MCC opens NEET UG Round 3 registration; choice filling begins 23 September

NEW DELHI: The Medical Counselling Committee has moved NEET UG 2026 into Round 3. As per the official schedule for online counselling of 15 percent All India Quota seats and 100 percent Deemed, Central University, AFMC, AIIMS and JIPMER seats for MBBS, BDS and B.Sc Nursing, registration and fee payment run from 22 September to 27 September 2026. Choice filling and locking open from 23 September and close at noon on 28 September.

The same schedule PDF on the MCC eservices page also sets seat allotment processing for 28 and 29 September, result publication on 30 September, and college reporting from 1 October to 9 October 2026. Institute verification of joined candidates and data sharing by MCC is listed for 10 October. A parallel All India Quota and State counselling calendar published with the Round 2, 3 and 4 pack aligns State Round 3 roughly from 28 September to 9 October, with joining by 14 October.

What candidates must finish this week

Registration closes at 3:00 pm server time on 27 September, while payment stays open till 6:00 pm the same day. Choice filling itself runs till 12:00 noon on 28 September. Choice locking is scheduled from 7:00 pm on 27 September up to noon on 28 September. Anyone who registers but forgets to lock choices risks dropping out of the allotment run, so families should treat the locking window as a hard stop rather than a soft reminder.

Round 3 follows Round 2 joining, which closed earlier in September. Candidates who held Freeze or Float seats, those who want a fresh AIQ or Deemed option, and those still without a seat should read the Round 3 rules in the revised Information Bulletin before paying again. Security deposit and resignation rules from earlier rounds continue to matter: a seat taken carelessly can cost both the deposit and further claim on that college.

Stray vacancy round already on the calendar

The same MCC PDF sketches the Online Stray Vacancy Round after Round 3. Registration is listed from 12 to 14 October 2026, choice filling from 12 to 15 October, result on 17 October, and reporting from 19 to 26 October. That stray window is not a substitute for missing Round 3 deadlines. Students who still need an AIIMS, JIPMER, Deemed or AIQ seat should finish Round 3 registration and choice work first.

Participating institutes were asked to verify the tentative seat matrix on 21 September. Colleges have also been directed to treat Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days so that counselling clocks do not slip. For practical planning: open the MCC UG portal today, complete payment before 6:00 pm on 27 September, fill and lock choices by noon on 28 September, watch for the 30 September result, and keep travel and document files ready for 1 to 9 October reporting if allotted.

Families should also keep Round 2 resignation outcomes in mind. Candidates who withdrew a Freeze or Float seat under earlier MCC notices re-enter Round 3 as fresh contenders only if the portal and bulletin allow it. Print the schedule PDF, diary the 27 September payment close and the 28 September noon lock, and treat the 30 September result day as a full working day for fee and travel decisions.