NEET UG 2026: 411 MBBS seats stay vacant after special stray round
By Kabir SethiEducation Correspondent, Peepals Yuva
Representative image: StockSnap / Pixabay
MCC filled 537 of 948 vacant MBBS seats in the NEET UG 2026 special stray round, leaving 411 empty as colleges ask the Supreme Court to cut the percentile.
What Happened
At the end of NEET UG 2026 counselling, 411 MBBS seats are still empty after the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) held a special stray vacancy round. MCC put 948 vacant MBBS seats into that round, and candidates were placed in 537 of them, according to figures reported on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, and Thursday, 12 November 2026. MCC added the special round on top of the four counselling rounds the Supreme Court had directed. Two medical colleges have meanwhile asked the Supreme Court to lower the NEET UG 2026 qualifying percentile so that more students can be considered for the empty seats. The court has issued notice on that plea but has not ordered any cut.
Key Facts
- Seats offered in the special stray vacancy round: 948 vacant MBBS seats.
- Seats allotted in that round: 537.
- Seats still vacant afterwards: 411.
- MCC sources were quoted as saying that only about 60 to 70 MBBS seats stayed vacant after last year's counselling.
- The special round came after the four rounds directed by the Supreme Court.
- Two medical colleges have petitioned the Supreme Court for a lower NEET UG 2026 qualifying percentile; the court issued notice to the respondents and has not reduced the percentile.
- In October, MCC called a notice circulating online, which claimed the percentile had been reduced, fake.
Why It Matters
Every year the NEET UG counselling process has several stages. MCC runs the All India Quota and central institutions, including deemed universities, and states run their own quota rounds. Seats that stay empty after the regular rounds move to a stray vacancy round, which is meant to be the last chance to fill them. This year MCC ran one more, a special stray vacancy round, and even that left 411 MBBS seats without a student.
The colleges' plea goes to that question. Under the NEET UG 2026 information bulletin, only candidates who reach the qualifying percentile can be considered for admission. The two colleges, represented by senior advocate Shyam Divan, cited a clause of the bulletin's qualifying criteria that they say allows the competent authority to step in and lower the percentile. Their case is that a large number of MBBS seats are going unused. The Supreme Court asked the respondents to answer the plea. Reports say the respondents include the Union government, the Directorate General of Health Services, MCC and the National Medical Commission. Until the court decides, the qualifying percentile stays where it is.
Earlier education-news reports had said that 837 MBBS seats were unfilled after the last regular round, most of them in deemed universities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and connected this to the high fees at those colleges. Those figures and that explanation come from specialist education sites rather than an MCC statement, so they should be read as reported, not official. MCC has not published a breakdown of the 411 remaining seats by college type or state.
Peepals calculation: Of the 948 MBBS seats offered in the special round, 537 were filled, which is about 57% (537 / 948 = 0.566), and 411 were left, about 43% (411 / 948 = 0.434). Set against the 60 to 70 seats said to have stayed vacant last year, this year's 411 is roughly six to seven times as many (411 / 70 = 5.9; 411 / 60 = 6.9). Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Stage | MBBS seats |
|---|---|
| Offered in special stray vacancy round | 948 |
| Allotted in that round | 537 |
| Still vacant after the round | 411 |
| Vacant after last year's counselling (MCC sources) | about 60 to 70 |
Impact
Short-term: Students who did not get a seat this year cannot claim the 411 seats unless the rules change. If the Supreme Court were to allow a lower qualifying percentile, candidates who are now below the cut-off could become eligible for any further round MCC or the states hold, but no such order exists today.
Long-term: Another year of unused MBBS seats will add weight to the debate on how the qualifying percentile, the number of counselling rounds and the fees charged by private and deemed colleges fit together.
Who is affected: NEET UG 2026 candidates who are still without a seat, their families, private and deemed medical colleges with empty seats, MCC and state counselling authorities, and the National Medical Commission.
What to watch next: The Supreme Court is reported to take up the colleges' plea again on Monday, 16 November 2026, when the respondents are expected to reply.
Key Takeaway
After five MCC rounds, including a special stray vacancy round, 411 MBBS seats from NEET UG 2026 remain unfilled, and the only route to filling them now runs through the colleges' Supreme Court plea to lower the qualifying percentile.
Questions and Answers
How many MBBS seats are vacant after the NEET UG 2026 special stray vacancy round?
411. MCC offered 948 vacant MBBS seats in the special round and allotted 537 of them, leaving 411 unfilled.
Has the NEET UG 2026 qualifying percentile been reduced?
No. Two medical colleges have asked the Supreme Court to lower it, and the court has issued notice, but it has not ordered any reduction. In October MCC also called a notice claiming a cut fake.
Can a student below the cut-off still get one of these MBBS seats?
Not under the current rules. Only candidates who meet the qualifying percentile can be admitted, so this would change only if the percentile were lowered and a further round were held.
Is this more than last year?
Yes. MCC sources were quoted as saying about 60 to 70 MBBS seats stayed vacant after last year's counselling, so 411 is roughly six to seven times that figure.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Kabir Sethi, Education CorrespondentCovers Education and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Kabir Sethi
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Kabir Sethi is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
