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NEET MDS Counselling 2026: MCC Announces Round 3 and Stray Vacancy Round Schedule
New Delhi: The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has announced the schedule for Round 3 and the Stray Vacancy Round of NEET MDS Counselling 2026 for admission to postgraduate dental courses for the 2026–27 academic session. The schedule covers MDS seats under the 50% All India Quota and 100% seats of Deemed and Central Universities/AFMS.
The counselling schedule provides candidates with the dates for registration, payment, choice filling and locking, seat allotment, results and reporting.
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NEET MDS 2026 Round 3 Schedule
According to the MCC schedule, the Round 3 process will begin with verification of the tentative seat matrix on September 21, 2026.
Registration and payment will be available from September 22 to September 27, 2026. Registration will close at 3 PM on September 27, while the payment facility will remain available until 6 PM on the same day.
| Event / Activity | Date / Status |
|---|---|
| Seat Matrix Verification | September 21, 2026 |
| Registration & Payment | September 22–27, 2026 |
| Registration Deadline | September 27, 3 PM |
| Payment Deadline | September 27, 6 PM |
| Choice Filling | September 23–28, 2026 |
| Choice Filling Deadline | September 28, 10 AM |
| Choice Locking | September 27, 4 PM to September 28, 10 AM |
| Seat Allotment Processing | September 28–29, 2026 |
| Result | September 30, 2026 |
| Reporting / Joining | October 1–8, 2026 |
| Joined Candidate Data Verification | October 9, 2026 |
NEET MDS 2026 Stray Vacancy Round
After Round 3, MCC will conduct the Stray Vacancy Round for remaining MDS seats.
Registration and payment for the Stray Vacancy Round will begin on October 12, 2026 and continue until 3 PM on October 14, 2026. The payment facility will remain open until 6 PM on October 14.
Choice filling will begin on October 12 and continue until 10 AM on October 15, 2026. Choice locking will be available from 4 PM on October 14 until 10 AM on October 15.
| Event / Activity | Date / Status |
|---|---|
| Registration & Payment | October 12–14, 2026 |
| Registration Deadline | October 14, 3 PM |
| Payment Deadline | October 14, 6 PM |
| Choice Filling | October 12–15, 2026 |
| Choice Filling Deadline | October 15, 10 AM |
| Choice Locking | October 14, 4 PM to October 15, 10 AM |
| Seat Allotment Processing | October 15, 2026 |
| Result | October 16, 2026 |
| Reporting | October 17–24, 2026 |
NEET MDS Counselling 2026: Round 3 and Stray Round
The MCC schedule places the two stages as follows:
The broader counselling calendar shows the last date of joining for the AIQ/Deemed/Central Universities MDS process as October 8 for Round 3 and October 24 for the Stray Vacancy Round.
Seats Covered Under MCC NEET MDS Counselling
The MCC counselling schedule applies to MDS admissions under:
- 50% All India Quota seats
- 100% seats of Deemed Universities
- Central Universities
- AFMS institutions
MCC had earlier released the final NEET MDS 2026 seat matrix containing 1,665 MDS seats across AIQ, Deemed Universities and institutional quotas of Central Universities. Of these, 1,158 seats were listed under Deemed Universities, 469 seats under the final AIQ matrix and 38 seats under the IP/DU/BHU/AMU matrix.
Candidates Should Check the Updated Seat Matrix
Before participating in Round 3 or the Stray Vacancy Round, candidates should carefully check the latest seat matrix released by MCC.
Important details include:
- Dental college
- MDS speciality
- Quota
- Category
- Available seats
- Newly added seats, if any
- Clear and virtual vacancies
- Choice-filling deadline
State Counselling Schedule
The MCC's broader NEET MDS counselling calendar also provides separate timelines for state counselling authorities.
For Round 3, state counselling is scheduled from September 28 to October 8, 2026, with verification of joined candidates' data scheduled for October 14. The state-level stray vacancy process is scheduled from October 15 to October 18, 2026.
Conclusion
MCC has announced the Round 3 and Stray Vacancy Round schedules for NEET MDS Counselling 2026. Round 3 registration will take place from September 22 to September 27, followed by choice filling, allotment and reporting through October 8.
The Stray Vacancy Round will begin on October 12, with the result scheduled for October 16 and reporting continuing until October 24, 2026.
Candidates should check the latest MCC seat matrix and complete registration, choice filling and locking within the prescribed deadlines to participate in the respective counselling round.
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