Around 2,000 MBBS seats remain vacant across India despite multiple rounds of NEET UG 2026 counselling. To fill these seats, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has announced a Special Stray Vacancy Round for eligible medical aspirants. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has published the detailed counselling schedule on its official website, mcc.nic.in.According to the announced timetable, registration and fee payment for the special MBBS counselling round will begin on November 2, 2026. Candidates can register until November 4, 2026, at 3 PM. The choice-filling facility will remain available from November 2 to November 5, while seat allotment results are scheduled to be declared on November 7, 2026.MCC NEET UG 2026 special stray vacancy round scheduleThe special round will provide eligible candidates another opportunity to secure admission to MBBS seats that remained vacant after the previous counselling rounds.
| Counselling event | Date |
| Registration begins | November 2, 2026 |
| Registration deadline | November 4, 2026, 3:00 PM |
| Fee payment | November 2–4, 2026 |
| Choice filling | November 2–5, 2026 |
| Choice locking | November 4, 4 PM to November 5, 11 AM |
| Seat allotment process | November 5–6, 2026 |
| Result declaration | November 7, 2026 |
| College reporting | November 7–16, 2026, 5 PM |
The payment facility will open at 10 AM on November 2 and close at 6 PM on November 4. Candidates must complete the choice-locking process within the prescribed period to ensure their preferences are considered.BDS and B.Sc Nursing fifth and sixth rounds announcedApart from the special MBBS round, DGHS has also announced the fifth round of counselling for BDS and B.Sc Nursing seats. A sixth counselling round will subsequently be conducted exclusively for BDS and B.Sc Nursing admissions.The fifth round will follow the same registration and choice-filling schedule as the special MBBS round. Its results will also be declared on November 7, with college reporting scheduled until November 16.MCC sixth round counselling scheduleThe sixth round for BDS and B.Sc Nursing candidates will begin on November 17, 2026.
| Counselling event | Date |
| Registration and fee payment | November 17–19, 2026 |
| Choice filling and locking | November 17–19, 2026 |
| Choice locking | November 18, 4 PM to November 19, 9 AM |
| Seat allotment | November 19, 2026 |
| Result declaration | November 20, 2026 |
| College reporting | November 21–28, 2026 |
The payment facility for this round will open at 10 AM on November 17 and close at 6 PM on November 19.Where to check the NEET UG counselling schedule?Candidates can access the detailed counselling timetable, registration links and further instructions through the official MCC website.The special stray vacancy round is intended to fill the remaining MBBS seats, while the additional BDS and B.Sc Nursing rounds will facilitate admissions to vacant seats in those programmes.
