Maharashtra NEET UG: 138 MBBS, BDS seats reopen, registration closes today at 5:30 pm
By TUF News Desk · Published 2 November 2026 · 4 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
Candidates who missed out in Maharashtra’s medical counselling have one short window left, and it closes today. The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell has opened fresh registration for a special stray vacancy round covering 138 vacant MBBS and BDS seats. Registration closes at 5:30 pm on November 2, 2026.
The round covers MBBS and BDS Group A courses under the state quota. The CET Cell issued the notice after the Medical Counselling Committee announced its own special stray vacancy round for seats under its purview. Maharashtra’s extra round is for the state quota seats that stayed empty after the earlier rounds finished. Of the 138 seats, 84 are MBBS seats and 54 are BDS seats, spread across 99 colleges. The CET Cell’s October 27 summary counted 11,431 MBBS and BDS seats in total for 2026-27, with 11,293 filled. Many of the state’s medical colleges are affiliated to Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.
Today’s deadlines, in order
The CET Cell has set three cutoffs for today, and they fall within a few hours of each other. Candidates need to finish each step before its own time.
| Step | Deadline on November 2, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Online registration and session application | 5:30 pm |
| Online fee payment | 7:30 pm |
| Upload of coloured scanned copies of original documents | 8:00 pm |
Online document verification continues until November 3. Candidates should register through the official Maharashtra NEET UG counselling portal and check notices on cetcell.mahacet.org for any change to the schedule.
Who can register, and who cannot
This window is not open to everyone. It is a fresh registration facility, and the CET Cell has drawn the eligibility line around what happened in the earlier rounds.
Candidates who were allotted a seat in Round 2 of MBBS and BDS Group A but did not join, did not report, or cancelled the seat can register again, provided they did not already register during the CAP-3 round. Candidates who were allotted a seat in CAP-3 or in any subsequent stray vacancy round cannot register afresh, and they cannot enter the Group A process through this window. The registration facility is for Group A courses only, so applicants cannot use it for Group B or Group C courses.
That distinction is worth checking before paying the fee. A candidate who falls on the wrong side of it will not move forward in this round, however strong their rank.
Why these seats reopened
Maharashtra ran six rounds of NEET UG counselling this year: three rounds of the Centralised Admission Process followed by three stray vacancy rounds. At the end of those rounds, the CET Cell reported 11,293 admissions against 11,431 seats, a fill rate of 98.79 percent.
The state changed its admission framework for 2026-27, placing every round under the CET Cell and removing the institution-level route that colleges used in earlier years to fill leftover seats. The Bombay High Court recently declined a private medical college’s plea to conduct institution-level counselling for the remaining MBBS seats. The special stray round is the CET Cell’s own route to fill the seats that remained, rather than leaving them to individual colleges.
For candidates, the practical point is simple. The documents should be ready before registration closes. Our admission documents checklist sets out the originals and copies colleges usually ask for at verification, and scanned copies uploaded today need to be clear and complete, since verification runs only until November 3. Our guide to choosing a university in India covers the checks that matter when the choice has to be made quickly.
Frequently asked questions
When does Maharashtra NEET UG special stray vacancy registration close?
At 5:30 pm on November 2, 2026. Fee payment stays open until 7:30 pm the same day, and scanned documents must be uploaded by 8 pm.
How many MBBS and BDS seats are open in the Maharashtra special stray round?
138 seats in total: 84 MBBS seats and 54 BDS seats, spread across 99 medical and dental colleges in the state.
Who can register afresh for the Maharashtra special stray vacancy round?
Candidates who were allotted a seat in Round 2 of MBBS and BDS Group A but did not join, did not report, or cancelled it, provided they did not register in the CAP-3 round.
Who cannot register for this round?
Candidates who were allotted a seat in CAP-3 or in any later stray vacancy round. They are also not eligible for Group B or Group C courses through this window.
Frequently asked questions
When does Maharashtra NEET UG special stray vacancy registration close?
At 5:30 pm on November 2, 2026. Fee payment stays open until 7:30 pm the same day, and scanned documents must be uploaded by 8 pm.
How many MBBS and BDS seats are open in the Maharashtra special stray round?
138 seats in total: 84 MBBS seats and 54 BDS seats, spread across 99 medical and dental colleges in the state.
Who can register afresh for the Maharashtra special stray vacancy round?
Candidates who were allotted a seat in Round 2 of MBBS and BDS Group A but did not join, did not report, or cancelled it, provided they did not register in the CAP-3 round.
Who cannot register for this round?
Candidates who were allotted a seat in CAP-3 or in any later stray vacancy round. They are also not eligible for Group B or Group C courses through this window.
Sources: The Times of India, Lokmat Times, The Telegraph