NEET MDS counselling 2026: MCC releases Round 3, Stray Vacancy schedule; reporting by November 5

In short

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) released the schedule for Round 3 and the Stray Vacancy Round of NEET MDS Counselling on September 30, 2026.
Round 3 registration will be open from October 3 to October 7, 2026, with choice locking until October 8.
Candidates allotted seats in Round 3 must report to their colleges between October 12 and October 19, 2026.
The Stray Vacancy Round registration is scheduled from October 22 to October 26, 2026.
The final reporting deadline for candidates allotted seats in the Stray Vacancy Round is November 5, 2026.

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) today, September 30, 2026, released the detailed schedule for Round 3 and the subsequent Stray Vacancy Round of NEET MDS Counselling for the academic year 2026. This counselling process supports admissions to MDS courses under the 50 percent All India Quota (AIQ) and 100 percent Deemed/Central Universities and Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS).

The Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, is handling conducting online counselling for these postgraduate medical and dental seats, in compliance with Supreme Court orders dated March 23, 2012, and May 9, 2017.

NEET MDS ROUND 3 Counselling Schedule

The Round 3 counselling process for NEET MDS admissions will commence with the verification of the tentative seat matrix on October 2, 2026. Registration for this round will be open from October 3 to October 7, 2026, with the registration facility closing at 3:00 PM on the last day. The payment window for Round 3 will remain available until 6:00 PM on October 7.

Choice filling for Round 3 candidates is scheduled from October 3 to October 8, 2026. The choice locking window will activate at 4:00 PM on October 7 and conclude at 10:00 AM on October 8. Seat allotment processing will occur on October 8 and 9, with results expected to be declared between October 10 and October 11, 2026. Candidates who are allotted seats in Round 3 are required to report to their respective institutions between October 12 and October 19, 2026. Following this, the verification of joined candidates’ data by institutes and sharing by MCC for Round 3 is scheduled for October 20, 2026.

EVENTS	ROUND 3	STRAY VACANCY ROUND
Verification of tentative seat matrix	October 2	October 21
Registration	October 3–7	October 22–26
Registration closes	3 PM, October 7	3 PM, October 26
Payment deadline	6 PM, October 7	6 PM, October 26
Choice filling	October 3–8	October 23–27
Choice locking	4 PM Oct 7–10 AM Oct 8	4 PM Oct 26–10 AM Oct 27
Processing of allotment	October 8–9	October 27–28
Result	October 10–11	October 29
Reporting	October 12–19	October 30–November 5
Verification/sharing of joined candidates’ data	October 20	—

STRAY VACANCY ROUND Details

Following the completion of Round 3, the Stray Vacancy Round will commence with the verification of its tentative seat matrix on October 21, 2026. Registration for the Stray Vacancy Round will be open from October 22 to October 26, 2026, closing at 3:00 PM on October 26. The payment facility will be available until 6:00 PM on the same day.

Choice filling for the Stray Vacancy Round is scheduled from October 23 to October 27, 2026. The choice locking window will begin at 4:00 PM on October 26 and close at 10:00 AM on October 27. Seat allotment processing for this round will take place on October 27 and 28, with results declared on October 29, 2026. Candidates who are allotted seats in the Stray Vacancy Round must report to their designated institutions between October 30 and November 5, 2026.

Overall Counselling Timeline for 2026

The MCC has outlined the complete timeline for both the All India Quota/Deemed/Central Universities and State Counselling processes for NEET MDS 2026. Round 3 counselling for AIQ, Deemed, and Central Universities will be conducted from October 3 to October 11, 2026, while the state counselling process for Round 3 will run from October 6 to October 12, 2026. The last date for joining after Round 3 for both categories is October 19, 2026.

The AIQ/Deemed/Central Universities Stray Vacancy Round is scheduled from October 22 to October 29, 2026. The State Counselling Stray Vacancy Round will be conducted from October 24 to October 30, 2026. The final deadline for joining after the Stray Vacancy Round for all categories is November 5, 2026.

PARTICLUAR	AIQ/DEEMED/CENTRAL UNIVERSITIES	STATE COUNSELLING
Round 3 counselling	October 3–11, 2026	October 6–12, 2026
Last date of joining after Round 3	October 19, 2026	October 19, 2026
Sharing of joined candidates’ data	October 20, 2026	October 20, 2026
Stray Vacancy Round	October 22–29, 2026	October 24–30, 2026
Sharing of allotted candidates’ data	October 29, 2026	—
Last date of joining after Stray Round	November 5, 2026	November 5, 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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