MCC opens NEET‑UG Round 1 registration

The Medical Counselling Committee has opened Round 1 registration for NEET-UG 2026 counselling on its portal, beginning the first centralised admission cycle for undergraduate medical seats this year. The MCC’s UG counselling page says Round 1 registration has started, and its published 2026 schedule lists the counselling timetable and information bulletin for the session. Seat allotment is being conducted through the central system for eligible seats, while states continue to run their own parallel processes for state quota admissions. ### Which seats does this registration actually cover? The MCC’s 2026 UG schedule covers All India Quota counselling and other seats routed through the central process, rather than replacing every state admission system. The committee’s published schedule distinguishes between AIQ and state counselling, underscoring that candidates often have to track both the national portal and their state authority, depending on the seat category they are pursuing. (mcc.nic.in) The Medical Counselling Committee’s portal is the registration point for the central process at mcc.nic.in, where candidates complete application steps, fee payment, and later choice filling and locking. News reports citing the MCC schedule said Round 1 registration and fee payment opened in early August, with choice filling continuing into mid-August. ### How will Round 1 allotment be decided? MCC’s counselling framework says allotment is based on a combination of NEET-UG rank, category, candidate preferences and seat availability. (mcc.nic.in) That means registration alone does not secure a seat; the order of college-course choices and the candidate’s position in the merit sequence remain central to the outcome. (mcc.nic.in) The 2026 process also remains document-driven. The MCC portal and bulletin set out the digital workflow for registration and related admission formalities, continuing a system in which candidates must complete online entries accurately and follow the published sequence for later allotment and reporting. ### Why are students still watching state portals at the same time? Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Medical Education and Research is running its own admission track through the Selection Committee portal, where MBBS and BDS application notices and candidate grievance links are already live. (business-standard.com) Independent reporting on the Tamil Nadu process said the state was moving toward publication of its merit list and subsequent choice filling, even as the MCC Round 1 window opened nationally. (mcc.nic.in) Maharashtra’s State Common Entrance Test Cell is also proceeding on a separate timetable. Hindustan Times reported that the cell was due to release the 2026 CAP Round 2 vacant seats list on August 6, and the official CET Cell portal hosts the state’s CAP pages and related seat-matrix material. ### What has become more standardised in this year’s process? The MCC’s 2026 schedule and portal materials show a more formalised digital sequence for registration, choice submission and counselling notices. (tnmedicalselection.net) That does not eliminate state variation, but it does mean the central process is increasingly built around standard online steps, published bulletins and fixed counselling windows. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra illustrate that split. The national system is handling central registration and allotment for eligible seats, while state authorities continue to publish their own notices, merit lists, vacancy positions and quota-specific instructions on separate portals. (fe2026.mahacet.org) ### What should candidates watch next on the calendar? The MCC’s published 2026 UG schedule is the main reference point for the next central deadlines, including the close of Round 1 registration and the choice-filling window. (mcc.nic.in) Business Standard and other reports citing the schedule said choice filling for Round 1 opened on August 6 and runs into August 2026, after which allotment and reporting steps follow on the MCC portal. (tnmedicalselection.net) Tamil Nadu candidates will be watching tnmedicalselection.net for the merit list and choice-filling notices, while Maharashtra candidates are tracking fe2026.mahacet.org and CET Cell pages for vacancy and CAP updates. Those next steps are being published by the respective state authorities, not through the MCC portal. (tnmedicalselection.net) (business-standard.com)