MCC NEET UG Counselling 2026: Seats, Process, and Cutoffs

If you just cleared NEET UG 2026, take a breath. The exam is behind you, and now comes the part that decides which college you will call home for the next five years: counselling. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) hasn't released the exact dates yet, but the seat matrix and rules are already out, and there is a lot to unpack.

How many seats are up for grabs?

The National Medical Commission has confirmed 1,36,939 MBBS seats for 2026-27. Government colleges offer 63,296 seats, and private colleges offer 73,643. That is nearly 10,000 more seats than last year, so the odds are looking a bit friendlier this time around.

Karnataka added the most private seats (1,150), while West Bengal led the government seat additions with 325 new spots. If you are eyeing a specific state, it helps to check these numbers before you start dreaming about hostel rooms.

What exactly does MCC handle?

MCC does not run the entire show. It manages counselling for:

• 15% All India Quota seats in state medical and dental colleges
• 100% seats in AIIMS and JIPMER
• All BHU, AMU, and Jamia open seats
• 85% quota seats in Delhi University institutions
• Deemed university seats, including 15% NRI seats
• Central BSc Nursing institutes

State quota seats are handled separately by each state's own counselling body, so keep an eye on both portals depending on where you want to study.

The counselling process, step by step

MCC keeps this fairly simple, at least on paper:

1. Register on mcc.nic.in and pay the fee
2. Fill and lock your college choices
3. Wait for seat allotment
4. Report to your allotted college
5. Watch for re-allotment if seats remain vacant

There are four rounds in total: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 (also called the mop-up round), and a final Stray Vacancy Round. Each round gives you another shot if you did not get your preferred college earlier, so do not panic if the first round does not go your way.

Cutoffs: what score gets you where

This year, 11.21 lakh candidates qualified NEET UG, which is lower than last year's number. Aryan Gupta and Panshul Bansal topped the exam with 715 out of 720. For context, only 138 students crossed the 690 mark.

Here is a quick look at the expected cutoffs for government MBBS seats:

Institution Type	Expected Cutoff (General)
All India Quota (AIQ)	615-630+
State Quota	590-610+
AIIMS Institutes	700-715+

Category-wise, general and EWS candidates needed the 50th percentile to qualify, while OBC, SC, and ST candidates needed the 40th percentile. If numbers make your head spin, just remember this: a higher percentile means tougher competition, so keep your expectations realistic and your options wide.

Reservation policy you should know

The Central Government reservation rules apply across MCC counselling:

• SC: 15%
• ST: 7.5%
• OBC (Non-Creamy Layer): 27%
• EWS: 10%
• PwD: 5% (horizontal across categories)

AIIMS follows the same structure, with an additional category for Foreign Nationals, open only to OCI, PIO, and foreign national candidates.

Documents to keep ready

Do not wait for the last minute to hunt for paperwork. Keep these ready in a folder, physical and digital:

• NEET admit card and scorecard
• Class 10 and Class 12 certificates and mark sheets
• A valid government photo ID
• Six to eight passport-size photographs
• Caste certificate, if applicable
• Disability certificate, if applicable
• Provisional allotment letter

Also, download the Sandes app on your registered phone number. MCC uses it to send OTPs during registration, and missing that OTP because you did not have the app installed would be a fairly avoidable headache.

What to do while you wait

The counselling schedule should be announced soon, likely in late July or early August. Until then, use the time wisely. Research colleges, compare last year's closing ranks for the states you are interested in, and talk to seniors who went through the process. Counselling can feel like a maze, but it becomes a lot less scary once you know the map.