Maharashtra NEET PG 2026 institutional quota now online, eligibility rules shift

In short

The Maharashtra government has eliminated separate institutional-level admission rounds for postgraduate medical and dental seats, effective from 2026.
All admissions, including institutional and NRI quotas, will now be conducted online by the State CET Cell.
Candidates with Maharashtra domicile who studied outside the state are now eligible for institutional quota seats.
Non-Maharashtra candidates and those with foreign medical qualifications can also apply for private college institutional quota seats.
The application fee for Maharashtra NEET PG Counselling 2026 is ₹3,000 for all candidates, with security deposits ranging from ₹12,500 to ₹1,00,000.

The State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, Maharashtra, has implemented a centralised online admission process for postgraduate medical and dental seats, including institutional and NRI quotas, effective from 2026. New rules, formally notified on 5 October 2026 under the Maharashtra Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission) Rules, 2026, aim to increase transparency and standardise admissions across the state.

This change eliminates the separate institutional-level admission rounds that private colleges previously conducted independently, a system that was in place until 2025. All postgraduate medical and dental admissions, including institutional quota, NRI quota, and stray vacancy rounds, will now be managed online by the CET Cell.

Changes to Institutional Quota Eligibility

Significant changes have been introduced regarding eligibility for institutional quota seats. Previously, eligibility was often restricted to Maharashtra domicile holders or those with specific educational backgrounds. Under the new rules, candidates holding a Maharashtra domicile certificate are now eligible for institutional quota seats even if they completed their medical degree outside Maharashtra.

Also, candidates from outside Maharashtra and those holding foreign medical qualifications can now apply for institutional quota seats in private colleges. Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif stated that the change is intended to make admissions more transparent and merit-based, reducing the scope for discretionary or informal allocations.

Revised NRI Quota Definition and Application Details

The definition for NRI quota eligibility has also been revised. Under Maharashtra’s Act No. XXXV of 2025, an NRI-quota candidate can now be sponsored only by a parent or a court-appointed legal guardian. Informal relatives such as uncles, aunts, siblings, grandparents, or cousins who are not legally recognised guardians are no longer accepted as sponsors for NRI quota seats.

The registration for Maharashtra NEET PG Counselling 2026 requires a non-refundable application fee of ₹3,000 for all candidates. In addition, a refundable security deposit is mandated, varying by category and college type.

Category	College Type	Security Deposit (₹)
General	Government College	25,000
SC/ST/OBC/EWS	Government College	12,500
Allotted Candidates	Private College	1,00,000

The last date of registration for NEET-PG counselling will be treated as the cutoff date for determining eligibility requirements. Eligibility obtained after this cutoff date will not be considered for the same year’s admissions.

NEET PG 2026 Schedule and Seat Distribution

The NEET PG exam 2026 was scheduled for 30 August 2026, with results expected by mid-September 2026. The internship completion cutoff date for NEET PG 2026 is on or before 30 September 2026. The counselling for MD, MS, and PG Diploma courses is conducted by the CET Cell Maharashtra, filling seats in government, government-aided, and private medical colleges.

Maharashtra has a total of 6,074 postgraduate seats (MD/MS/PG Diploma) across 68 colleges, comprising 32 government and 36 private institutions. The allocation of these seats follows a dual system.

Quota Type	Percentage of Seats	Counselling Authority
All India Quota, Deemed and Central Institutions	50%	Medical Counselling Committee (MCC)
State Quota (Government colleges, state share of private and minority colleges)	50%	CET Cell Maharashtra

The Maharashtra state CAP cycle is realistically expected to begin late October to early November 2026. The counselling process typically includes Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, and a Stray Vacancy Round, with the official timeline synchronised with the All-India Quota (MCC) counselling schedule. For reference, the 2025 cycle saw CAP Round 1 conclude on 4 December 2025, CAP Round 2 allotment on 23 December 2025, and CAP Round 3 physical reporting from 13-17 January 2026.

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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