NEET Counselling 2026: MCC announces special stray vacancy round schedule to fill vacant MBBS seats, registrations from November 2
New Delhi: Through a recent notification, the MCC of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has announced a Special Stray Vacancy Round of NEET UG 2026 counselling to fill the remaining vacant seats, as around 2,000 MBBS seats are reportedly vacant across the country.
Medical Dialogues recently reported that several medical colleges and state governments were urging the National Medical Commission (NMC) to permit another round of MBBS admissions to fill the vacant seats. The demand for an additional counselling round was expected to bring relief to medical aspirants who were still hoping to secure admission.
The demand came after several states reported vacant seats despite conducting multiple rounds of admissions. While most of the unfilled seats are in private medical colleges and deemed universities, some government quota seats have also failed to attract candidates. At the state level, Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal and Rajasthan have each reported more than 100 vacant MBBS seats this week after multiple rounds of counselling.
Also read- Around 2,000 MBBS seats remain vacant, states seek NMC nod for mop up round
Now, according to the schedule issued by the MCC DGHS on October 30, the registration and payment process for the special stray vacancy round will begin on November 2 and continue until November 4 (3:00 PM).
Candidates can fill in their choices from November 2 to November 5. The choice-locking facility will open at 4:00 PM on November 4 and close at 11:00 AM on November 5, as per server time.
The seat allotment process will take place on November 5 and 6, while the results will be declared on November 7. Candidates allotted seats will have to report to their respective colleges between November 7 and November 16, up to 5:00 PM, as per server time.
In addition to this, the DGHS has also announced the schedule for the sixth round of BDS and B.Sc Nursing counselling. Registration and payment for this round will begin on November 17 and continue until November 19. The registration deadline is 3:00 PM on November 19, while the payment facility will remain open until 6:00 PM on the same day.
Choice filling will also take place from November 17 to November 19. Candidates can lock their choices from 4:00 PM on November 18 until 9:00 AM on November 19.
The seat allotment process for the sixth round will be conducted on November 19, and the results will be announced on November 20. Candidates allotted seats will have to report to their respective colleges between November 21 and November 28, up to 5:00 PM, as per server timing.
To view the notice, click on the link below:
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