MCC NEET UG 2026 Round 1 counselling is at its most time-sensitive stage right now. Registration and fee payment close on August 12 at 3 PM, and choice filling must be locked by August 13 at 11 AM — filled but unlocked preferences are not considered for seat allotment at all. Here is exactly what remains, and the mistakes that most often cost candidates a seat.
The story in 60 seconds
- Registration and fee payment for MCC NEET UG 2026 Round 1 run through August 12 at 3 PM.
- Choice filling closes August 13 at 11 AM, but choices can only be locked from August 12, 4 PM — and locking is a separate, mandatory step from filling.
- MCC processes seat allocation from August 13 to 16, with the Round 1 result declared on August 17.
- Candidates allotted a seat must report to the college between August 18 and 22.
- Security deposits are non-trivial and category-dependent: ₹10,000 for General/EWS, ₹5,000 for SC/ST/OBC/PwD, and ₹2,00,000 for deemed universities, on top of a smaller non-refundable counselling fee.
- Verify every date directly at mcc.nic.in before acting — counselling schedules can shift, and this window is exactly the kind fraudsters exploit with fake "confirm your seat" messages.
AI SummaryAI-generated summary, reviewed by editors
Round 1 registration closes August 12 at 3 PM, and choices must be locked by August 13, 11 AM — or they will not count. Here is exactly what to finish before the window closes, and the most common mistakes that cost candidates a seat.
Switch to ShortsThe five dates that decide Round 1
Registration and fee payment run from August 5 through August 12 at 3 PM. Choice filling opens August 7 and stays open through August 13 at 11 AM, but locking — the step that actually finalises your preferences — only opens on August 12 at 4 PM. MCC then processes allotment from August 13 to 16, declares the Round 1 result on August 17, and candidates who are allotted a seat must report to their college between August 18 and 22.
Why "filled" is not the same as "locked"
This is the single most consequential detail in Round 1: candidates can fill, reorder, add, and delete college preferences as many times as they want right up to the deadline, but if those choices are never formally locked, none of them are considered when MCC runs the allotment. A candidate who spent hours carefully ranking twenty colleges but forgot the final "lock" step is, for allotment purposes, treated the same as someone who filled in nothing at all.
If you are unsure whether your choices are locked, log back into the portal and check the confirmation status directly rather than assuming a save was sufficient — this is not a step where "I'm pretty sure I did it" is good enough.
What a seat actually costs to hold
Beyond the exam and admission process itself, Round 1 involves real, category-dependent money that candidates should have ready rather than scrambling for at the last moment. General and EWS candidates pay a ₹1,000 non-refundable counselling fee plus a ₹10,000 security deposit; SC/ST/OBC/PwD candidates pay ₹500 plus a ₹5,000 deposit; candidates counselling for deemed university seats face a considerably larger ₹5,000 fee plus a ₹2,00,000 security deposit. Required documents include the NEET scorecard, admit card, Class 10 and 12 certificates, a government ID, category certificate where applicable, a medical fitness certificate, passport photographs, migration/transfer certificates, and the choice-filling slip itself.
Common mistakes that cost a seat
- Missing the registration deadline entirely. Once August 12, 3 PM passes, Round 1 registration is not reopened for latecomers.
- Filling choices but never locking them. As above, this is functionally identical to not participating.
- Ranking by predicted cutoff instead of genuine preference. Advisories consistently recommend filling every eligible college in real order of preference, not just the ones a candidate expects to get, since allotment logic depends on the full ranked list.
- Ignoring the previous year's cutoff data entirely. It is not a guarantee, but it is the most useful available reference point for gauging realistic options.
- Assuming a confirmation SMS or call from outside the official portal is legitimate. During the anxious final hours of a locking window is exactly when fraudulent "your seat is at risk, pay now" messages tend to appear — verify anything urgent directly on mcc.nic.in, not through a link sent to you.
Practical checklist for right now
- Confirm your registration and fee payment are complete before August 12, 3 PM.
- Fill every college you are genuinely willing to attend, ranked in real order of preference, not predicted-cutoff order.
- Lock your choices — separately from filling them — before the window closes August 13, 11 AM.
- Keep all required documents ready and scanned so reporting, if you are allotted a seat, is not delayed by paperwork.
- Treat any urgent, unofficial message about your seat as suspicious until verified directly on the MCC portal.
Sources
- MCC NEET Counselling 2026 LIVE: Round 1 choice filling, dates and seat matrix — Careers360
- Medical Counselling Committee — official portal — mcc.nic.in
Full forms
- MCC — Medical Counselling Committee
- EWS — Economically Weaker Section
- SC/ST/OBC — Scheduled Caste / Scheduled Tribe / Other Backward Class
- PwD — Person with Disability
HeadlineDecoded is committed to accuracy and transparency. Read our standards or submit a correction.
