NEET SS 2025: Fill choices for special stray round by September 29

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) today, September 29, 2026, issued a clarification regarding the Special Stray Vacancy Round of the NEET SS Counselling 2025. This clarification permits candidates who were allotted seats in Round 1 or Round 2 but did not join them to participate in the ongoing Special Stray Vacancy Round, provided they complete fresh registration and pay the requisite fees.

This special round is being conducted in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order dated September 17, 2026, for Tamil Nadu Medical Officers Association & Anr Vs. Union of India & Ors., which mandated the reduction of the NEET SS qualifying percentile from the 50th to the 30th percentile. The MCC after that confirmed this revised eligibility through a notice issued on September 28, 2026.

Eligibility and Participation in Special Stray Vacancy Round

The Special Stray Vacancy Round for SS Counselling 2025 is designed to fill D.M/ M.Ch/ DNB SS seats that remained vacant after Round-2 of counselling and subsequent to the percentile reduction. The MCC has specified that this round is a Non-Upgradation Round. Eligible participants include candidates who were not allotted any seats in Round-1 or Round-2, as well as those who became eligible after the percentile reduction.

Crucially, candidates who were allotted seats in Round-1 or Round-2 but did not join the allotted institution are now also eligible to participate. However, such candidates must complete a fresh registration process and pay the required fees. The registration for this special round concluded on September 28, 2026, while choice filling is set to end today, September 29, 2026. The non-refundable registration fee for NEET SS counselling is ₹5,000, along with a refundable security deposit of ₹2,00,000.

Revised Qualifying Percentile and Seat Matrix

The NEET SS qualifying percentile was reduced from the 50th percentile to the 30th percentile, directly impacting candidate eligibility. This change was implemented following the Supreme Court’s order dated September 17, 2026. The MCC’s notice on September 28, 2026, confirmed this revised eligibility requirement for the Special Stray Vacancy Round.

The MCC has published a seat matrix for this special round, indicating a total of 1,814 vacant seats. These vacancies span Doctorate of Medicine (DM), Master of Chirurgiae (MCh), and Diplomate of National Board Super Speciality (DNB SS) programmes. The available seats are distributed across various speciality groups, including Anaesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Medical Group, and Surgical Group, and cover government, private, and deemed medical institutions across different states and Union Territories.

Key Dates and Reporting Schedule

The choice locking for the Special Stray Vacancy Round is scheduled to end today, September 29, 2026, by 12:00 PM. The seat allotment processing for this round will also take place on September 29, 2026. The results of the special stray vacancy round are slated for announcement on September 30, 2026. Candidates who are allotted seats in this round must report to their respective institutions between October 1 and October 6, 2026.

Also, any in-service vacant seats from Tamil Nadu, if remaining after the state’s stray round, were expected to be reverted by the state counselling authority on September 28, 2026. Once received, these seats will be incorporated into the seat matrix for the All India SS Counselling 2025. The NEET SS exam is conducted by the National Board of Examinations (NBE), with the MCC overseeing the counselling process.

Further reading

• NEET SS 2025 special stray round seat matrix released: report to colleges by October 6
• NEET SS 2025: Register by Sep 28, 3 PM; Fill choices by Sep 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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