CENTAC to close registrations for MDS admissions 2026 on July 10, Check seat matrix, eligibility criteria, required documents here

Puducherry: The Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC), Government of Puducherry, has invited online applications for admission to PG Dental/MDS courses for the 2026-27 academic session.

Candidates who have qualified NEET MDS 2026 can apply for admission to Government, All India (Management Quota), and NRI quota seats. The last date to submit the online application is July 10, 2026, till 5:00 PM.

According to the information bulletin, the Government of Puducherry has centralised the admission process for all Postgraduate Dental (MDS) courses in the Union Territory through a single online application, with the Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) conducting the counselling process.

Admissions for this academic session will be based on the NEET MDS 2026 score and rank, subject to the eligibility criteria prescribed by the concerned universities, dental colleges, the National Dental Commission (NDC), and the Central and State Governments. To be eligible, candidates must have completed a BDS degree from a recognised institution and finished their one-year Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) on or before May 31, 2026. They will also be required to produce the internship completion certificate at the time of admission.

The state counselling authority CENTAC does Counselling to the M.D.S. seats as follows:

• 50% Government Quota seats in Government Colleges

 All Government Quota seats in Private Colleges

 All Management Quota seats in Private Colleges

 NRI Quota seats in Government / Private Colleges

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) in the Directorate General of Health Services, MoHFS, GoI does the counselling for admission to the M.D.S. seats as follows:

• All India Quota Seats (AIQ) (Filled by DGHS): 50% seats surrendered by Government Medical / Dental Colleges run as per the approval of MCI / NDC (DCI) are filled through the counselling conducted by DGHS and are known as All India Quota seats.

• Central Institutions / Universities (Filled by DGHS)

• Seats in Deemed Universities (Filled by DGHS)

IMPORTANT DATES

The online application process for PG Dental admissions has commenced, and the last date to apply is July 10, 2026. The course preference submission schedule and the registration fee payment dates from Round 2 onwards will be announced later. CENTAC will also publish the draft merit list, revised draft merit list, and final merit list on its official website. The schedule for Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, and the Stray Vacancy Round of counselling will also be notified separately.

DETAILS OF APPLICATION FEE

Payment of Application Fee is mandatory. Application Fee once paid is non-refundable. Applications without application fee will be deemed to be incomplete and will be summarily rejected. The candidate will be able to give his / her course preference only after payment of the Application Fee.

MODE OF PAYMENT

Mode of payment of Application Fee is ONLINE ONLY. The following modes of payment will be available to candidates:

1. Net Banking

2. Debit Card

3. Credit Card

4. UPI (Unified Payment Interface)

The Application Fee should be remitted through the payment gateway available on the candidate’s dashboard. Fee cannot be deposited through any mode other than the payment gateway available.

Kindly ensure that the payment made is successful and confirmation of the same can be seen in the application view under “Application Fee Payment”. The application submission process is not completed till the payment made is reflected in the application form. CENTAC will not be responsible for rejection of the application due to delay in payment by the bank to CENTAC.

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION

a) Application for NEET PG -DENTAL Counselling can only be submitted online through the CENTAC website www.centacpuducherry.in. Application submitted through any other mode will not be entertained.

b) Candidate should ensure that all the information entered during the online submission of application form is correct and factual. The option of editing certain information entered in the application form will be available to the candidates until the last date for the submission of the Online application.

c) Information provided by the candidates in the online application form will be treated as correct and CENTAC will not entertain any request for change in the information provided by the candidates under any circumstances after the last date.

d) Mere submission of application does not confer any automatic right to secure a seat. Seat allotment is strictly subject to merit, eligibility, admission criteria, and such criteria as may be prescribed by concerned regulatory bodies / affiliating University, NMC / NDC (DCI) and the State / Central Government.

e) Refer the CENTAC website for the opening and closing date of ONLINE application.

CENTAC may reopen the ONLINE application, depending upon necessity.

