GENERAL

Common Questions About Vacant Seats in MCC Counselling

Anjali Gupta • 9 Mins read • 3 Jun 25

The MCC counselling (Medical Counselling Committee) is the most important phase for NEET-qualified medical aspirants in India. After the NEET Result, getting a good score is the first step; the next big challenge is to get admission in a medical college through counselling.

The Counselling process is conducted by MCC for admission to top medical or dental colleges. The students and parents often get confused in this process due to its various rules, conditions, and scenarios.

One of the common topics in which most of the students get confused is the Vacant seats that remain unfilled during the counselling rounds. Various questions arise in their mind why these seats remain vacant, what happens to these vacant seats, and whether these seats give a chance to students to get admission.

In this blog, we will clarify all the common questions related to vacant seats in counselling rounds.

What is MCC counselling?

MCC counselling is the process through which students secure their seats for admission in MBBS, BDS, and other medical courses in India. It is the official body that conducts the numerous counselling rounds and manages the online counselling for admission in top medical and dental colleges in India under the All India Quota (15%) and also for deemed and central universities.

After the NEET result cutoff, the students who have qualified fill their choices of preferred colleges based on their NEET rank, category, and availability of the seats. The counselling process is completed in numerous rounds.

MCC NEET UG counselling rounds

Round 1
Round 2
Mop-Up round
Stray vacancy round
Special stray vacancy round (Only for deemed universities)

Note - During NEET counselling, after the mop-up round, the remaining vacant seats that could not be filled are shifted to the stray vacancy round. Even after this round, the remaining vacant seats get shifted to the special stray vacancy round.

How do vacant seats arise in MCC counselling?

During the Counselling, students secure their seats based on their NEET rank, however, some seats remain vacant for some reasons. The Vacant seats in MCC NEET UG counselling mean the seats that do not get filled after numerous counseling rounds. This can happen in round 1, round 2, round 3, the mop-up round, and even after the stray vacancy round. Here are the reasons why vacant seats arise:

If a candidate does not report to the allotted college within the stipulated time, the allotted seat remains vacant.
If a candidate reports to the college but did not join the college after admission due to some reason, the seat remains vacant.
If a candidate withdraws their admission after securing seats in the state counselling or study abroad.
If a candidate gets an upgrade for higher preferences, the previously allotted seat remains vacant.
If there is a problem in document verification or technical glitches, the seat remains vacant.
If a candidate’s documents do not match the information during registration, or they cannot submit the required documents, the seat remains vacant.

What happens to vacant seats after each round?

During the NEET UG counselling, some seats that could not be filled for some reason are shifted to the next round of counselling for the students. The eligible students get another chance to secure their admission through vacant seats. Here are the details of what happens to vacant seats after each round:

After round 1 of counselling:

A Candidate who did not get a seat or wanted an upgrade can move to round 2.
The vacant seats are shifted to Round 2.

After round 2:

The Vacant Seats are shifted to the mop-up round.
There is no fresh registration for the All India Quota after round 2; the students who have already registered can participate.

After mop-up round:

The vacant seats are shifted to the stray vacancy round.
In this round, there is no new registration.

What is the stray vacancy round?

During the counselling process, the stray vacancy round is the last round in which students get allotment through vacant seats. Here is what happens in the stray vacancy round:

The candidates who have not registered in previous rounds and did not get any allotted seat are eligible.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) provides the list of the eligible students.
There are no fresh or new registrations allowed in this round.
There is no upgradation or withdrawal allowed in the round, if the seats filled in this round are final.

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Can I get a seat in the stray vacancy round with a low NEET score?

Yes, during the counselling process, the students with low NEET scores often get confused about whether they will get admission in the stray vacancy round. It depends on the seat availability, rank, category, and competition. Here is the detail of what happens in this round with a Low NEET score:

Most deemed and private universities have vacant seats due to higher tuition fees, with low NEET scores, students can get admission.
If a candidate is comfortable with the location and the fees, they may get admission.

What are the ways to track vacant seats?

During the counselling rounds, the Medical Counselling Committee provides complete information about the seat availability on the MCC Official Website www.mcc.nic.in. After every counselling round, it uploads a seat matrix and a list of vacancies. The list has the information related to the availability of seats for various medical and dental colleges in India.

After every round of counselling, the list with available or vacant seats is updated.
The students can check the availability of the seats by college, category, and course.
It is important to keep monitoring the updates for better choices.

What should I do if I see vacant seats after a stray vacancy round?

The students who did not get any seat in the counselling process also have the option to secure a seat in the stray vacancy round. Most of them do not know what to do when they see vacant seats after the final round of counselling, that is, the stray vacancy round. Here is the process that they should follow:

Check the MCC website www.mcc.nic.in to verify seat-related information.
You can contact the college directly if you are interested in a deemed university; contact them through the official website.
Must ensure you are on the stray vacancy round List because admission can only be offered to you after this round.
Be ready with your backup plan if you did not get a seat, consider options of state counselling or MBBS abroad.

How can I increase my chances of getting a vacant seat?

Most of the students make mistakes during the counselling process and lose the chance of getting a seat. Here are some points through which you can increase your chances of getting a vacant seat:

Get yourself registered in Round 1 itself, even if there are low chances of getting a seat; registrations are considered in later rounds, including mop-up and stray vacancy rounds.
Do not skip any round, especially mop-up and stray rounds, because every round gives a chance, and vacant seats get filled in these stages.
Always keep your documents ready because most students lose their seats due to missing documents.
Make a shortlist of colleges according to your preferences and rank, it is necessary to avoid last-minute panics.
Do the choice filling smartly, include deemed and private universities as well as the top colleges.
Keep tracking the notification regularly not to miss out on any important information.

What should I do if I don’t get a seat in any round?

Some of the students do not get a seat in any of the rounds due to their NEET rank, availability of seats, or preferred choices. If a student does not get a seat through counseling, they have few options. Here are the options below:

They can consider state counselling, which offers different cut-offs and allotments.
They can go for Deemed and Private universities, because they may have vacancies, and if you are eligible, you can get a seat.
They can go for study abroad options in top countries like Russia, Georgia, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc.
They can also go for a drop year and prepare again and get a better score for the next year's counselling process.

Can I change my choices if I see vacant seats?

The Medical Counselling Committee gives the students the option to edit, add, or delete their course and college choices before locking their options officially. But this can only be done before choice locking. Here are the points when you could change your choice:

A candidate can change his/her preference during the choice filling window that opens for each round of counselling. During this time, he/she can add a new college or course or rearrange the preference. The option to edit is only available until you click the “Lock Choices”.
A candidate will receive a confirmation slip once he/she lock their choices, these choices are considered final and no changes can be made after locking under MCC NEET UG.

FAQS

Can I apply for the counselling process after round 2?

No, you can not apply because no fresh registration is allowed after round 2; only registered candidates can participate in further rounds.

Is there a separate counselling criterion for the stray vacancy round?

No, there is no separate counselling criteria for the stray vacancy round; the medical counselling committee handles and shares the list of candidates for this round.

Are vacant seats filled based on NEET rank or first-come-first-served?

No, there is no option for first-come-first-served service; vacant seats get filled by the candidates according to their NEET rank.

Can I get a Chance If I didn’t participate in earlier rounds?

No, you can not get a chance if you have skipped the previous rounds and did not register; you need to register in round 1 to keep chances open throughout the counselling process.

What if I did not report to the allotted college?

If you did not report to the allotted college within the stipulated time, your allotted seat will remain vacant and will be shifted to another eligible student.