing choice-locking deadlines
• Depending entirely on unofficial social media updates

Every candidate's rank, budget, branch preference and career priorities are different, so the counselling strategy should also be personalised.

What Should NEET PG 2026 Candidates Do Now?

Now that the official tentative counselling schedule has been released, candidates should begin active preparation.

Start with the following:

1. Arrange all counselling documents.
2. Analyse your NEET PG rank.
3. Decide your preferred specialties.
4. Research government, private, deemed and DNB options.
5. Check previous closing-rank trends.
6. Compare tuition fees and other expenses.
7. Check bond and stipend details.
8. Create a broad college preference list.
9. Understand MCC counselling rules.
10. Keep checking the official MCC portal for revisions.

Starting early can make the choice-filling period much less stressful.

NEET PG Counselling 2026 FAQs

When will NEET PG 2026 Round 1 registration start?

NEET PG 2026 Round 1 registration is scheduled to start on October 12, 2026.

What is the last date for Round 1 registration?

Round 1 registration is scheduled to remain available until 12:00 noon on October 21, 2026, while payment can be completed up to 3:00 PM on the same day.

When will NEET PG 2026 choice filling start?

Round 1 choice filling is scheduled to begin on October 13, 2026.

When is the NEET PG 2026 Round 1 result?

The MCC Round 1 seat allotment result is scheduled for October 24, 2026.

When will Round 1 reporting start?

Round 1 reporting and joining are scheduled from October 26 to November 2, 2026.

When is NEET PG 2026 Round 2?

Round 2 registration is scheduled from November 6 to November 11, 2026, with the allotment result scheduled for November 14, 2026.

Is the MCC NEET PG 2026 counselling schedule final?

The released document is labelled as a tentative counselling schedule, so candidates should monitor MCC for any subsequent changes or revisions.

Final Takeaway

The NEET PG Counselling 2026 schedule has been released by MCC, giving candidates a clear timeline for the upcoming postgraduate medical admission process.

Round 1 begins with seat matrix verification on October 10, while registration starts on October 12, 2026. Choice filling begins on October 13, and the Round 1 seat allotment result is scheduled for October 24.

With counselling dates now available, candidates should focus on preparing documents, analysing branch and college options and creating a detailed preference list before choice filling begins.

The schedule is officially described as tentative, so candidates should continue checking the MCC portal for any revision to registration, allotment or reporting dates.

Find Your Best MD/MS/DNB College with the  NEET PG AI Tool – Check Rank-Based Options Before Choice Filling.