NEET UG 2026: MCC Special Stray Round Opens, State Counselling 2 to 7 November

Last updated: 3 November 2026.

MCC has opened a special stray vacancy round for NEET UG 2026 MBBS seats and a fifth round for BDS and B.Sc Nursing, with state counselling running from 2 to 7 November 2026 and the last date of joining set at 16 November 2026.

What MCC has announced

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) published the special round schedule for state counselling on 2 November 2026. State counselling for the round runs from 2 to 7 November, and MCC will share data of candidates allotted seats in the all-India, deemed and central university categories with the states on 7 November so that states can weed out those candidates. The last date of joining is 16 November 2026.

The same schedule tells participating colleges to treat Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days, because the time left in the counselling cycle is short. See the official schedule PDF for the table.

Seat matrix and added seats

MCC's seat matrix for the special stray vacancy round lists seats in government, deemed, central university, ESIC and AIIMS-type institutes, and its last page shows a total of 1,219 seats. On 2 November, MCC also issued Notice No. 19 adding two MBBS seats: one NRI-quota seat at Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, and one OBC PwD-quota seat at Stanley Medical College, Chennai. Candidates can choose these seats during choice filling. See the official notice.

What it means for students

This is a late round with few seats, so check the seat matrix for the exact college, quota and category before you lock choices. Candidates who have already joined a seat in an earlier round should read the round's rules on upgrades and exit before registering, because they are set in the MCC information bulletin and not repeated here. MCC's page also notes that stray-round reporting was kept open until 2:00 pm on 27 October 2026 because some institutes had not finished admission formalities.

State quota seats follow each state's own counselling authority, so confirm your state's dates and eligibility on its official portal. MCC lists a helpline at 7824848020 and the email mcc2026@gov.in on its UG counselling page.

Five dated pointers (3 November 2026)

• As of 3 November 2026, MCC's special round schedule for state counselling is dated 2 November 2026 and runs from 2 to 7 November (MCC schedule).
• As of 3 November 2026, the last date of joining for the special stray vacancy round is 16 November 2026 (MCC schedule).
• As of 3 November 2026, the special stray round seat matrix totals 1,219 seats across MBBS, BDS and B.Sc Nursing (MCC seat matrix).
• On 2 November 2026, MCC added one MBBS NRI-quota seat at Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, New Delhi, and one OBC PwD-quota MBBS seat at Stanley Medical College, Chennai (MCC Notice No. 19).
• As of 3 November 2026, MCC has reminded candidates to rely only on mcc.nic.in for notices; its news section carries an advisory about a fake notice (MCC UG counselling page).

Last updated: 3 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the dates of the NEET UG 2026 special stray vacancy round for state counselling?

State counselling for the special round runs from 2 to 7 November 2026, according to MCC's schedule dated 2 November 2026.

What is the last date of joining for the special round?

16 November 2026, according to MCC's special round schedule.

How many seats are in the special stray vacancy round?

The seat matrix on MCC's site shows a total of 1,219 seats across MBBS, BDS and B.Sc Nursing, and two more MBBS seats were added by Notice No. 19 on 2 November 2026.

Where should I check official NEET UG counselling notices?

Only on mcc.nic.in. MCC has posted an advisory about a fake notice, so do not rely on forwarded PDFs or social media posts.