NEET SS Counselling 2025 Special Stray Vacancy Schedule Revised; Choice Filling Ends September 30

The Medical Counselling Committee has revised the NEET SS Counselling 2025 Special Stray Vacancy Round schedule, giving eligible candidates additional time to complete registration, payment and choice submission for super-speciality seats. Under the revised timeline, candidates could register until 5 PM on September 29, 2026, while the fee-payment facility remained available until 7 PM.

The choice-filling window has been extended until 12 noon on September 30, 2026. Choice locking opened at 8 PM on September 29 and will also remain available until 12 noon on September 30. Candidates participating in the special stray vacancy round should review the updated seat matrix before finalising their DM, MCh and DrNB Super Speciality preferences.

NEET SS Special Stray Vacancy Round Revised Schedule

Why Was the NEET SS Schedule Revised?

The revision follows the addition of 33 vacant in-service super-speciality seats returned by the Tamil Nadu State Selection Committee on September 28. According to the counselling update, these seats were added to the All India Special Stray Vacancy Round seat matrix following the Supreme Court order dated September 17, 2026.

The change gives candidates an opportunity to reconsider their preferences after the additional seats entered the counselling pool. Aspirants should therefore check the latest vacancy position instead of relying on choices prepared before the revised seat matrix became available.

What Candidates Should Do Before Choice Filling Closes

• Log in to the MCC NEET SS counselling portal using registered credentials.
• Check whether registration and fee payment have been completed successfully.
• Download or review the latest Special Stray Vacancy Round seat matrix.
• Check newly added seats before arranging course and institute preferences.
• Add, remove or rearrange choices according to admission priority.
• Review every selected DM, MCh or DrNB SS option before locking choices.
• Complete choice locking before 12 noon on September 30, 2026.
• Save or print the final submitted choices for future reference.

Special Stray Vacancy Round Eligibility

The special stray vacancy process follows changes made to expand eligibility for remaining super-speciality seats. The NEET SS 2025 qualifying percentile was reduced from the 50th percentile to the 30th percentile, allowing additional candidates to become eligible for counselling. Candidates must still satisfy the applicable MCC eligibility rules before participating in the allotment process.

What Happens After Choice Locking?

MCC will process seat allotment using candidate eligibility, available seats and the preferences submitted during choice filling. As of the revised schedule issued on September 29, the authority had not announced the new seat-allotment result date or college-reporting period. Candidates should therefore continue checking the official counselling portal rather than relying on the dates contained in the earlier schedule.

The Special Stray Vacancy Round is particularly important because it is intended to fill super-speciality seats remaining vacant after the earlier counselling stages. Candidates receiving an allotment should carefully follow subsequent MCC reporting instructions, document requirements and admission deadlines once the result schedule is released.

Official Website

https://mcc.nic.in/