MCC NEET UG Counselling 2025: Dates, Rounds and Seat Matrix

NEET UG counselling 2025 was the Medical Counselling Committee's admission cycle for the 2025-26 academic session, running from Round 1 registration in mid-to-late July 2025 through to a Special Stray Round whose result was declared on 23 December 2025. This is a dated historical record of that specific cycle's rounds and figures; for how the MCC counselling mechanism works in general, evergreen and independent of any single year's dates, see our companion guide to MCC NEET UG counselling.

Key Takeaways

• NEET UG 2025-26 counselling ran through four stages: Round 1 (registration 21-28 July 2025, result 31 July 2025), Round 2 (registration 21-26 August 2025, result 29 August 2025), a Mop-Up Round, and a Special Stray Round.

• MCC opened Special Stray Round registration from 4-12 November 2025; the seat allotment result was declared on 23 December 2025, with reporting to allotted colleges between 24 and 31 December 2025.

• India's total MBBS seat matrix for the 2025-26 session was revised upward multiple times through the year by the National Medical Commission, rising past 1.29 lakh seats after successive revisions, up from an earlier count of about 1.26 lakh.

• This is the dated 2025-cycle record; for evergreen mechanics of how MCC counselling works every year, see MCC NEET UG counselling, and for the current 2026 cycle's result and counselling, see NEET UG 2026 result.

• Reservation within the 15% All India Quota MCC counsels followed the standard central norms: EWS 10%, OBC-NCL 27%, SC 15%, ST 7.5%, and a 5% horizontal PwBD reservation.

What Was the NEET UG Counselling 2025 Timeline?

The 2025-26 counselling cycle followed MCC's usual round structure, but with dates specific to that year:

1. Round 1: registration and payment from 21-28 July 2025, choice locking by 28 July 2025, seat allotment result declared 31 July 2025.

2. Round 2: registration from 21-26 August 2025, seat allotment result declared 29 August 2025.

3. Mop-Up Round: ran in the August-September window to fill seats still vacant after the first two rounds.

4. Special Stray Round: registration 4-12 November 2025, result declared 23 December 2025, reporting from 24-31 December 2025.

When Did the Special Stray Vacancy Round Run in 2025?

MCC extended the 2025-26 cycle with a Special Stray Round later in the year than usual: registration opened from 4 to 12 November 2025, the seat allotment result was declared on 23 December 2025, and candidates allotted a seat had to report to their college between 24 and 31 December 2025. This later Special Stray Round reflected the additional rounds MCC ran that cycle to fill remaining AIQ MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing seats.

What Did the 2025-26 MBBS Seat Matrix Look Like?

The National Medical Commission revised the national MBBS seat matrix for the 2025-26 session several times as new colleges and additional seats were approved through the year. An early-October 2025 revision added 9,075 new MBBS seats, bringing the running total to roughly 1.26 lakh, and a further revision later in the cycle added around 11,500 more seats, pushing the total past 1.29 lakh MBBS seats nationwide for that admission year. Candidates relying on any single figure mid-cycle were, in practice, working from an outdated number, which is one reason MCC's own portal and NMC's official notifications remain the only fully current source during an active counselling cycle.

How Did Reservation Work in the 2025-26 AIQ Counselling?

Within the 15% All India Quota that MCC counsels directly, the 2025-26 cycle followed the standard central reservation structure: 10% EWS, 27% OBC-NCL, 15% SC, 7.5% ST, and a 5% horizontal PwBD reservation applied across every other category. These percentages apply only to the AIQ seats MCC itself allocates; the remaining 85% state quota followed each state's own reservation rules, set independently of the central structure. For a full breakdown of how these percentages apply during choice filling and allotment in any counselling year, see our NEET reservation guide.

Where Can You Check the Current 2026 Counselling Cycle Instead?

If you are looking for the current admission cycle rather than this 2025 historical record, start with our NEET UG 2026 result coverage and our guide to the NEET UG 2026 re-exam result and counselling process, both of which track the live 2026 dates and figures. For the underlying mechanics of MCC counselling that apply regardless of year, registration, choice filling, seat allotment rounds and reporting, our MCC NEET UG counselling guide covers the process step by step.