NEET MDS stray vacancy round opens today: register by Nov 14, result on Nov 19

By TUF News Desk · Published 10 November 2026 · 3 min read

Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy

Dental graduates still without an MDS seat get one last chance from today. The Medical Counselling Committee has opened the stray vacancy round of NEET MDS 2026 counselling for All India Quota, deemed university, central university and AFMS seats. Registration and fee payment close on November 14, choice filling runs till November 16, and the result comes on November 19.

Round 3, the last regular round, ended with its final result on October 31 and reporting between November 1 and 7. Seats still vacant after that round now move into the stray vacancy round, and there is no round after this one. NEET MDS, conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences, is the entrance test for Master of Dental Surgery seats across India.

Registration closes November 14

Candidates have from today, November 10, to November 14 to register and pay on the official MCC portal. Registration closes at 3 pm on November 14 and the payment facility at 6 pm the same day.

Fresh registration is allowed in this round, so candidates who sat out the earlier rounds can still enter by paying the fee. The round covers 50 per cent All India Quota seats in government dental colleges and all seats in deemed universities, central universities and AFMS institutes.

To register, go to mcc.nic.in and open the MDS counselling section. New candidates complete registration with their NEET MDS 2026 details and pay the fee. Candidates who registered in earlier rounds log in with their existing credentials and pay the fee for this round.

Choice filling till November 16

Choice filling runs alongside registration and stays open till 11:55 pm on November 16. Locking opens at 4 pm on November 16 and closes at 11:55 pm the same night. Candidates should lock their list themselves before 11:55 pm on November 16.

Before locking, check the fee and bond conditions of each deemed university on its own website, and put only colleges you are ready to join on the list.

State quota runs separately

State quota stray vacancy counselling follows a different calendar, from November 18 to 21. Candidates chasing state quota seats should follow their state authority’s schedule, not the MCC dates in this article.

The MDS academic session began on October 1, so candidates allotted a seat in this round join a session already under way. Joining must be completed by November 28. Candidates who get a seat should keep their documents ready and work through our admission documents checklist before reporting.

Frequently asked questions

When does NEET MDS 2026 stray vacancy round registration close?

On November 14, 2026. Registration closes at 3 pm and fee payment at 6 pm on the same day.

When is the NEET MDS stray vacancy round result?

MCC will share the data of allotted candidates on November 19, 2026. Joining must be completed by November 28.

Can I register fresh for the NEET MDS stray vacancy round?

Yes. MCC allows fresh registration in the stray round, so candidates who did not register in earlier rounds can join now by paying the fee.

Does the stray vacancy round cover state quota seats?

No, this round covers All India Quota, deemed university, central university and AFMS seats. State quota stray vacancy counselling runs separately from November 18 to 21, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Medical Dialogues, Jagran Josh, FindMyBranch