NEET SS 2025 special stray round seat matrix released: report to colleges by October 6

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) released the NEET SS 2025 Special Stray Vacancy Round seat matrix on September 28, 2026. The document, available as a 68-page PDF on mcc.nic.in, details the remaining vacant seats for Doctorate of Medicine (DM), Master of Chirurgiae (MCh), and DNB Super Speciality (DNB SS) programmes following the conclusion of Round 2 counselling.

This Special Stray Vacancy Round serves as a final opportunity for medical aspirants to secure super-speciality seats. It is open to candidates who were not allotted any seat in Round 1 or Round 2 counselling, as well as those who became newly qualified after the NEET SS 2025 cutoff percentile was reduced from the 50th to the 30th percentile.

Eligibility and Counselling Process

Candidates who did not join their allotted seats in previous rounds are also eligible for this Special Stray Vacancy Round, provided they complete fresh registration and pay the applicable fees. However, the MCC has specified that this round operates strictly as a non-upgradation round for candidates who have already joined an allotted seat.

The online registration for the Stray Round NEET SS Counselling commenced on September 25, 2026, and concluded on September 28, 2026. Payment availability for the round also ran from September 25 to 28, 2026. Choice filling was open from September 25 to 29, 2026, with choice locking active from September 28, 2026, at 8:00 PM until September 29, 2026, at 12:00 PM. Seat allotment processing is scheduled for September 29, 2026.

The registration fee for NEET SS counselling is ₹5,000, which is non-refundable. A refundable security deposit of ₹2,00,000 is also required. The security deposit is refunded only if a candidate does not join the allotted seat or surrenders it within the stipulated time. The entire NEET SS counselling process, covering MCh, DM, and DNB Super Speciality seats, is conducted online at the national level by the MCC, with no separate 50% state quota counselling for super-speciality seats.

Seat Availability and Cutoff Reduction

The seat matrix for the Special Stray Vacancy Round includes vacant seats across various DM, MCh, and DNB SS programmes. In-service vacant seats from Tamil Nadu, which were scheduled to revert on September 28, 2026, will be added to the central All India seat pool for this round. The revised qualifying cutoff for NEET SS 2025 is the 30th percentile, a reduction from the previous 50th percentile, making more aspirants eligible for super-speciality admissions.

For context, the NEET SS 2024 seat matrix showed a total of 6,629 seats nationwide, comprising 2,749 government seats, 3,282 private seats, and 536 seats in deemed universities. This represented an increase from the NEET SS 2023 seat matrix, which had a total of 5,809 seats nationwide, with 2,554 government seats, 2,703 private seats, and 491 seats in deemed universities.

Key Dates and Reporting

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has outlined specific dates for the NEET SS 2025 Special Stray Vacancy Round. The online registration period for this round concluded on September 28, 2026, having commenced on September 25, 2026. Similarly, payment for the round was available from September 25 to September 28, 2026. Candidates were able to fill their choices from September 25 to September 29, 2026, with choice locking active from September 28, 2026, at 8:00 PM until September 29, 2026, at 12:00 PM. Seat allotment processing is scheduled for September 29, 2026.

Following the seat allotment processing, the Special Round Declaration of Result is slated for September 30, 2026. Candidates who are successfully allotted seats in this round are required to report to their respective colleges between October 1 and October 6, 2026. The MCC has specified that all seat allotments made during this Special Stray Vacancy Round are considered final and are non-transferable.

Further reading

• NEET SS 2025: Register by Sep 28, 3 PM; Fill choices by Sep 29
• NEET SS counselling 2025: clear vacancy list out for special stray round, choice filling by September 29
• NEET SS cutoff: previous closing ranks and marks Next step
• INI CET July 2026 session online seat allocation schedule released
• Ladakh Central Pool MBBS/BDS: Apply by Sep 10 for 2026-27 single merit list Applications open
• NEET SS: complete exam guide

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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