NEET SS 2025 counselling: MCC clarifies eligibility for special stray vacancy round

In short

The MCC announced a Special Stray Vacancy Round for NEET SS Counselling 2025, reducing the qualifying percentile from 50th to 30th.
This special round is a non-upgradation round, open to candidates not allotted seats previously or those newly eligible after the percentile reduction.
The round is being conducted in compliance with a Supreme Court order dated September 17, 2026.
In-service vacant seats from Tamil Nadu are expected to be reverted to the All India SS Counselling 2025 seat matrix by September 28, 2026.
The registration window for Round 2 of NEET SS Counselling 2025 has been reopened and will remain open until further Supreme Court orders.

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) today, September 25, 2026, issued a clarification regarding the Special Stray Vacancy Round for NEET SS Counselling 2025. The clarification, released from New Delhi, addresses eligibility criteria, the non-upgradation nature of the round, and the status of Tamil Nadu’s in-service seats. This special round is being conducted in compliance with a Supreme Court order dated September 17, 2026, in the case of Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association & Anr Vs. Union of India & Ors.

The Special Stray Vacancy Round aims to fill DM, MCh, and DNB Super Speciality seats that remained vacant after Round 2 of counselling. A key change for this round is the reduction of the qualifying percentile from the existing 50th percentile to the 30th percentile, making more candidates eligible to participate.

Special Stray Vacancy Round Details and Eligibility

The MCC has clarified that the Special Stray Vacancy Round of SS Counselling 2025 is a Non-Upgradation Round. This means that candidates participating in this round will not have their previously allotted seats upgraded. Only candidates who were not allotted any seats in the previous rounds are eligible to participate. Also, candidates who became eligible for the first time due to the reduction in the qualifying percentile from 50th to 30th are also permitted to participate.

The MCC notice stated, “In compliance to the order dated 17th Sept., 2026 of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in W.P (Civil) No. 771 of 2026 Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association & Anr Vs. Union of India & Ors. a Special Stray Vacancy Round is being conducted after reduction of percentile from the existing 50th percentile to 30th percentile.” The Directorate General of Health Services (Dte.GHS) conducts counselling for 100% of seats in all Super Specialty courses (D.M./M.Ch.), and from 2019 onwards, the National Board of Examinations (NBE) requested the MCC of Dte.GHS to conduct common counselling for DrNB Super Specialty and DM/MCh courses.

Status of Tamil Nadu In-Service Seats

The MCC has provided an update on the in-service vacant seats from Tamil Nadu. These seats, if any remain after the Stray Round conducted by the Tamil Nadu state counselling authority, are expected to be reverted to the MCC by September 28, 2026. Once these seats are received, they will be incorporated into the seat matrix for the All India SS Counselling 2025.

Currently, there is no reservation in Super Specialty (DM/MCh/DrNB) courses as per Supreme Court judgments, with the exception of an interim order for Tamil Nadu. An interim order dated March 16, 2022, by the Supreme Court in W.P. (C) No. 53 of 2022, provides for 50% reservation for In-Service candidates in Tamil Nadu for the academic year 2021-22. Counselling for these in-service candidates in Tamil Nadu is conducted by the state’s own counselling authority.

Reopening of Round 2 Registration and Upgradation Policy

The MCC has also reopened the Registration/Reset Registration window for Round 2 of NEET SS Counselling for the academic year 2025. This facility will remain open until further orders are received from the Supreme Court in the matter of Tamilvani & Others vs State of Tamil Nadu (W.P. No. 415 of 2026), which concerns the reversion of in-service seats from Tamil Nadu to the All India Quota (AIQ) pool.

Regarding upgradation, the MCC has stated that automatic upgradation will occur in Round 2 of NEET SS Counselling 2025. All candidates, regardless of whether they expressed willingness for upgradation in Round 1, will be considered eligible for upgradation in Round 2. However, candidates who do not wish to upgrade from their Round 1 allotted seat are advised not to fill choices for Round 2, in which case their Round 1 seat will be retained. The scheme of counselling was modified by the Supreme Court of India via an order dated January 18, 2016, directing only two rounds of AIQ counselling.

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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