📖 ELIGIBILITY & RULES

Step-by-Step Guide: How MCC NEET UG Counselling Works

A comprehensive guide on the registration, fee forfeiture rules, choice locking, and seat allotment cycles for All India Quota (AIQ) medical seats.

1. Overview of NEET UG Counselling

All India NEET UG counselling is conducted online by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of the Directorate General of Health Services. The online portal handles allocation for several critical quotas, covering approximately 15% of all government MBBS/BDS seats and 100% of seats in central universities and deemed universities.

Counselling rules can be complex and intimidating. Making a mistake—such as failing to report to an allotted college or missing resignation timelines—can lead to the forfeiture of your security deposit (up to ₹2 Lakh) or a multi-year ban from NEET admissions. This guide breaks down the process so you can navigate it with confidence.

2. Registration & Fees Structure

Every eligible candidate must register fresh on the official MCC portal at the beginning of counselling. Registration involves providing your NEET roll number, application number, and paying two distinct types of fees:

Non-Refundable Registration Fee: This is a processing fee (typically ₹1,000 for General AIQ candidates and ₹5,000 for Deemed candidates).
Refundable Security Deposit: This deposit acts as a guarantee. It is fully refunded at the end of the counselling cycle if you join your allotted seat, or if you are never allotted any seat. However, it is forfeited if you violate reporting/joining rules.

Institution Type	Quota Applied For	Registration Fee (Non-Refundable)	Security Deposit (Refundable)
Government Colleges	15% All India Quota (AIQ)	₹1,000 (₹500 for SC/ST)	₹10,000 (₹5,000 for SC/ST)
Deemed Universities	100% Paid Seats Quota	₹5,000 (Same for all)	₹2,00,000 (Same for all)

* Note: If you select both Government and Deemed quotas during registration, you must pay the higher fee of the two (i.e., ₹2,05,000 total).

← Back to NEET UG Hub

3. Choice Filling & Choice Locking

Once registered, you enter the choice-filling stage. Here, you are presented with a list of colleges matching the branches and quotas you selected during registration. This is the most critical stage where tools like our Choice List Builder help you structure your list.

⚠️ The Golden Rule of Choice Filling

Always order your choices by absolute personal preference, regardless of your rank. The seat allocation algorithm checks your choices sequentially from top to bottom. It will allot you the first college on your list that has a free seat matching your rank. If you rank a less-preferred college higher "because you think you have a better chance", you will be allotted that seat and miss out on better options!

Choice Locking: At the end of the choice-filling window, you must manually lock your choices. If you forget to lock them, the portal will automatically lock whatever choices are saved in your dashboard at the exact deadline hour. However, it is highly recommended to double-check and lock them manually to avoid errors.

4. Post-Allotment Options & Reporting

After each round, the MCC publishes the seat allotment result. If you are allotted a seat, you have three possible courses of action:

Option A: Accept & Report (Join)
You download your allotment letter, upload required documents to the MCC portal, and physically report to the allotted college within the specified dates to submit original certificates, undergo medical checks, and pay the tuition fee.
Option B: Report, Join & Request Upgradation (Floating)
If you want to join but hope to get a more preferred college in the next round, you must physically report to the allotted college, pay fees, and submit a willingness form indicating "Yes for Upgradation". If upgraded in the subsequent round, your previous seat is auto-canceled, and you join the new one. If not upgraded, you retain your original seat.
Option C: Reject the Seat (Free Exit / Exit with Forfeiture)
You choose not to report to the college. Depending on the round, this either incurs no penalty (Free Exit in Round 1) or results in your security deposit being forfeited (Exit with Forfeiture in Round 2 & 3).

🔄 Official 2026 Rules for Seat Withdrawal

According to the official NEET UG Counselling 2026 Candidate User Guide, if you want to surrender or withdraw from an allotted seat voluntarily, the methods are strictly guarded:

Offline Only for "Freeze" Candidates: If you selected Willingness for Upgradation - Freeze, you cannot withdraw online. You must physically visit the allotted college to withdraw in offline mode.
Online Option for "Float" Candidates: If you selected Willingness for Upgradation - Float, you can opt for Online Withdrawal via the MCC portal.
Round 1 & 2 Restrictions: Online withdrawal is strictly limited to Round 1 and Round 2. From Round 3 onwards, there is NO online option to withdraw from counselling.

5. The Counselling Rounds & Rule of Exit

MCC online counselling consists of four structured rounds. The exit and penalty rules change drastically from one round to the next:

Round 1 (Free Exit): This round is extremely low risk. If you are allotted a seat, you can choose not to join with absolutely zero penalty. Your security deposit will NOT be forfeited, and you remain eligible to participate in Round 2.
Round 2 (Forfeiture of Security Fee): There is NO free exit in Round 2. If you are allotted a seat and choose not to join, your security deposit (₹10,000 for government, ₹2,00,000 for deemed) is forfeited. To participate in subsequent rounds, you must register again and pay the security fee again.
Round 3 (Seat Locking & Elimination): If you are allotted a seat in Round 3, you MUST join. If you do not join, your security fee is forfeited, and you are completely eliminated from any further rounds of counselling. You cannot register or participate anymore in that academic year.
Stray Vacancy Round (Strict Allotment): This is the final round. If you are allotted a seat in the Stray Vacancy Round, you must report and join. If you fail to join, you are debarred from appearing in the NEET exam for the next 1 academic year, and your security deposit is forfeited!

Comparison of MCC Counselling Rounds

Round	Free Exit Allowed?	Security Deposit Forfeited if Not Joined?	Eligible for Next Round if Joined?	Eligible for Next Round if Not Joined?
Round 1	✓ Yes	❌ No (No penalty)	✓ Yes (with Upgradation)	✓ Yes
Round 2	❌ No	⚠️ Yes (Forfeited)	✓ Yes (with Upgradation)	⚠️ Yes (requires re-payment)
Round 3	❌ No	⚠️ Yes (Forfeited)	❌ No (Counselling Ends)	❌ No (Eliminated)
Stray Round	❌ No	⚠️ Yes (Forfeited)	❌ No (Counselling Ends)	❌ No (+ 1 Year NEET Ban)

🔗 Official 2026 Counselling Resources

For complete legal circulars, step-by-step screen walk-throughs, and original publications, always cross-reference official government publications:

Official Candidate User Guide – NEET UG Counselling 2026 (PDF) ↗
Contains complete system screenshots, withdrawal procedures, and discrepancy removal steps.
Official MCC Important Links Directory ↗
Where latest schedules, seat matrix updates, and candidate circulars are published directly by MCC.
Official MCC Medical Counselling Homepage ↗
The landing page for entering live online registration and choice filling.

📋 Step-by-Step Checklist for Candidates

Check your rank against past cutoffs using our Cutoff Search Tool.
Register on the official MCC website during the Round 1 window and pay registration + refundable security fees.
Create and organize your preference list in our Choice List Builder.
Fill your choices on the MCC portal, double check order, and manually Lock them.
Check seat allotment results. If allotted, prepare documents (NEET admit card, score card, 10th/12th certificate, category certificate, allotment letter) and report physically within 5-7 days.