How to Grab Vacant MBBS Seats After Mop-Up Round MCC Counselling

If you missed out on a seat during the Mop-Up Round of NEET UG 2025, don’t lose hope. MBBS seats can still remain vacant due to non-reporting, withdrawals, or document issues. In 2024, over 1,000 MBBS/BDS seats were filled during Stray Vacancy and Spot Rounds across various states and deemed universities. The final opportunity for admission lies in the MCC Stray Vacancy Round, State-Level Counselling, and Institution-Based Spot Admissions. These rounds are typically conducted between late September and October, both online and offline.

This blog will help you understand how to secure an MBBS seat after the Mop-Up Round, including eligibility criteria, types of counselling, key documents, and critical deadlines.

Quick Highlights

The table below displays the key highlights of securing vacant seats after the mop-up round of MCC counselling.

Reasons for Vacant MBBS Seats

Certain MBBS seats may remain empty due to several reasons, like non-reporting, withdrawals, or document issues, which result in vacant MBBS seats. It is important to understand the common reasons behind these vacancies, as listed below:

Important Dates (Tentative for 2025)

It is a good practice to stay updated on counselling timelines for grabbing vacant MBBS seats. For students’ convenience, the tentative dates for MCC and state-level rounds after the Mop Up Round are provided below.

How Are These Seats Filled?

During the post mop-up round, vacant MBBS seats are filled through counselling stages such as the MCC Stray Vacancy Round, college-level spot admissions, and state stray/spot counselling. Once the MCC mop-up round is over, the remaining seats are then filled:

• Stray Vacancy Round (MCC): The same is conducted online by MCC for all India quota seats, deemed universities, central universities, AIIMS, and JIPMER. Only those who are already registered for this option but are not holding a seat can participate.
• Institution-Level Spot Rounds: Vacant seats are filled, especially in the case of private and deemed universities, via some form of offline counselling on the campus, depending on the availability of seats and NEET scores of the candidates.
• State-Level Stray/Spot Counselling: After MCC rounds, each state medical authority conducts its final rounds for filling 85% of the state quota and private college seats. Generally, these are held offline and may be college-specific.

Eligibility Criteria

Before trying to grab a seat in any post-mop-up counselling, it's important to understand who is eligible and who is not. The criteria differ slightly depending on the type of round that is MCC or state/institutional.

The students are eligible if:

• You are a registered candidate on the MCC portal (from any round).
• You did not get a seat in the Mop-Up Round, or you exited the allotted seat within the allowed time.
• You have a valid NEET 2025 score and meet the minimum qualifying percentile.
• You were allotted a seat earlier, but did not report or had your admission cancelled due to withdrawal.
• You are not holding any MBBS seat in any college under AIQ/Deemed/Central/ESIC/AFMC/AIIMS/JIPMER.

The students are not eligible if:

• You were allotted a seat in Round 2 or Mop-Up and joined the college (your name is in the joined list).
• You are already admitted and continuing in any MBBS course through MCC allotment.
• You were not registered with MCC at all.

How to Register for the MCC Stray Vacancy Round?

The Stray Vacancy Round is organised by MCC to conduct counselling for admissions to fill the vacancies arising after the Mop-Up Round in the following categories: 

• All India Quota (AIQ)
• Deemed Universities
• Central Universities
• AIIMS & JIPMER Institutes

Participate in College-Level Spot Rounds (Deemed/Private)

After the MCC's stray round is over, individual deemed universities or private medical colleges may conduct offline spot counselling to fill any remaining MBBS seats. This is an excellent backup route for students who:

• Did not get allotted any seat through MCC
• Missed the stray round
• Are open to private or deemed institutions

How to Prepare:

• Regularly check the official websites of deemed and private medical colleges for spot round notifications.
• Reach out to the college admission cell via phone or email for clarity on dates, eligibility, and process.

Be ready to:

• Travel to the campus for spot counselling
• Carry all original documents and multiple photocopies
• Bring the full tuition fee (often as a Demand Draft, bank transfer, or cash, depending on the college)

Explore State Quota & Institutional Counselling

MCC conducts counselling for 15% of All India Quota (AIQ) seats and central/deemed universities. However, the remaining 85% of state quota seats are managed independently by individual State Medical Councils. Many states also conduct additional stray or spot rounds after MCC counselling ends, offering another chance to secure an MBBS seat.

Prepare Your Documents and Payment

Whatever may be the mode, one may opt for MCC Stray Round, State Spot Counselling, or Institutional Spot Admissions, and the location should be prepared well in advance for prospective admission.

Suggested Essential Documents:

•  NEET 2025 Admit Card and Scorecard
• Class 10 Marks Card and Passing Certificate
• Class 12 Marks Card and Passing Certificate
• Transfer Certificate of the former institute
• Migration Certificate, that is if one is required to possess it
• Caste/Category Certificate (SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwD, etc.)
• Domicile Certificate (in case of the state quota)
• Valid Photo Identity Card (Aadhar/PAN Card/Passport, etc.)
• Passport-size Photographs (as per specifications)
• Demand Draft/Online Fee Receipt/Cash as per the college instructions

Tips for MBBS students

Getting an MBBS seat after the Mop-Up round depends on how fast you apply, your awareness, and cleanliness. Below are points that you can address to increase your chances: 

• Put daily checks on the MCC and state DME websites for any announcements regarding counselling round dates or any updates about the seat matrix.
• Join all the official NEET counselling groups on Telegram, WhatsApp, and other such applications where alerts and discussions are exchanged, and suggestions from peers are also available.
• Be flexible in college preference, or even location and fee structure. Take any opportunity presented to you, even if it is the unpopular one. 
• Keep at least 3 to 4️ sets of documents prepared so that you can attend multiple offline rounds without encroaching on time delays.
• Stay with Plan B and C ready, keeping your thoughts on private colleges or colleges from another state, where cut-offs might be lower.

Conclusion

There is still a chance for an MBBS seat after the Mop-Up round if you remain fast and stay updated on all the options. Many more opportunities remain through the MCC Stray Vacancy Round, State Spot Counselling, or Institution-level admission. Have all your set of documents ready with you at all times, monitor these official portals every single day for any options that present themselves. With some good planning and timing, your journey toward medical education can still start this year.