NEET 2026 Important Dates & Counselling Timeline: Registration to Stray Vacancy Calendar
1. The NEET UG 2026 Master Timeline
Medical admissions in India follow a synchronized national schedule mandated by the National Medical Commission and the Supreme Court of India. Missing an online deadline by even an hour leads to disqualification from that round. Below is the verified schedule for the 2026 academic cycle.
2. Key Milestone Table
| Phase / Milestone | Conducting Authority | Operational Window | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEET UG 2026 Exam & Results | National Testing Agency (NTA) | May – June 2026 | Completed |
| NMC Seat Matrix Publication | National Medical Commission (NMC) | July 2026 (823 Colleges / 1,36,939 Seats) | Published |
| MCC AIQ Round 1 Registration | MCC / DGHS | August 6 – August 15, 2026 (Extended) | Closed |
| MCC Round 1 Choice Filling & Locking | MCC / DGHS | August 6 – August 17, 2026 (Locking: Aug 17) | Active / In Progress |
| MCC Round 1 Seat Allotment Result | MCC / DGHS | August 19, 2026 | Upcoming |
| MCC Round 1 Physical Reporting | Allotted Medical Colleges | August 20 – August 25, 2026 | Upcoming |
| State Quota Round 1 Parallel Processing | Respective State DMEs | Mid August – Late August 2026 | Ongoing |
| MCC & State Round 2 Counselling | MCC & State DMEs | Late August – Mid September 2026 | Scheduled |
| Round 3 (Mop-Up) & Stray Vacancy | MCC & State DMEs | Mid September – Early October 2026 | Scheduled |
| Academic Session Commencement | Medical Colleges Pan-India | October 1, 2026 | Mandated by NMC |
Track live countdown timers and milestone updates on our interactive NEET Counselling Live Tracker.
Official Source Disclaimer: Medical admission rules, seat counts, category reservation criteria, and counselling timelines are governed by statutory authorities including the National Medical Commission (NMC), Medical Counselling Committee (MCC / DGHS), AYUSH Admissions Central Counseling Committee (AACCC), and State Medical Counselling Directorates. The data and insights in this article reflect verified public records and official notifications. Candidates must refer to official candidate portals (mcc.nic.in and respective state DME portals) for live round notifications. For institution-specific verified cutoff analytics and AI admission chances, explore our NEET AI Predictor and Verified Cutoff Explorer.