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The NEET PG 2025 stray vacancy round is the final chance for postgraduate medical admissions. Candidates must register on mcc.nic.in from February 16–18, fill and lock choices by February 19, and check results on February 21. Only those without a joined seat (or properly resigned) are eligible, making timely action and careful portal checking essential.
The NEET PG 2025 counselling has entered into the last stage as of February 16, 2026, with the start of Stray Vacancy Round (Round-4). This is the final counselling round that postgraduate medical aspirants receive in case they failed to purchase a seat in earlier counselling rounds or in the event that their seats were invalidated because of Round-3 reporting. The whole process of counselling, i.e., the Stray Vacancy Round, will be performed online on the official portal of the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) at mcc.nic.in.
Students will have to complete the registration process through the direct link provided on the official website mcc.nic.in. As per the released schedule, registrations for allotment of vacant seats for NEET PG 2025 counselling will begin on February 16, 2026. The final result for allotment of vacant seats will be declared on February 21, 2026.
The final round (sometimes referred to as Round 3 or the stray vacancy round) is the last stage in the seat allotment process conducted by the MCC after Rounds 1 and 2 are completed. It gives eligible candidates one more chance to secure a seat based on their NEET PG rank and preferences.
The final round is especially important for:
Although news outlets report these developments, the official source for all counseling dates and instructions is the MCC website at mcc.nic.in. You should recommend that readers check the PG Medical Counselling schedule section on the MCC portal regularly for updates.
The Stray Vacancy Round (also known as Round 4) is the final segment of the NEET PG 2025 counselling schedule designed to fill any vacant seats left after the conclusion of previous counselling rounds. It allows eligible candidates another chance to participate in seat allotment for MD, MS, and PG Diploma programs under the All-India Quota (AIQ), as well as seats in government, deemed and central universities.
The Stray Vacancy Round is organized and overseen by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), which operates under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Government of India. MCC conducts counselling and seat allotment for postgraduate medical courses based on candidates’ NEET PG scores, reservation criteria and preference lists submitted online.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Final round / Round 3 reporting ends | February 13, 2026 |
| Stray vacancy round registration begins | February 16, 2026 |
| Stray vacancy round registration closes | February 18, 2026 (by 12:00 PM) |
| Choice filling for stray vacancy round | February 16–19, 2026 |
| Choices locking deadline | February 19, 2026 (between 4:00 PM and 11:55 PM) |
| Stray vacancy allotment result | February 21, 2026 |
| Reporting to allotted colleges | February 22–28, 2026 (approx) |
These dates are based on recent official and news announcements and remain subject to change if MCC updates the schedule. Always confirm on the official MCC portal before taking action.
The Stray Vacancy Round is important as it is the last opportunity of the candidates to get a postgraduate medical seat in the 2025 academic session. Those who were not awarded a seat in Round 1, Round 2 or Round 3, or who chose to decline in the previous round, are eligible to take part in this round assuming that they meet the requirements. Following this step there is no additional AIQ counselling of NEET PG 2025 undertaken by MCC.
The seats available during the Stray Vacancy Round include:
State quota seats may also be filled through separate state counselling processes, depending on state policies.
Candidates eligible for the final round generally include:
Under the NEET PG Counselling under the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), the candidates are only allowed to participate in the Stray Vacancy Round when holding no joined seat. In case a candidate has received a seat and reported physically to the institute, verified his or her documents and the college has changed his or her status to Joined in the MCC portal, he or she cannot take part in the stray vacancy round. This round is not upgradable and reshuffling is not provided, as it is only to fill any vacant seat. But those candidates who were provided with a seat but failed to report to the college can usually be eligible, although they may lose their security deposit. If a candidate resigned within the officially declared resignation window and the resignation is properly reflected on the MCC portal, they may become eligible again. Since eligibility is determined entirely by the status shown on the MCC website, candidates must check their portal status carefully before applying.
| Situation | Eligible for Stray Vacancy Round? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Allotted a seat but did not report/join | Yes | Seat is treated as unfilled; you can take part. |
| Allotted and joined the seat | No | MCC treats this as settled; cannot join stray round. |
| Allotted, reported, but tried to resign after deadline | No | The resignation may not be accepted and you remain ineligible. |
| Allotted and properly resigned before deadline | Yes (conditionally) | You count as not holding any seat; you become eligible if MCC updates the portal. |
Below is a clear, concise guide for completing the NEET PG 2025 stray vacancy round registration:
Seat allotment is undertaken by the MCC based on several factors:
Once choices are locked and the allotment process completes, MCC releases seat allotment results online. Candidates can then download their allotment letters and follow the reporting guidelines.
After the stray vacancy allotment results are published:
Details about the exact reporting window will be available on MCC notifications once results are out.
While specific requirements can vary by institute, candidates typically need:
Check official counseling guidelines to confirm the complete list.
Candidates participating in the Stray Vacancy Round must keep these key rules in mind:
Always read the latest notices on mcc.nic.in before completing any counselling step.
The stray vacancy counseling and the NEET PG 2025 final round is a crucial final attempt of getting postgraduate medical admissions among medical graduates. As registrations start on February 16, 2026, all candidates are advised to keep up with official announcements of MCC, ensure that they complete their registration far ahead of time, and understand what will be required of them when they are reporting.
Eligible candidates must complete the registration process through the link on the official website. According to the schedule released, the registration window for the NEET PG 2025 counselling stray vacancy round will begin on February 16, 2026. Candidates can register for the NEET PG stray vacancy round through the login link on the website. The final stray vacancy round seat allotment result will be released on February 21, 2026.
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