MCC NEET UG 2026 Counselling: Schedule, Cutoffs and Seat Matrix
MCC will soon release the NEET UG 2026 counselling schedule. Get details on seat matrix, cutoffs, documents needed, and the full application process.
AC Team
If you are one of the 11.28 lakh students who cleared NEET this year, you are probably refreshing mcc.nic.in every few hours right now. Fair enough. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) is set to release the NEET UG 2026 counselling schedule soon, and there is a lot riding on it: 1,36,939 seats across MBBS and BDS courses, spread across government colleges, private colleges, AIIMS, JIPMER, and a bunch of central universities.
Let's break down everything you need to know, without the confusing jargon.
How many seats are actually on the table?
Government medical colleges now offer 63,296 MBBS seats, and private colleges offer 73,643 seats. That is 9,911 more MBBS seats than last year. West Bengal added the most government seats (325), while Karnataka led the private college additions with 1,150 new seats.
Beyond MBBS, NEET UG also opens doors to BDS (around 27,868 seats), AYUSH (around 53,000 seats), and BVSc (around 6,000 seats).
What does MCC actually handle?
MCC does not run counselling for every seat in the country. It manages:
- 15% All India Quota MBBS and BDS seats in state colleges
- 100% seats at AIIMS, BHU, and JIPMER
- AMU open and internal seats
- 85% quota seats at Delhi University, IP University, and ESIC institutions
- Faculty of Dentistry seats at Jamia Millia Islamia
- 100% seats at Deemed Universities, including 15% NRI seats
- BSc Nursing seats at select central institutes
The remaining 85% of state quota seats are handled separately by each state's own counselling authority. So yes, you might need to keep two browser tabs open this admission season.
Where do cutoffs usually land?
Based on qualifying percentiles, the 2026 cutoff marks look like this:
- UR/EWS: 715 to 213 (50th percentile)
- OBC, SC, ST: 212 to 177 (40th percentile)
- PwBD categories: ranging between 178 and 212
For actual admission, expected cutoffs vary by institution type:
- All India Quota: 615 to 630+
- State Quota: 590 to 610+
- AIIMS: 700 to 715+
Among AIIMS institutes, AIIMS Jodhpur had the toughest closing rank at 392, while AIIMS Madurai closed at 3,597.
What papers should you keep ready?
Start gathering these now, so you are not scrambling later:
- NEET admit card and scorecard
- Class 10 and 12 certificates and mark sheets
- A valid ID proof like Aadhar or passport
- Eight passport-size photographs
- Provisional allotment letter (once issued)
- Caste or PwD certificate, if applicable
Missing even one document can hold up your admission, so treat this list like your pre-exam checklist.
How does the counselling process work?
- Register on mcc.nic.in and pay the counselling fee along with a refundable security deposit
- Fill in your preferred colleges and courses, then lock your choices
- Wait for the seat allotment result
- Report to your allotted college within the deadline
Counselling fees differ by category. General category candidates pay Rs 1,000 (non-refundable) plus a Rs 10,000 security deposit for AIQ seats, while SC/ST/OBC/PwD candidates pay half that. Deemed university seats need a much larger Rs 2,00,000 security deposit, so plan your finances accordingly.
Mistakes that trip up most candidates
Every year, a fair number of students lose good seats not because of low ranks, but due to small errors. Watch out for these:
- Missing the registration deadline
- Filling in too few college choices
- Forgetting to lock your choices
- Ignoring previous year cutoffs while making choices
- Skipping the seat allotment result check
- Missing the reporting deadline
- Uploading blurry or incomplete documents
- Confusing MCC counselling with state counselling
- Relying only on social media for updates instead of the official website
A little patience and attention to detail goes a long way here.
MCC counselling versus state counselling
These two run in parallel, and it helps to know the difference:
| MCC Counselling | State Counselling |
|---|---|
| Conducted by MCC | Conducted by state authorities |
| Covers 15% AIQ seats | Covers 85% state quota seats |
| Includes AIIMS, JIPMER, deemed universities | Covers state government and private colleges |
| National-level process | State-level process |
If your rank qualifies you for both, you can participate in each simultaneously, just keep track of separate deadlines and document requirements.
Reservation you should know about
Central seats follow this reservation structure:
- 10% for GEN-EWS
- 15% for SC
- 7.5% for ST
- 27% for OBC-NCL
- 5% horizontal reservation for PwBD candidates
Last year, MCC released the schedule on July 12 and opened registration on July 21, with results out by July 31. If this year follows a similar pattern, the wait should not stretch on for too long. Keep mcc.nic.in bookmarked and check back for updates rather than depending on rumours doing the rounds in your friend circle.
