Version 1.0 — Published June 2026
Quick Answer
NEET PG 2026 counselling works in two parallel tracks. The Medical Counseling Committee (MCC) manages the All India Quota (AIQ) — 50% of government medical college seats plus all deemed and central university seats — through a structured round system (Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up, Stray Vacancy). Individual state counselling authorities manage the remaining 50% of government seats and all private college seats for domicile-eligible candidates.
The core process in both tracks follows the same sequence: register online → pay security deposit → fill and lock choices in order of preference → receive seat allotment → report to institution and join. You can participate in both AIQ and state counselling simultaneously. Always verify current schedules, fees, and documents from the official MCC notification at mcc.nic.in and your state authority's website — figures change every cycle.
Clearing NEET PG is conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS): 200 MCQs, +4 marks per correct answer, −1 for incorrect, rank-determined. But the rank is only the starting point. Counselling is where your rank converts into an actual residency seat — and errors in this process are irreversible within the same academic year.
This guide explains the entire MCC AIQ counselling process, how it interacts with state counselling, the round structure, choice filling strategy, documents you need, and the most common mistakes that cost candidates their preferred seats. Exact dates, fee amounts, and seat counts change every cycle, so every figure in this guide is evergreen guidance — always verify specifics from the current official MCC notification before acting.
Who conducts NEET PG counselling?
NEET PG counselling is not a single centralised process. It runs through two parallel authorities that operate on different timelines, seat matrices, and eligibility rules.
Medical Counseling Committee (MCC)
MCC, under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, manages the All India Quota (AIQ). AIQ covers:
- 50% of government medical college seats across India (open to candidates from any state — no domicile restriction)
- 100% of seats in deemed universities (private deemed-to-be universities recognised by the University Grants Commission)
- 100% of seats in central universities (e.g., AIIMS institutions, JIPMER, PGIMER, Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University)
- Army/ESIC/Railway quota seats (specific institutional seats managed under the AIQ umbrella)
MCC processes counselling via its portal at mcc.nic.in. All registration, choice filling, seat allotment results, and reporting instructions are published here. The MCC process is standardised across all states — the same rounds, the same timeline, the same rules apply to an AIQ seat in Tamil Nadu as one in Uttar Pradesh.
State counselling authorities
Each state manages its State Quota — the remaining 50% of government college seats within that state, plus 100% of seats in private medical colleges within the state. Each state has its own counselling authority:
- Maharashtra: Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER)
- Karnataka: Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA)
- Tamil Nadu: Directorate of Medical Education (DME)
- Delhi: Directorate General of Health Services Delhi
- Other states: equivalent state-level medical education departments
State quotas typically prioritise domicile candidates — graduates of that state's medical colleges or residents with state-specific eligibility criteria. State counselling timelines are set independently and often run concurrently with AIQ rounds, requiring you to track both calendars simultaneously.
The key interaction: You can register and participate in both AIQ and state counselling at the same time. Holding an AIQ allotted seat does not bar you from state counselling — you can resign from AIQ (before joining or within the prescribed exit window) to take a preferred state seat, and vice versa. The constraint: once you physically report and join at an institution after the final round closes, you cannot transfer without resigning and losing that academic year.
The AIQ round structure
MCC AIQ counselling runs in four sequential rounds. Each round has its own registration/choice-filling window, a seat matrix publication, allotment result, and reporting deadline. Missing any deadline forfeits your participation in that round.
Round 1
Round 1 is the main allotment. All eligible registered candidates who fill and lock choices are processed by rank. The seat matrix includes the bulk of available AIQ seats. If allotted, you must:
- Report to the allotted institution within the specified deadline
- Pay the institutional fee (or a token amount, as specified)
- Collect a joining letter / reporting proof
Joining in Round 1 does not disqualify you from Round 2 upgradation. You can hold your Round 1 seat and simultaneously participate in Round 2 for a better allotment. If Round 2 gives you a better seat, your Round 1 seat is vacated automatically.
