By the Online Coaching 4u team
Last updated: 3 August 2026.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has confirmed that registration for NEET UG 2026 counselling opens on 5 August 2026, per the "Registration for UG Counselling will be start from 5th August 2026" notice on the official portal, mcc.nic.in.
What's actually confirmed
MCC has published the full Round 1 schedule for the 15% All India Quota (AIQ) and 100% Deemed/Central Universities, AIIMS and JIPMER (Puducherry & Karaikal) seats for MBBS, BDS and B.Sc Nursing, academic year 2026, in its official UG AIQ Counselling Schedule PDF dated 1 August 2026. Round 1 runs as follows: participating institutes verify their tentative seat matrix on 4 August; registration and payment stay open from 5 to 12 August (registration closes 3 PM, payment facility stays open until 6 PM on 12 August, server time); choice filling and locking run 6 to 13 August; the seat allotment result is processed from 13 to 16 August and declared on 17 August; and reporting/joining at allotted institutes runs 18 to 22 August, with institutes verifying joined-candidate data on 23 August. This comes after NTA declared the Re-NEET (UG) 2026 results on 16 July, with 11.21 lakh candidates qualifying nationally.
What it means for students
If you're applying for an AIQ, Deemed/Central University, AIIMS or JIPMER seat, your first actionable step is registering and paying the counselling fee on the MCC portal between 5 and 12 August โ don't wait until the final day, since both registration and payment cut off at fixed server times rather than end-of-day. MCC has also confirmed two separate process changes this counselling cycle: candidates who get a seat and opt for upgradation in a later round no longer need to physically report to the allotted college to complete that step, and resignation from an allotted seat can now be done entirely online through the MCC portal within the specified window, without a campus visit. State quota counselling runs on a separate schedule set by each state's own authority, not by MCC, so AIQ dates don't automatically apply if you're going through a state counselling process.
Where to check for yourself
Because counselling portals update quickly during this window, verify your specific round's cut-off times directly rather than relying on a forwarded message: the schedule PDF is at mcc.nic.in/ug-medical-counselling, and NEET UG's own notice board is at neet.nta.nic.in.
Important pointers
- [Effective 5-12 Aug 2026] NEET UG 2026 AIQ Round 1 registration and payment window, per the official MCC schedule at mcc.nic.in.
- [17 Aug 2026] Round 1 seat allotment result is scheduled for declaration on this date, per MCC's published schedule.
- [Effective 18-22 Aug 2026] Reporting/joining window for candidates allotted a Round 1 AIQ, Deemed/Central University, AIIMS or JIPMER seat.
- Myth check: Upgrading your seat in a later round no longer requires a physical visit to the currently allotted college โ MCC has made this an online step on its counselling portal.
- Myth check: AIQ registration dates are not the same as your state's own counselling dates โ MCC runs only the 15% AIQ and central-institution seats; state quota seats follow each state authority's separate schedule.
Last updated: 3 August 2026. Sources: mcc.nic.in, neet.nta.nic.in.