NUMBER OF SEATS IN PG DENTAL (M.D.S.) COURSES

a) NUMBER OF SEATS: The number of seats in various PG Dental (M.D.S.) courses may vary depending on the approval of the concerned competent authorities of the Government of Puducherry. The approximate number of seats in the various courses for which counselling is done by the CENTAC is listed in the table below.

Subject to change depending on various affiliating conditions for the Academic Year 2026 – 2027. Candidates are advised to refer to the Seat Matrix for 2026-2027 that will be made available on the CENTAC website.

b) SEAT MATRIX - The seat matrices for the courses will be published on the CENTAC website after receiving the same from the concerned departments of the Government of Puducherry.

CATEGORIES OF SEATS FOR PG DENTAL (M.D.S.) COURSES

Seats are broadly classified into one or more of the following categories

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA OF CANDIDATES

NATIONALITY CRITERIA

a) A candidate seeking admission for Government Quota, Other State Quota, Management Quota and Self-supporting Quota through CENTAC should be an Indian National. However, French Nationals residing in the U.T. of Puducherry and covered by the terms of the Treaty of Cession will be treated on par with Indian Nationals, for the purpose of admission to all the courses.

b) In terms of instructions of the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India, Non-Resident Indians are entitled to all benefits available to Indian Nationals subject to such notifications that would be issued by the Government from time-to-time.

RESERVATION OF SEATS: SEAT DISTRIBUTION

GOVERNMENT QUOTA

1. Out of 50% Unreserved seats, 10% EWS seats reservation will be applicable only in such institutions that have met the criteria of increase of seats.

2. Reservation under All India Category and Other State Quota will be subject to regulations / guidelines prescribed by the respective authority of the college / institution.

3. Residence / Special allocation once claimed in the application will not be changed under any circumstance.

4. All the claims for Residence / Special allocation should be made in the proper format and should be signed by the specified competent authorities.

STEPS FOR FILLING UP THE APPLICATION

Candidates seeking admission to PG M.D.S. courses must apply online only, on the website www.centacpuducherry.in. Candidates are advised to read and familiarize themselves with all the foregoing information pertaining to PG M.D.S. counselling 2026-2027 before filling in the application.

Application Process:

Step 1: New Registration

Enter valid mobile number and e-mail ID Create password (maximum 6 characters) Note: No changes allowed after registration

Step 2: Login

Login using registered e-mail ID and password Enter OTP sent to your mobile for dashboard access

Note: OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number each time the candidate logs into the dashboard.

Step 3: Fill Application Form

Enter all required details carefully Upload necessary documents

Step 4: Review & Edit

Use “Back” option to correct details if needed Ensure all information is accurate before proceeding

Step 5: Payment & Submission

Click on “Make Payment”

Complete payment to submit the application

Step 6: Submission of Course Preferences

After Payment, candidate’s dashboard will be open for submission of course preferences.

Select and Submit College and Course Preferences. View and download application form.

Important Note: CENTAC will not be responsible for errors due to incorrect information provided by the candidate

DOCUMENTS TO BE UPLOADED

The candidate shall upload scanned copies of recently renewed self-attested documents obtained from the respective competent authorities (wherever necessary). Original certificates must be produced only at the time of admission in the respective colleges

DOCUMENTS FOR OTHER STATE CANDIDATES

• Submit All India Community Certificate, if applicable (100 KB to 500 KB), as proof of community for candidates with NEET M.D.S. score below the General Category cut-off.

DOCUMENTS FOR NRI / NRI SPONSORED / OCI / OCI SPONSORED / FN CANDIDATES

1. Certificate must be obtained within six months prior to the date of application and must be valid upto the last date of submission of application.

2. The documents submitted by the candidates are subject to verification through the Ministry of External Affairs and if found to be false, criminal action will be initiated irrespective of whether they been allotted a seat or not. With respect to candidates who have obtained seats based on false documents, the seat will be cancelled besides initiating criminal action.