If you are not allotted in Round 1 (no matching seat was available for your choices), you remain in the pool for Round 2.
Round 2
Round 2 is the upgradation round. Seats vacated from Round 1 (candidates who did not join, or who resigned to take a state quota seat) are added back to the matrix. Round 2 gives candidates an opportunity to:
- Upgrade: move from a Round 1 seat to a better college/branch combination
- Receive fresh allotment: candidates not allotted in Round 1 may receive a seat
Critical rule: If you receive a Round 2 allotment that is better than your Round 1 seat, your Round 1 seat is cancelled. If you choose not to upgrade, you must explicitly exercise that option (called "freeze") by the deadline. Failing to respond can result in automatic upgradation or loss of current seat depending on the MCC instructions for that cycle.
Mop-Up Round
After Round 2 closes and all joining/exits are finalised, a Mop-Up Round fills remaining vacant seats. The seat matrix in Mop-Up is smaller (only genuinely unfilled seats), and the timeline is compressed — typically a few days for registration, choice filling, and joining.
The advantage of Mop-Up: cutoffs drop noticeably. Branches that closed at a competitive rank in Rounds 1–2 may be available in Mop-Up at a less competitive rank. This is particularly relevant for candidates who missed narrow cutoffs in the main rounds.
Stray Vacancy Round
If any seats remain after Mop-Up, a Stray Vacancy Round is conducted. This is the final opportunity in the AIQ cycle. Stray Vacancy rounds have very short windows and are typically conducted as walk-in or online allotment with minimal choice-filling flexibility. Not all cycles have a distinct Stray Vacancy Round — MCC's notification for that year specifies whether one will be conducted.
The five-step counselling process
Regardless of whether you are participating in AIQ or state counselling, the process follows the same five steps.
Step 1 — Registration
Register on the relevant portal (mcc.nic.in for AIQ; your state authority's portal for state quota). Registration requires:
- Creating an account with your NEET PG roll number and basic personal details
- Uploading required documents (see documents section below)
- Paying the registration/security deposit fee online
Registration is time-bound — it opens before each round and closes before choice filling begins. Missing the registration window means you cannot participate in that round.
Step 2 — Choice filling
Choice filling is where you select and rank every combination of college + branch + quota you would accept. The system presents a seat matrix — a searchable list of all available seats for that round. You pick your combinations and arrange them from most preferred (choice 1) to least preferred (choice N).
There is no limit on the number of choices you can fill. Filling more choices increases your probability of allotment. Fill every combination you would genuinely accept — even as a last resort.
Step 3 — Choice locking
Before the deadline, you must lock your choices. Locked choices cannot be modified. If you do not lock within the deadline, either your choices are auto-locked as submitted or you are considered as not participated — the exact rule varies by round and year. Always lock manually before the deadline to avoid ambiguity.
Step 4 — Seat allotment
The MCC algorithm processes candidates in rank order. For each candidate, it scans their choice list in order and allots the first seat that is available. The result is published on the portal — you log in to see whether a seat was allotted, and if so, which one.
If you are satisfied with the allotment, proceed to report. If you want to attempt upgradation (Round 2 onwards), follow the MCC instructions for exercising the upgrade/freeze option.
Step 5 — Reporting and joining
After allotment, you must report to the allotted institution by the specified deadline. Reporting involves presenting original documents, paying the institutional fee, and receiving a joining letter or attendance entry. If you do not report within the deadline, your seat is cancelled and returned to the pool for the next round.
Free exit vs resignation:
- Free exit (before physically joining): You forfeit only the security deposit. The seat is returned to the pool. This is the standard mechanism for candidates who received an AIQ seat but prefer a state quota allotment.
- Resignation (after physically joining): You lose the security deposit and may incur institutional charges for the period attended. Resignation frees the seat for others but has higher financial consequences. Avoid joining a seat you intend to resign from — plan your AIQ vs state strategy before the joining window closes.
AIQ vs state quota strategy
Deciding where to invest your counselling effort depends on your rank, state, and target branch.
When AIQ is preferable:
- You are a strong-rank candidate targeting premier government colleges (AIIMS, PGIMER, JIPMER, GMC Delhi, KEM Mumbai) — these are AIQ or central university seats
- Your target branch is highly competitive and the state quota closes at a worse rank than AIQ for the same institution
- You are from a high-competition state where even the state quota is very competitive
When state quota is preferable:
- You are domicile-eligible and the state quota closes at a significantly better (lower-number) rank than AIQ for equivalent institutions
- Your preferred branch is available in a good institution through the state quota at your rank but not through AIQ
- The state quota includes private college seats that fit your budget and location preference
Parallel participation strategy:
Register for both. Fill comprehensive choice lists in both. Do not resign from one prematurely. Wait for both allotments before deciding — the final deadline for free exit gives you time to compare and choose the better seat. This strategy has zero downside (you only pay two registration fees) and maximises your options.
For a deeper look at how branch choice interacts with counselling strategy, read our NEET PG branch selection guide.
Documents required for counselling
Prepare originals and multiple self-attested photocopies of each. Requirements can vary slightly by year and state — treat this as a baseline and verify from the official notification.
| Document | Notes |
|---|
| NEET PG 2026 admit card | Downloaded from NBEMS portal |
| NEET PG 2026 scorecard / rank letter | Official rank document issued by NBEMS |
| MBBS degree or provisional degree certificate | Issued by your university |
| MBBS mark sheets (all years/semesters) | All part/semester mark sheets |
| Internship completion certificate | Issued by your college/hospital; must be dated before the NEET PG cut-off date |
| Medical registration certificate | From your state medical council or National Medical Commission |
| Identity proof | Aadhaar card or other government-issued photo ID |
| Category certificate | SC/ST/OBC/EWS as applicable; must be from competent authority |
| Domicile/state residency certificate | Required for state quota eligibility |
| Passport-size photographs | Typically 6-10 copies in the format specified by the authority |
| Bank account details | For refund of security deposit if applicable |
Practical tip: Carry originals and at least four sets of self-attested copies of every document. Institutions sometimes ask for more copies than specified in the notification. Having extras prevents last-minute scrambles.
Common mistakes in choice filling
Choice filling errors cannot be corrected after the locking deadline. These are the mistakes that most frequently cost candidates their preferred seats.
Filling too few choices
The most common error. A candidate with rank 8,000 fills only their top 3 preferred seats. All three are taken by rank 2,000–7,000 candidates. Result: no allotment. The fix: fill every combination you would accept — including non-preferred branches at good institutions as genuine backups. The algorithm only allots your highest available preference; filling backups costs nothing and protects you from going unallotted.
Wrong priority order
Filling choices in the wrong order — e.g., putting your backup institution above your true first choice by mistake. The algorithm allots the first available match from your list. If your actual second preference appears as choice 1, you may be allotted there and miss your true preference even if it was available. Review your final choice list carefully before locking. Sort by: most preferred branch at most preferred institution at choice 1, then descend systematically.
Not including non-clinical branches as backup
Candidates targeting clinical branches sometimes fill only those and leave no backup. If all clinical branches close above their rank, they go unallotted and sit out the academic year. Non-clinical branches (Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry) close at significantly higher rank numbers — including them as genuine backups ensures allotment while waiting to re-appear next year or apply for state quota.
Missing the choice-locking deadline
Choice filling is open but choices are only counted if locked. Candidates sometimes assume submission equals locking. Always explicitly lock. Set a phone alarm for one hour before the deadline. Do not wait until the final minutes — portal load during peak hours can cause technical issues.
Not reading the joining instructions for the allotted college
Joining requirements vary: some institutions require original documents to be submitted permanently, some require them only for verification, some collect fees before physical reporting. Arriving without the correct documents or fee amount means losing the joining window.
