National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET - UG) is the only entrance examination for admission to various medical and dental courses in India.
It covers seats in MBBS (99,313), BDS (27,698), AYUSH (52,720), and BVSc & AH (603) programs offered by 542 medical and 313 dental colleges. So, what does the counselling process look like? Let's find out.
NEET Counselling is conducted in both online and offline modes, depending on the state and central authorities.
Online counselling: Fill forms and go through the online procedure
Offline counselling: Report directly to the respective venues
Types of quotas:
a) All India Quota (AIQ):
- 15% of government seats and 100% seats in deemed/central universities, ESIC/AFMC, AIIMS, JIPMER, and BSc Nursing programs.
- Managed by Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).
- If seats remain vacant after round 2 of AIQ counselling, they will be returned to the states
b) State Quota:
- 85% of government seats and 100% of private seats in the respective state.
- Managed by state authorities.
MCC NEET counselling process:
Registration/Payment:
- Candidates must complete the MCC NEET registration process, including payment at www.mcc.nic.in
- General category candidates under AIQ pay Rs 10,000 as a security deposit and Rs 1,000 as a counselling fee. SC/ST candidates pay Rs 5,000 as a deposit and Rs 500 for counselling
- For Deemed Universities, all category candidates must pay Rs 2,00,000 as security fee and Rs 5000 for counselling
The counselling process is conducted through the following four rounds
Round 1:
- Choice filling/locking: Select preferred colleges and courses. Refer college predictors to know your chance
- Documents are verified to ensure eligibility
- Based on choices and merit, seats are allocated
- Provisional result is declared
- Candidates report to the allotted institute to complete the admission process
- Candidates can exercise the option for free entry/exit
- Free exit allows candidates who don't join the assigned college in round 1 to retain eligibility for further rounds without forfeiting the security deposit
- Result is published
Round 2:
- Fresh registration (if necessary): Candidates not registered in Round 1 complete the registration process
- Payment/Choice filling/Locking/Verification/Seat allotment: Similar to Round 1
- Candidates must report to the allotted institute unless they choose to forfeit their security deposit by opting out. Once joined, candidates cannot vacate the seat in Round 2
- The result is published after reporting
Mop-up Round:
- Payment/Choice filling/Locking/Verification/Seat allotment: Similar to previous rounds
- Candidates report to the allotted institute to complete the admission process
- Result is published
Stray Vacancy Round:
- Seat Allotment Process: Seats are allocated based on availability
- Candidates report to the allotted institute for admission
- There will be no fresh registration of candidates in Final Stray Vacancy Round
- Final results are declared
