NEET counselling: AP High Court allows round 1, 2 MBBS candidates to retain colleges as options in third phase

The Andhra Pradesh High Court, in a ruling on Tuesday, July 30, 2026, has allowed MBBS candidates who secured seats in the first and second rounds of NEET counselling to retain their currently allotted colleges as options. This decision enables them to simultaneously exercise choices for other colleges during the upcoming third phase of counselling for the 2026-27 academic session.

The order, issued by a bench comprising Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan, came after a clarification was provided by Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS) during the hearing of a case. This development impacts candidates participating in the Andhra Pradesh NEET UG Counselling 2026, which manages admissions for 85% State Quota seats in government medical colleges, as well as Competent Authority, Management Quota, and NRI seats in private and minority institutions.

Court Ruling on Counselling Options

The High Court’s decision stemmed from a case filed by a BC-B category MBBS aspirant who had joined Guntur Medical College in the first round of counselling. The petitioner, who secured a 31,325 rank in NEET, alleged that during the second phase, options for other colleges disappeared after selecting choices for two institutions, and that the web portal deactivated other college options after the college already joined was selected.

Petitioner’s counsel Tagore Yadav Yaragorla contended that the NTRUHS notification and Rule 6 (ix) (b) of the Admission Rules, 2004, as substituted by GO MS 102 dated July 30, 2026, allowed candidates to exercise options for all colleges in each phase. NTRUHS counsel Sreedevi denied that any options had been disabled by the web portal. Sreedevi clarified that candidates allotted a college in an earlier phase could indeed exercise options for every other college in the third phase of counselling. Based on this clarification, the court found that no cause of action survived and disposed of the petition, confirming that the petitioner is free to exercise options in the forthcoming third phase, with the web portal required to keep these options enabled.

Andhra Pradesh NEET UG Counselling Framework

The Andhra Pradesh NEET UG Counselling 2026 is conducted by Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS), Vijayawada, for MBBS and BDS courses. Admission is based on the NEET UG 2026 rank and covers Competent Authority (Government/State Quota), Management Quota, and NRI Quota seats in eligible government, private, and minority medical and dental colleges. The counselling process is conducted online.

The academic session for these courses is 2026-27. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) conducts counselling for 15% All India Quota, 100% Deemed Universities, Central Universities, ESIC, AFMC, I.P University, AIIMS, JIPMER, and B.Sc. Nursing (Central Institutes). Candidates are permitted to participate in both MCC counselling and Andhra Pradesh State Counselling. The scheme of counselling was modified by the Supreme Court of India in December 2021 to conduct online four rounds of AIQ Counselling, with an upgradation facility available up to Round 3. Candidates joining the 3rd round of AIQ/Deemed/Central Universities are not permitted to resign and cannot participate in any further counselling.

Fee Structure and Important Dates

The university fee for MBBS and BDS courses varies based on the type of seat and institution. For MBBS, Competent Authority (Self-financing) seats in new Government Medical Colleges and Private Non-Minority & Minority Professional Institutions (category B1 & B2) have a fee of Rs. 35,100/-. Competent Authority (NRI Category) seats in new Government Medical Colleges and Private Non-Minority & Minority Professional Institutions including SVIMS(Women) Category – C (NRI) incur a fee of Rs. 70,100/-.

For BDS courses, Private Non-Minority & Minority Professional Institutions (category B1 & B2) have a university fee of Rs. 18,100/-, while Category – C (NRI) seats in these institutions are Rs. 40,100/-. Online registration for Andhra Pradesh NEET UG Counselling 2026 began on August 5, 2026, at 5 PM, with the last date for registration being August 12, 2026, at 9 PM. Registration with a late fee was available from August 13, 2026, 7 AM, to August 14, 2026, 1 PM. Dates for certificate upload, web options entry, and seat allotment for various rounds are yet to be announced.

Further reading

• WB AYUSH UG round 2 merit list released: admission based on NEET UG 2026 scores
• WB NEET UG 2026 Round 3 merit list out; fill choices by October 4
• NEET cutoff: previous closing ranks and marks Next step
• NEET PG 2026: Register for Round 1 by October 12, fill choices by October 22
• KCET: Apply for SJM College of Pharmacy B.Pharm, D.Pharma, Pharm.D by 2026 admissions
• NEET: 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.

View all posts →