NEET UG Round 3 2026: Who Should Register and When

NEET UG Round 3 2026: what it is and who should register

Round 3 is the third of four MCC rounds

Registration and fee payment run from 22 to 27 September 2026. Choice filling is open 23 to 28 September, results come on 30 September, and reporting at the allotted college runs 1 to 9 October.

Three groups should register

Candidates holding no seat, candidates who exited within the permitted window, and fresh candidates who sat out Rounds 1 and 2. MCC allows fresh registration in Round 3, so missing earlier rounds does not close the door.

Round 3 is binding, and that changes the maths

A candidate allotted a seat in Round 3 who does not join forfeits the security deposit and loses access to the stray vacancy round. A candidate who joins cannot resign and exits counselling there.

If you already hold a Round 2 seat

You can enter Round 3 for an upgrade. If the upgrade does not come through, your existing seat is retained, so the risk sits in what you might gain rather than what you already hold.

What the deposit costs by category

Registration is Rs. 1,000 for UR and EWS with a Rs. 10,000 security deposit, and Rs. 500 for SC, ST, OBC and PwD with a Rs. 5,000 deposit. Deemed universities carry Rs. 5,000 and a Rs. 2 lakh deposit.

MCC counsels only part of the country's seats

MCC runs the 15% All India Quota in government colleges plus all seats in deemed and central universities, AFMS and ESIC. The remaining 85% of government seats sit with state counselling authorities.

How state counselling runs alongside MCC?

State quota rounds follow their own schedules, domicile rules and fee structures, and many students hold seats in both systems at the same time.

Want to know more about NEET Counselling Process?

Click the link below to explore more.