Ignoring the Mop-Up round
Many candidates give up after missing their target branch in Rounds 1 and 2. Mop-Up rounds can yield clinical branches at significantly dropped cutoffs. Always re-register for Mop-Up if your Round 2 allotment is not satisfactory — the registration window is short but the opportunity is real.
How rank determines your options
NEET PG uses a 200-MCQ paper with +4/−1 marking. Rank is determined by total marks, with NBEMS tie-breaking rules for equal scores. The rank directly determines your pool of available choices in each counselling round:
- Top 1,000–3,000 ranks (AIQ): Premier institutions open — AIIMS networks, PGIMER, JIPMER, top GMCs in Delhi/Mumbai/Chennai. Most clinical branches accessible.
- Ranks 3,000–10,000 (AIQ): Good government medical colleges. High-demand branches (Dermatology, Radiology) close earlier in this range; General Medicine, Surgery, OBG, Pediatrics, Orthopedics broadly accessible.
- Ranks 10,000–20,000 (AIQ): Mid-tier government colleges. Most clinical branches still accessible. Some states more accessible than others.
- Ranks 20,000–40,000 (AIQ): Lower-tier government colleges for clinical branches; non-clinical branches widely accessible at good institutions. Private college options expand.
- Ranks 40,000+ (AIQ): Non-clinical branches in government colleges; private college clinical branches at significant fee.
These are directional bands based on historical patterns — actual cutoffs shift every cycle based on total candidates, total seats, and exam difficulty. Verify via the previous year's MCC counselling allotment data on mcc.nic.in before finalising your choice strategy.
For detailed subject-wise strategies to maximise your rank before counselling opens, our 3-month preparation guide and cutoff and percentile explainer cover the preparation and rank-interpretation angles respectively.
Strengthening your rank before counselling opens
Counselling happens after the result — but the rank that determines your options is set during preparation. Every mark matters in a +4/−1 system. Candidates who used adaptive MCQ practice through the preparation phase consistently report better conversion from attempted to correct answers under exam conditions.
Practice with 31,000+ of NEET PG questions across all 19 subjects, including real Previous Year Questions, to build the question-pattern familiarity that prevents negative marking and maximises your raw score before the result that feeds your counselling rank.
Start practising free on NEETPGAI → — no credit card required, full MCQ bank access from day one.
Frequently asked questions
Who conducts NEET PG counselling in India?
NEET PG counselling is conducted by two parallel authorities. The Medical Counseling Committee (MCC), under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), manages the All India Quota (AIQ) — 50% of government medical college seats plus all seats in deemed and central universities. Individual state counselling authorities (such as DMER Maharashtra, KEA Karnataka, and DME Tamil Nadu) manage the remaining 50% of state government seats plus all private college seats within their state.
How many rounds are there in NEET PG MCC counselling?
MCC AIQ counselling runs four rounds in a typical cycle: Round 1 (main allotment), Round 2 (upgradation), Mop-Up Round (for seats vacated after Round 2), and Stray Vacancy Round (for any remaining unfilled seats). The exact schedule and number of operational rounds can vary — always verify with the current MCC notification at mcc.nic.in.
Can I participate in both AIQ and state counselling simultaneously?
Yes. You can register and participate in both AIQ (MCC) and your state counselling simultaneously. Holding an AIQ seat does not disqualify you from state counselling — you can resign from an AIQ seat to accept a preferred state seat (or vice versa) before the final joining window closes. Once you physically report and join a seat after the final round, you cannot switch without resigning and forfeiting that academic year.
What is the difference between free-exit and resignation in NEET PG counselling?
Free-exit refers to leaving your allotted seat before physically joining — you forfeit only the security deposit paid during registration, not the full-year fee. Resignation means you joined a seat (reported to the institution), then formally left — you lose the security deposit and may owe institutional fees for the period attended. Rules can vary by round and institution; always read the MCC/state notification for the exact financial consequences before choosing to exit.
