NEET UG Counselling 2026: Round 3 Dates, Cut Offs and Ranks

NEET UG Counselling 2026: Round 3 Dates Out – What Students Should Know About Their Options

New Delhi: For the NEET UG students still looking for a medical seat, the counselling round enters a new stage. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has announced the dates for Round 3 of the NEET UG counselling 2026, which will begin on September 22.

The MCC schedule includes admissions under the 15% All India Quota (AIQ) as well as participating central and deemed institutions and other institutions covered in the MCC counselling. The latest MCC Round 2, Round 3 and Round 4 schedule has been published on the official mcc.nic.in website with the updated date of September 14, 2026.

NEET UG counselling 2026 Round 3: Dates to Note

The candidates applying for the counselling procedure must note the following important dates:

The above schedule has been taken from the MCC notification and the latest counselling news update.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Round 3: What Students Should Know

The third round of counselling grants another opportunity to the eligible candidates who are seeking admission to medical colleges through the central counselling process. The students who already have a seat must carefully go through all the relevant freeze, float, resignation and exit rules that apply to their situation. There are specific notices issued by MCC concerning resignations and round 2 candidates, so it is best to review the relevant instructions rather than rely on previous year’s counselling procedures.

The registration for round 3 will open on September 22 and close on September 27, while the choice filling will continue till September 28, and choice locking will have a separate deadline.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Round 3: Previous Year Cut-Offs

While the previous year’s qualifying cut-off scores can give a general idea, these should not be used as a benchmark for this year’s college-wise cutoff rank. According to the update on September 18 in the ongoing counselling coverage, the qualifying score range for NEET 2026 has been:

Note that these are the NEET qualifying cutoff scores and not the individual medical college opening and closing cutoff ranks. Eligibility and cutoff ranks for individual colleges can vary significantly based on the category, course, quota, counselling round and other factors.

NEET UG Counselling 2026 Round 3: Cut-Off Ranks for AIQ vs. State Counselling

One of the common mistakes that students make is to confuse the counselling process and cutoff ranks for the AIQ seats (handled by the MCC) with the state counselling. MCC handles the 15% AIQ seats in the government medical colleges, while specific categories of seats in deemed universities, central universities, AIIMS, JIPMER and AFMC are also covered under the MCC process. State-wise counselling authorities take care of the state’s quota admissions, so the specific cutoff ranks and rules will apply depending on the student’s eligibility and preferences.

What Students Should Do Ahead of Round 3

Ahead of registration, the students should:

• Cross-check their NEET UG 2026 rank and category
• Review the latest MCC seat matrix and eligibility
• Verify the college, course and category-wise eligibility
• Use previous year’s closing cutoff rank data only as a reference
• Have all the documents, including the relevant certificates, ready
• Make a realistic choice list ahead of choice filling
• Review the recent instructions from MCC about free exit, resignation, forfeiture and reporting

The official mcc.nic.in website should be used as a single point of reference for the Round 3 schedule, seat matrix, notices and allotment results.

Final Thoughts

The Round 3 counselling is not an easy step for the students seeking a medical seat. The candidates should carefully evaluate all their options in the context of the available seat matrix, round-specific rules and their personal circumstances.

In most cases, it is best to use the previous year’s data as a reference point only and always rely on the most recent information from the official MCC website.

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