PAYMENT OF REGISTRATION FEE FOR M.D.S. COURSES

In addition to the Application Fee for M.D.S. Courses, candidates need to pay the Registration Fee to participate in counselling for ROUND 2, ROUND 3 and STRAY ROUND. The candidate should transfer the Registration Fee as per instructions for each round, into the CENTAC account through the Mode of Payment given in Clause 13.1 using the dashboard login credentials. Read the HELP Instructions in the dashboard carefully before proceeding for payment. Only those candidates who pay the Registration Fee / Tuition Fee will be considered for the respective rounds of counselling.

MODE OF PAYMENT OF REGISTRATION FEE / TUITION FEE

Payment of Registration Fee / Tuition Fee is ONLINE ONLY.

A) Mode of Payment for Government Quota / Management Quota

The following modes of payment will be available to candidates:

1. NEFT / RTGS by generating challan from the candidate’s dashboard

2. Net Banking

3. Debit Card

4. Credit Card

5. UPI (Unified Payment Interface)

INFORMATION ON TUITION FEE

The Tuition Fee structure will be published in the CENTAC website. Candidates are advised to go through the details of Tuition Fee when it is published after receipt from the concerned authority. Candidates should pay the prescribed TUITION FEE to CENTAC using the payment link on their login dashboard.

Candidates are advised to confirm the Tuition Fee structure from the CENTAC website and any other additional fee from the colleges, especially the Private Colleges, before filling up the course preferences. Confirmation about the fee should be made before hand, and CENTAC takes no responsibility of the additional fee structure of the colleges and will not entertain any request or complaint in this regard. The above information may be confirmed by the candidate before filling the course preferences.

Seat Allotment

• Allotment will be based on course preferences, availability of seats, merit, and reservation norms.

• Candidates are advised to refer to the seat matrix for details of courses, seat availability, and reservation categories.

Subsequent Counselling Rounds

• Candidates willing to participate in further rounds must submit fresh course preferences for each round.

• Course Preferences submitted in previous rounds will be considered null and void.

CONDITIONS FOR FORFEITURE AND AMOUNT TO BE FORFEITED

a) The Registration Fee will be forfeited if a candidate who has been allotted a seat in Round 2 or anysubsequent round fails to join the allotted course.

b) The Registration Fee will also be forfeited if the admission is cancelled for any reason. Forexample, if a candidate furnishes incorrect information in the application, based on which a seat isallotted and subsequently cancelled by the Admission Authorities at the time of reporting, or if thecandidate fails to produce the required documents at the time of admission.

NOTE: Candidates are advised to make a thoughtful decision before submitting course preferences in all the Rounds of counselling.

SUBMISSION OF COURSE PREFERENCES

After payment of the application fee, candidates can enter their course preferences online. The List of Colleges and Courses for admission is available in Part II of the PG Dental (M.D.S.) Information Brochure.

STEPS TO FILL COURSE PREFERENCES

1. Select Colleges.

2. Select Courses offered by the selected colleges.

3. Arrange Course Preferences

• Arrange selected courses in descending order of priority (highest preference first).

• Candidates are advised to choose as many eligible courses as possible.

• If course preferences are not provided, it will be understood that the candidate is not interested in those courses / colleges.

• Seat allotment will be based on the order of course preferences submitted.

5. Submit Course Preferences before the specified deadline.

Mandatory Requirement

• No seat will be allotted without submission of course preferences for each round.

• Submission of course preferences is mandatory to participate in the counselling process.

• Course Preferences cannot be edited after the deadline for each round.

• Once submitted, course preferences are final.

Seat Allotment

• Allotment will be based on course preferences, availability of seats, merit, and reservation norms.

• Candidates are advised to refer to the seat matrix for details of courses, seat availability, and reservation categories.

Subsequent Counselling Rounds

• Candidates willing to participate in further rounds must submit fresh course preferences for each round.

• Course Preferences submitted in previous rounds will be considered null and void.

To view the official notice, click the link mentioned below: