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NEET PG 2025 Round 3 counselling, conducted by MCC, is the final major seat allotment round before stray vacancies. Candidates completed registration, fee payment, choice filling, and locking online before seat allotment on February 3, 2026. Reporting to allotted institutes ran from February 4–11, 2026 with mandatory document verification and compliance with MCC guidelines.
The NEET PG 2025 counselling Round 3 - also referred to as the Mop-Up Round - is one of the most important stages in the postgraduate medical seat allocation process in India. This round represents the final major allotment before the stray vacancy round begins. Driven by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the Round 3 counselling process gives qualified candidates one last substantive chance to secure seats in MD, MS, and PG Diploma programs across the country.
Candidates to be allotted in Round 3 will have to undergo the reporting process at their respective allotted institutes within the stipulated time, which will be from February 4 to February 11.
NEET PG counselling is conducted in multiple rounds:
Round 3 is normally the last major counselling round, stray vacancy (in case there are left-over seats after Round 3 and previous rounds). Round 3 will provide unsuccessful candidates of previous rounds, withdrawn candidates, and candidates who wish to compete better seat to have another opportunity to be involved in the process of seat allotment.
The MCC conducts Round 3 for the 50 percent All India Quota (AIQ) seats, deemed universities, central universities, AFMS seats, and others under its jurisdiction. Each round is pegged on a new seat arrangement, which indicates the availability of seats at the moment of that counselling.
Round 3 is critical because:
Students have to follow below steps to apply for NEET PG 2025 counselling registration:
The final major opportunity available to a candidate concerning securing a PG seat will be NEET PG Counselling 2025 Round-3 before the Stray Vacancy Round. All the other Vacant Seats, Reverted Seats And The Non-Reported Seats of the earlier rounds are included in this round, and thus, there is a better chance of fresh allotment. Applicants who failed to secure a seat in the first round or those who opted out within the stipulated period of time will be able to participate. The use of strategic choice to fill and check new vacancies is vital in Round-3 success.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Round Type | Mop-Up Round (Round-3) |
| Seat Availability | R1 and R2 empty seats, non-reported seats, reverted seats, and additions. |
| Eligible Candidates | Not preempted above, resigned in time, new registrants (assuming possible), not sitting any seat. |
| Not Eligible | Applicants who entered Round-2 seats; those who had a seat in a PG course. |
| Key Features | No upgradation, fresh registration (when in MCC), new choice filling. |
| Importance | Final allotment round before Stray Vacancy Round. |
| Choice Filling | Essentially new list; the old decisions are not taken into account. |
| Seat Security | Once assigned in Round 3, cannot resign. |
NEET PG Counselling 2025 Round-3 is important as it presents new possibilities, which are secured with fresh opportunities, virtual, and vacant ones. This round is of great importance to many candidates who get upgrades or the first allotment. As mobility in terms of resignations and unfilled positions increases, Round 3 is a high-probability window of improved branches and institutes.
The MCC often updates counseling schedules. Candidates must check the MCC portal regularly because dates can shift due to administrative decisions or extra seat additions. Below is the current schedule outline based on the latest official notification and subsequent revisions:
| Stage | Date(s) |
|---|---|
| Round 3 Registration & Fee Payment | January 30 – January 31, 2026 (up to specific times) |
| Choice Filling for Round 3 | January 31 – February 2, 2026 |
| Choice Locking | By February 2 midnight |
| Seat Allotment Result | February 3, 2026 |
| Reporting at Allotted Institutes | February 4–February 11, 2026 |
Round-3 is the last regular round of NEET PG counselling.
Candidates allotted a seat in Round-3 cannot resign.
Stray Vacancy Round is conducted offline by colleges through MCC-provided lists.
Always check the official MCC portal daily for notices or date changes.
Round-3 refers to the Stray-Vacancy Expansion Round, which involves the seats of MCC, which are leftover seats, reverted seats, non-reporting vacancies, and newly added seats (if any). This round gives a big opportunity to the candidates not allotted in the previous rounds or who wish to upgrade in the sanctioned quotas. The availability of seats enables the candidate to deduce realistic options and get higher chances of allotment.
Round-3 seat matrix consists of:
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Newly Added Seats | Fresh seats added by the institutes |
| Leftover Vacancies | Unfilled seats from previous rounds |
| Resigned/Non-joined Vacancies | Seats vacated after Round 2 |
| Reverted Seats | Seats returned from the state quota/institutes |
| Total Seats | Changes after MCC update |
Round-3 Seat type describes the occurrence where seats are opened to candidates following Round-1 and Round-2. These vacancies occur either through New Application, Resignation, Non-Reporting, or Upgradation. The awareness of each category will allow the candidates to make a smart and realistic choice list and increase the chances of obtaining a seat.
| Seat Type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Newly Added Seats | Seats newly introduced by MCC in Round-3 from updated college permissions, increased capacity, or newly added branches. |
| Clear Vacancies | Seats left vacant after candidates from Round 2 resign or fail to report within the deadline. These directly become available in Round 3. |
| Virtual Vacancies | Seats are temporarily vacated when a Round-2 candidate gets upgraded to a better seat in Round-3, creating a vacancy in their previous seat. |
| Reverted Seats | Seats returned from State Counselling to the All India Quota (AIQ) because they remained vacant at the state level. These seats increase opportunities in Round 3. |
NEET PG- Round 3 is open to applicants who have not been offered any seat under Round 1 and or Round 2, and those who have resigned within the scheduled time. Applicants who participated in one of their prior rounds and chose Willing to Upgrade can also apply defined by MCC. Round 3 is usually open to fresh registrations on eligible quotas as official notifications. Candidates who are not qualified because of non-reporting or late resignation in previous rounds are not allowed to take part in Round 3.
| Eligibility Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Not Allotted in R1 or R2 | Can register & fill choices |
| Resigned after R2 in MCC deadline | Eligible |
| New Candidates | Allowed only if MCC opens fresh registration |
| R1/R2 Joined Candidates | Not eligible for upgradation; must participate separately |
| Ineligible Cases | Non-reporting without resignation, fee forfeiture |
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| Step-1 | Visit MCC website: mcc.nic.in |
| Step-2 | Log in using your NEET PG credentials |
| Step-3 | Open the "Round-3 Choice Filling" tab |
| Step-4 | Add as many choices as possible |
| Step-5 | Rearrange in priority order |
| Step-6 | Save frequently |
| Step-7 | Lock choices before the deadline |
Applicants are required to pass all original forms of academic, identity and category-related documentation to be checked during NEET PG Counselling 2025 Round-3 reporting. Any discrepancy or loss of documents can also result in the cancellation of the assigned seat.
A lot of the candidates lose because they make insufficient choices, get confused over conversion seats, or fail to resend locking before the deadline. It is important not to hurry up with decisions, forget new vacancies, and neglect new MCC announcements.
Prepare a long list of realistic choices, paying attention to the newly added, the clear cutoff, and the reverted seats and monitoring the trends with cutoff in the past. Keep abreast with MCC notices, make lock decisions in time, and take branches/colleges where the rank had the best chance of allotment at the top of the list.
NEET PG Round 3 counselling is a crucial final allotment phase for postgraduate medical seats in India. Managed by the MCC, it offers one last substantial opportunity for candidates to secure a seat before the stray vacancy round begins. The process involves:
All official content, including schedules, rules, seat matrices, and notifications, should be directly drawn from the MCC official website (mcc.nic.in) to ensure accuracy and compliance with the latest policies.
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