NEET UG 2026 stray vacancy round schedule revised: Round 5 result out today

The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell has revised the schedule for Maharashtra NEET UG 2026 Stray Vacancy Rounds 2 and 3. A notice confirming the revised schedule was issued on October 21, 2026. These rounds are being conducted to fill remaining MBBS and BDS seats in government, municipal corporation, government-aided, private unaided, and minority colleges across Maharashtra after the completion of regular counselling rounds.

The revised schedule follows the conclusion of Stray Vacancy Round 1, for which online choice filling began on October 15, 2026. The seat allotment result for Stray Vacancy Round 1 was declared on October 17, 2026. Three online stray vacancy rounds are planned by the CET Cell, requiring candidates to fill fresh choices as preferences from Round 3 have been cancelled.

Revised Schedule for Stray Vacancy Rounds

The Maharashtra State CET Cell published details of vacant seats for Stray Vacancy Round 1 on October 14, 2026. Online choice filling for this round was open from October 15 to October 16, 2026, with a deadline of 11:59 PM on October 16, 2026. The seat allotment result for Stray Vacancy Round 1 was announced on October 17, 2026. Candidates allotted seats were required to report to their respective colleges from October 18 to October 20, 2026, with the reporting deadline set for 5:30 PM on October 20, 2026. The deadline to cancel an allotted seat without penalty for Stray Vacancy Round 1 was also October 20, 2026, 5:30 PM.

Further updates to the stray vacancy process include the publication of the Provisional Selection List for MBBS/BDS Online Stray Vacancy Round 1 (also referred to as Round 4) on October 19, 2026. Physical reporting and joining for this round was scheduled from October 20 to October 21, 2026, up to 5:30 PM. The deadline to resign without penalty for Round 4 was also October 21, 2026, 5:30 PM. The result for Round 5 / Stray Round 2 is expected today, October 22, 2026, and the final state joining deadline for all admissions is October 26, 2026.

Admissions Progress and Initial Counselling Rounds

Prior to the stray vacancy rounds, 17,266 students had secured admission to MBBS and BDS courses through the first two rounds of centralised Maharashtra NEET UG counselling. In Round 1, 8,001 students took admission, while Round 2 saw 9,265 students join colleges. For Round 3, 11,340 candidates were given an opportunity for admission, with the admission process for this round scheduled to continue until October 14, 2026.

The initial schedule for CAP Round 1 for MBBS and BDS courses for the academic year 2026-27 was announced via Notice No. 03, dated August 5, 2026. The registration period for CAP Round 1 was extended up to August 15, 2026, 8:00 PM, with payment of registration fees extended until 10:00 PM on the same day. Uploading of scanned documents for CAP Round 1 was extended up to August 15, 2026, 11:59 PM. Document verification for CAP Round 1 concluded on August 17, 2026. This extension was granted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) for All India Quota Counselling.

Next Steps for Candidates

Candidates who have been selected in Round 4 are required to physically report to their allotted colleges within the official window of October 20 to October 21, 2026, up to 5:30 PM. It is necessary to carry all required original documents and pay the requisite college fees using the permitted payment mode. Candidates must complete the document verification process and obtain an admission/joining acknowledgement. Any instructions regarding Status Retention or cancellation applicable to this round should be followed.

Those considering not joining an allotted seat should verify the consequences of last-round disqualification or penalties as outlined in the Maharashtra NEET UG 2026 brochure and official notices. The official portal for updates and information is mahacet.org.

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
• KCET registration 2027 to open tentatively in January, application fee details
• KEAM 2026: Apply for 84 MBBS, 106 BDS stray seats. CEE to announce dates 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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