Maharashtra NEET UG 2026: 3 stray vacancy rounds start today, Round 1 choices close Oct 18
By TUF News Desk · Published 17 October 2026 · 4 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
The Maharashtra State CET Cell has revised the schedule for its NEET UG 2026 stray vacancy rounds, and the first of the three rounds begins today, October 17. The rounds will fill vacant MBBS and BDS seats in government, corporation, government-aided, private unaided and minority colleges across the state for the 2026-27 academic year.
The revised timetable follows the Medical Counselling Committee’s announcement of the All India Quota stray vacancy schedule. With the final MCC joining deadline of October 26 fixed, the state cell has squeezed three rounds of allotment into the ten days between.
What happens in each round
Choice filling for Round 1 is open from today until 11:59 pm on October 18. The selection list comes out on October 19, and candidates allotted seats must complete physical reporting and admission formalities on October 20 and 21, by 5:30 pm.
Round 2 choice filling runs from October 21 to October 22, until 11 am, with the selection list on October 22 and joining on October 23 and 24, again by 5:30 pm. Round 3 follows the same pattern: preferences from October 24 to October 25 until 11 am, the selection list on October 25, and physical joining on October 26.
Note the shrinking windows. Round 1 gives you two days for choice filling; Rounds 2 and 3 give you barely 24 hours each, and both cut off at 11 am. The portal tends to slow down near deadlines, so leaving choice filling for the last hour is a gamble.
Who can participate
Eligibility is narrow. You must have qualified NEET UG 2026, registered for the state counselling process earlier and filled in online preferences. You must not have been allotted a seat up to CAP Round 3.
Three groups are explicitly shut out. Candidates who joined and retained a seat in state counselling up to Round 3 cannot participate, even if they got that seat in Round 3 itself. Candidates holding a seat through the All India Quota counselling up to Round 3 are also ineligible. And once you are allotted a seat in one stray vacancy round, you cannot take part in the rounds after it.
No fresh registrations will open for these rounds, so candidates who never registered with the state cell cannot use this route.
The rules that catch people out
Fresh choice filling is compulsory in every round. Your CAP Round 3 preferences are void for the stray rounds, and choices you submit in stray Round 1 will not carry forward to Round 2. If you skip choice filling in a round, you get nothing in that round.
Joining an allotted seat is mandatory. The CET Cell has said so in plain terms: once a seat is allotted to you in a stray round, you join. So the practical move is to list only colleges and courses where you would actually take admission. For candidates weighing private seats, the fee tables in the central vs state vs private university guide give a sense of how the fee burden differs across institution types.
Fees can be paid through demand draft or NEFT/RTGS, and you will need all original documents at the time of physical reporting. Keep the admission documents checklist ready before the selection lists drop, since the joining windows are two days or less. It is also worth scanning the scholarships guide early, because some aid timelines overlap the admission weeks.
The CET Cell has directed all participating colleges to treat Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days, so the compressed schedule does not stall on a weekend. Choice filling, merit lists, seat matrix and all notifications will appear on the official NEET UG 2026 counselling portal. That is the page to keep refreshing until the last joining window closes on October 26.
Frequently asked questions
Can new candidates register for the Maharashtra NEET UG 2026 stray vacancy rounds?
No. The CET Cell has said no fresh registrations will be accepted. Only candidates who had already registered and filled preferences earlier, and were not allotted a seat up to CAP Round 3, can participate.
Do I have to fill fresh choices for each stray vacancy round in Maharashtra?
Yes. Fresh choice filling is compulsory in every round. Choices submitted in CAP Round 3 or in an earlier stray round become invalid for the next round.
When is the last date to join a seat allotted in the Maharashtra stray vacancy rounds?
October 26, 2026, which is the final joining date prescribed by the Medical Counselling Committee. Physical reporting for the third round ends on that day.
Is it compulsory to join a seat allotted in the stray vacancy round?
Yes. The CET Cell has said joining is mandatory, so candidates should list only colleges and courses they are actually willing to take.
Frequently asked questions
Can new candidates register for the Maharashtra NEET UG 2026 stray vacancy rounds?
No. The CET Cell has said no fresh registrations will be accepted. Only candidates who had already registered and filled preferences earlier, and were not allotted a seat up to CAP Round 3, can participate.
Do I have to fill fresh choices for each stray vacancy round in Maharashtra?
Yes. Fresh choice filling is compulsory in every round. Choices submitted in CAP Round 3 or in an earlier stray round become invalid for the next round.
When is the last date to join a seat allotted in the Maharashtra stray vacancy rounds?
October 26, 2026, which is the final joining date prescribed by the Medical Counselling Committee. Physical reporting for the third round ends on that day.
Is it compulsory to join a seat allotted in the stray vacancy round?
Yes. The CET Cell has said joining is mandatory, so candidates should list only colleges and courses they are actually willing to take.
Sources: Free Press Journal, Careers360