What documents are needed for NEET PG counselling registration?
Commonly required documents include: NEET PG 2026 admit card and scorecard/rank letter, MBBS degree or provisional degree certificate, MBBS mark sheets (all years/semesters), internship completion certificate, registration certificate from the state/national medical council, identity proof (Aadhaar or government-issued ID), category certificate (SC/ST/OBC/EWS, if applicable), domicile/state residency certificate (for state quota), passport-size photographs, and a bank account for security deposit payment. Check the official MCC and state notifications for the exact, updated document list before each round.
What is security deposit in NEET PG counselling and is it refundable?
Security deposit is an amount collected during counselling registration to confirm intent. For AIQ MCC counselling, the security deposit amount is specified in the official notification. It is fully refundable if you do not receive an allotment or if you exit before joining within the prescribed free-exit period. If you resign after joining, the security deposit is typically forfeited. Always verify the current amount and refund policy from the MCC notification — figures change each cycle.
What is choice filling and how should I approach it strategically?
Choice filling is the process of selecting and ranking your preferred combinations of college, branch, and quota in order of preference. The seat allotment algorithm assigns you the best available seat that matches your choices in the order you filled them. Strategy: fill your most preferred combinations first, do not leave acceptable options unfilled (unfilled choices are wasted opportunities), include backup options across multiple branches and institutions, and lock your choices before the deadline. Do not fill only one or two choices — a comprehensive list maximises your allotment probability.
Can I upgrade my seat in subsequent rounds?
Yes. If you receive a seat in Round 1 and remain in the upgradation pool, you are eligible for a better seat in Round 2 based on your original choices. If you receive a better allotment in Round 2, your Round 1 seat is automatically vacated and returned to the pool. You must carefully read the upgradation rules and deadlines — failing to respond in time can result in losing your current seat without gaining a new one.
What happens in the Mop-Up and Stray Vacancy rounds?
Mop-Up and Stray Vacancy rounds fill seats that remain vacant after the main rounds. These rounds often have shorter timelines and limited seat matrices. The advantage: cutoffs drop significantly in these rounds, making branches available to candidates who were just outside the threshold in earlier rounds. The disadvantage: seat selection is more constrained and the window is very short. Always monitor MCC announcements for Mop-Up eligibility criteria.
How does the NEET PG counselling rank determine my seat?
Seat allotment is rank-based. The algorithm processes candidates in order of NEET PG rank (best rank first) and matches each candidate to the highest-preference choice available in the seat matrix at the time of processing. Your category (General/SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PH) determines which seats you are eligible for. A better rank gives you a wider pool of available choices — but filling a comprehensive choice list matters as much as rank.
What is the All India Quota (AIQ) versus state quota in NEET PG counselling?
AIQ comprises 50% of seats in government medical colleges across India, allocated centrally by MCC without state domicile restrictions. Any NEET PG candidate from any state can compete for AIQ seats. State quota covers the remaining 50% of government college seats plus all private college seats — states reserve these primarily for domicile/local candidates, with in-state graduates getting preference. Candidates from a particular state often find state quota seats more accessible due to lower effective competition.
What are the most common mistakes in NEET PG choice filling?
Common mistakes include: filling too few choices (leaving you unallotted if top choices are taken), filling choices in the wrong order (not truly by preference), forgetting to include backup non-clinical branches, not verifying seat availability in the matrix before filling, missing the choice-locking deadline, and not reading the joining instructions for the allotted college carefully. Thorough preparation and a systematic approach to choice filling prevent these avoidable errors.
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Written by: NEETPGAI Editorial Team
Reviewed by: Pending Editorial Review
Last reviewed: June 2026
Counselling round names, processes, and structure are based on standard MCC AIQ counselling conventions. Exact dates, fees, security deposit amounts, seat counts, and round schedules change every cycle. Always verify current figures from the official MCC notification at mcc.nic.in and your state counselling authority's official portal before taking any action.
