NEET UG stray round: MCC extends deadline to 4 pm today, 4,068 seats in play

By TUF News Desk · Published 16 October 2026 · 4 min read

Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy

If you missed the original 3 pm cut-off on October 14, the Medical Counselling Committee has reopened the window. In a notice issued on October 15, the MCC extended the NEET UG 2026 stray vacancy round schedule, moving the registration deadline to 4 pm today, October 16. This is the fourth and final central counselling round for this session.

The extension pushes nearly every deadline by a few days. Fresh registration for the stray round stays open until 4 pm today, and the fee payment window until 6 pm the same evening. Candidates who need to fix details in their form can use the RESET registration option until 3 pm. Choice filling is open till 11:55 pm tonight, with choice locking available from 7 pm to 11:55 pm.

The revised timetable

The result was earlier expected on October 17. The committee now uses October 17 and 18 for seat processing, with the result out on October 19.

What the 4,068 seats look like

The seat matrix MCC released this week puts 3,426 MBBS, 499 BDS and 143 B.Sc Nursing seats on the table. Only a slice of the MBBS pool is in government colleges: 1,245 seats, plus 39 seats at AIIMS institutes. These are the seats most candidates will rank first, since government and AIIMS fees run far lower than the alternatives.

The rest of the MBBS pool is made up of 2,165 self-financed seats in deemed universities, including 16 seats under the NRI quota. Fees for those range from about Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore for the full course, according to career counselling expert Parijat Mishra, speaking to ETV Bharat. For BDS, the 499 seats break down into 321 in government dental colleges, 103 self-financed seats in deemed universities and 75 under the NRI quota.

A few things to watch today

First, everything closes today, and the deadlines land within hours of each other: registration at 4 pm, payment at 6 pm, choice locking at 11:55 pm. If you plan to lock choices late in the evening, leave buffer for the portal slowing down near the deadline.

Second, fresh choice filling is compulsory in this round, and seats you did not list cannot be allotted to you. Families weighing the deemed university seats should go through the fee tables once more before paying, because the gap between a government seat and a self-financed one runs into lakhs per year. It is also worth looking at scholarships for Indian university students early, since some aid deadlines fall close to the reporting dates.

Finally, keep your documents ready before the result. Candidates allotted a seat on October 19 will have to report in person to the college between October 19 and 26, carrying original certificates and the admission fee. An admission documents checklist saves a scramble in that week.

All schedules, notices and the institute-wise seat matrix are published on the official MCC portal under UG Medical Counselling. Anything that decides your admission this year will appear there first, so it is the one page to keep refreshing until reporting ends.

Frequently asked questions

What is the last time to register for the NEET UG 2026 stray vacancy round now?

Registration closes at 4 pm on October 16, 2026, with fee payment open till 6 pm the same day on the MCC portal.

When will the NEET UG 2026 stray vacancy round result be declared?

The seat allotment result is now scheduled for October 19, 2026. Candidates who get a seat must report to their colleges between October 19 and October 26.

Can I correct my registration details in the stray vacancy round?

Yes. The MCC has allowed the RESET registration option until 3 pm on October 16, 2026, for candidates who need to change details in their registration form.

How many seats are available in the NEET UG 2026 stray vacancy round?

4,068 seats in all: 3,426 MBBS, 499 BDS and 143 B.Sc Nursing seats, as per the MCC seat matrix released this week.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Jagran Josh, Medical Dialogues, Shiksha, ETV Bharat