The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has released the NEET PG State Counselling 2026 schedule, providing a common timeline for state counselling authorities to conduct admissions to postgraduate medical courses.
While the All India Quota (AIQ) counselling dates have already been announced, the latest schedule brings clarity to the state-level admission process, including the timelines for all three counselling rounds, the stray vacancy round and the deadlines for joining allotted colleges.
According to the schedule, NEET PG 2026 state counselling Round 1 will be conducted from October 21 to November 2, with November 10 fixed as the last date for candidates to join their allotted institutions.
The MCC schedule specifies the following timelines for state counselling authorities:
Round 1: October 21 to November 2, 2026
Round 1 joining deadline: November 10, 2026
Round 2: November 14 to 23, 2026
Round 2 joining deadline: November 30, 2026
Round 3: December 4 to 12, 2026
Round 3 joining deadline: December 18, 2026
Stray vacancy round: December 22 to 25, 2026
Stray vacancy joining deadline: December 31, 2026
The academic session for postgraduate medical courses is scheduled to commence on November 20, 2026.
An important feature of the schedule is the coordination between AIQ and state counselling authorities to track candidates who have joined allotted institutions.
MCC will share the data of joined candidates on the following dates:
After Round 1: November 3, 2026
After Round 2: November 24, 2026
After Round 3: December 14, 2026
For the stray vacancy round: December 24, 2026, when MCC will share data of allotted candidates
State Directorates of Medical Education (DMEs) and counselling authorities will share joined candidates' data on November 11, December 1 and December 19, following Rounds 1, 2 and 3, respectively.
These data-sharing arrangements are intended to help coordinate the counselling process across AIQ and state-level admissions.
The October 21 date marks the beginning of the state counselling Round 1 window under MCC's common schedule. It should not be confused with a confirmed registration-opening date for every state.
Individual state counselling authorities are responsible for publishing their detailed admission notifications, including registration dates, application fees, merit lists, choice filling, seat allotment and reporting instructions.
Candidates seeking admission through state quota seats should therefore regularly check their respective state counselling websites for the detailed schedule.