Maharashtra NEET UG 2026 counselling has entered the online stray vacancy stage for MBBS and BDS seats. The State Common Entrance Test Cell has issued a revised three-round schedule, with the first-round college reporting window running from October 20 to October 21, 2026, up to 5:30 PM.

As of the evening of October 20, the Maharashtra counselling portal said that the state Stray Vacancy Round 1 selection list would be displayed after the MCC stray-round final selection list. MCC's official UG counselling page now says its final result is available, but the Maharashtra portal had not yet displayed a separate Round 1 selection-list link at the time of verification. Candidates should keep checking the state portal rather than rely on an unofficial result link.

Maharashtra NEET UG 2026 stray vacancy dates

Where to check the Maharashtra stray-round result

Candidates should open the Maharashtra NEET UG 2026 counselling portal and check the latest News or Notification section. At the latest check, the page carried a note stating that the Round 1 selection list would be displayed after MCC declared its final stray-round selection list.

MCC's official UG page now displays a notice that its final result is available. This removes the condition mentioned in the state portal note, but candidates should wait for the Maharashtra CET Cell to publish or activate its own selection-list link. The state allotment cannot be confirmed from the MCC result alone.

What selected candidates must do

A candidate allotted a seat in the Maharashtra online stray vacancy round must report physically to the allotted college within the applicable joining window. The official notice requires all original documents and the prescribed fee. The fee may be paid by demand draft or through NEFT/RTGS, subject to the college's instructions.

Round 1 candidates have until October 21 at 5:30 PM to complete joining. The same deadline applies to resignation without penalty. Any cancellation after that time can attract the penalty provided in the information brochure.

The CET Cell has told participating colleges to treat Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days during this compressed counselling period. Candidates should therefore not assume that a holiday will extend a reporting deadline.

Fresh choice filling is compulsory for every stray round

Choices submitted during CAP Round 3 do not carry forward to the stray vacancy process. Eligible candidates had to submit fresh preferences for Round 1, and the Round 1 choices will become invalid before Round 2. The same rule applies again before Round 3.

There is no new registration for these online stray vacancy rounds. Candidates can edit their choices more than once while the relevant window remains open, but no change is permitted after the deadline. The notice also makes joining compulsory after a stray-round allotment, so candidates should list only colleges where they are prepared to take admission.

Who is eligible for the Maharashtra online stray rounds?

The rounds are open to NEET UG 2026-qualified candidates who had already registered for Maharashtra counselling and submitted preferences earlier but were not allotted a seat through CAP Round 3. They must also satisfy the eligibility conditions in Clause 4 of the state information brochure.

Candidates are not eligible if they joined and continue to hold a state counselling seat through Round 3, received a fresh state allotment in Round 3, or joined and hold an All India Quota seat through Round 3. A candidate allotted a seat in Maharashtra Stray Vacancy Round 1 cannot participate in the later state stray rounds. Candidates allotted a seat in the AIQ stray round are also excluded.

What happens next?

Round 2 begins quickly after the Round 1 reporting window. Its seat matrix and fresh preference window are scheduled to open on October 21 and close at 11:00 AM on October 22. The Round 2 selection list is due the same day. Round 3 then runs from October 24 to October 26, which is the final joining date mentioned in the revised notice.

The schedule can still change under directions from MCC, the central or state government, the relevant regulatory authorities or a court. Candidates should check the official Maharashtra CET Cell portal before every deadline.