NEET UG 2026: Fill fresh choices for stray vacancy rounds by Oct 25

The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell today, October 17, 2026, announced the schedule for three online stray vacancy rounds for MBBS and BDS seats for NEET UG 2026 counselling for the 2026-27 academic year. These rounds aim to fill vacant seats across all government, corporation, government-aided, private unaided, and minority colleges in Maharashtra.

The revision of the schedule follows the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) announcement of the All India Quota (AIQ) stray vacancy schedule. Selection lists for these state-level stray vacancy rounds are slated for October 19, 2026, October 22, 2026, and October 25, 2026.

Revised Schedule for Stray Vacancy Rounds

The Maharashtra CET Cell has outlined specific dates for each of the three online stray vacancy rounds. Candidates are required to fill fresh choices for each round, as preferences submitted in previous rounds, including CAP Round 3 and the first stray vacancy round, will not carry forward.

The CET Cell stated that admission to a seat allotted through the online stray vacancy rounds is mandatory. Candidates must physically report to the allotted college with all original documents and the required fees within the specified joining period. Fee payment is permitted through demand draft (DD) or NEFT/RTGS. The final joining date under the MCC schedule is October 26, 2026.

Eligibility and Participation Rules

To be eligible for these stray vacancy rounds, candidates must have qualified NEET UG 2026 and previously registered for the counselling process, having filled their online preferences. Only candidates who have not been allotted a seat up to CAP Round 3 are eligible. Additionally, candidates must meet the eligibility requirements specified in Clause 4 of the information brochure.

Candidates who have joined and retained a seat in state counselling up to Round 3, including those freshly allotted a seat in Round 3, are not eligible. Similarly, candidates holding a seat through the All India Quota counselling process up to Round 3 are also ineligible. Those allotted a seat in the first state stray vacancy round cannot participate in subsequent stray vacancy rounds. Fresh registrations will not be opened for these online stray vacancy rounds.

Context of Previous Counselling Rounds

The Maharashtra NEET UG 2026 counselling process has seen multiple schedule revisions. The NEET UG 2026 Exam was conducted on May 3, 2026, with a re-examination for eligible candidates on June 21, 2026. The CET Cell released the final merit list and seat matrix for NEET UG Centralised Admission Process (CAP) Round 1, 2026, on August 25, 2026. The Round 1 seat allotment result was released on August 30, 2026.

In Round 1, 8,065 candidates were allotted MBBS seats and 2,444 were allotted BDS seats, from a total seat pool of 8,129 MBBS and 2,517 BDS seats. The cut-off for government MBBS 2026 in the Open category was 538 marks, while for government BDS 2026 in the Open category, it was 493 marks. The CAP Round 2 for MBBS & BDS (Group A) was completed as per notice no. 13, dated September 5, 2026. CAP Round 3 registration and choice filling occurred from September 22 to October 9, 2026, with the selection list declared on October 11, 2026.

The CET Cell has cautioned that the schedule is subject to change as per directions from various authorities, including the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), the Armed Forces Medical Colleges Central Counselling Committee (AACCC), the Central Government, the State Government, or the Hon’ble Court. Participating institutions and colleges are directed to treat Saturdays, Sundays, and gazetted holidays as working days during this period.

Further reading

• NEET UG 2026 Round 3 admissions conclude for MBBS at Medical College, Kolkata
• WB AYUSH UG round 2 merit list released: admission based on NEET UG 2026 scores
• NEET cutoff: previous closing ranks and marks Next step
• CUET 2027: Register by November 25
• AP NEET PG 2026 registration ongoing for MD, MS, PG diploma; apply by October 21
• MGUG MBBS vacant seat admission 2026-27: apply by November 30 Applications open

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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