NEET UG counselling: 1,039 MBBS seats vacant in Rajasthan after rule change; report by October 15

A total of 1,039 MBBS seats remain vacant across 15 private medical colleges in Rajasthan following the conclusion of the third round of NEET UG 2026 counselling. The Directorate of Medical Education and the Rajasthan Counselling Board have attributed these vacancies to recent amendments in state counselling rules, which have altered how reservation benefits are applied to out-of-state candidates.

The current situation means that 86.2% of the total 7,533 MBBS seats in Rajasthan have been allotted this year. Candidates who have been allotted seats in this round must report to their respective colleges and complete their admission formalities by October 15, 2026. A stray vacancy round is anticipated to begin after this deadline to address the remaining seats.

Changes in Reservation Rules and Their Impact

The primary reason for the significant number of vacant seats is the Rajasthan Counselling Board’s amendment to Clause XI of its information bulletin for the 2026-27 academic year. Under the new regulations, central reservation benefits are not extended to reserved category students from other states during the third round of counselling. These out-of-state reserved-category students can now only compete for remaining seats in the general-unreserved category, and only after the merit list of Rajasthan domicile students has been exhausted.

This policy shift contrasts with the previous year (2025-26), when out-of-state candidates were permitted to seek admission to remaining seats under central reservation-relaxation rules in the third round. The counselling board has stated that these rule changes are in accordance with Supreme Court judgments dated September 9, 2025, and January 6, 2026, a position upheld by the Rajasthan High Court on April 13, 2026. The general-category cut-off for NEET UG 2026 in Rajasthan is 213 marks.

Seat Vacancy Breakdown and College Concerns

Of the 1,039 vacant MBBS seats, 731 fall under the general category, while 308 are designated under the private management quota. This distribution highlights what comes from the revised reservation policy on both categories of seats. The National Medical Commission (NMC) rules stipulate that seats in medical and dental colleges in Rajasthan are allotted online, with the state counselling board managing 85% of seats in government and government-society medical and dental colleges, and 100% of seats in private medical and dental colleges.

Private medical colleges and the Federation of Private Medical Colleges have expressed concern over these vacancies, submitting a memorandum that highlights potential financial losses and underutilization of resources. Representatives from these colleges stated that they have invested significant capital in infrastructure and facilities, and leaving approximately 1,100 seats vacant would lead to financial setbacks and prevent the full use of academic resources. They also claimed that the changes to the information bulletin were made without consulting them. Some states, such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, and West Bengal, do not permit students from other states to participate in their admission processes at all.

Counselling Process and Upcoming Stray Vacancy Round

The NEET UG 2026 counselling process has completed its third round. Candidates must download their allotment letters from the counselling portal and report to their allotted colleges to complete the admission process by October 15, 2026. Following this deadline, a stray vacancy round will be conducted to fill the remaining seats.

Candidates who are allotted seats in the stray vacancy round will be required to accept them, with failure to do so potentially incurring a penalty. During the first and second rounds of counselling, seats are primarily allotted to Rajasthan domicile students. Students from other states typically get an opportunity in the third and subsequent rounds for unreserved, or general-category, seats.

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 law course admissions: UG registration in January, PG exams in March
• AIIMS Paramedical application form: eligibility, dates and how to apply
• NEET: 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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