AIQ stray vacancy round: how it works and who should participate
The stray vacancy round is MCC’s final stage of NEET UG counselling, filling seats that remain empty after Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3 (mop-up). If you missed allotment in earlier rounds or held out for a better option, the AIQ stray vacancy round is your last chance at seats through central counselling. This guide covers what seats are available, who can participate, how it differs from Round 3, and what rules apply.
The stray round has strict rules: no Float option (Freeze only), compulsory joining, and severe penalties for non-joining (deposit forfeiture plus potential permanent debarment from MCC counselling).
What seats are available in the stray vacancy round
The stray vacancy pool consists of seats that went unfilled after Round 3 processing. In practice, most of these seats come from:
Deemed universities: The largest source of stray vacancies. With 13,939 seats across 88 institutions (in the 2025 cycle), some go unfilled because candidates prefer government colleges or find the fees too high.
Central universities: A few seats at Delhi University colleges, AMU, or IP University may remain.
ESIC: Seats at the 11 ESIC medical colleges sometimes go to stray rounds.
AIIMS/JIPMER campuses: Rare, but possible at newer or less popular campuses.
Government AIQ seats are generally not available in the stray vacancy round. If government AIQ seats remain unfilled after Round 3, they enter the stray round process. Any that still remain after the stray round revert to the respective state governments for filling through state-level stray vacancy rounds. Per a Supreme Court direction from July 2022, no AIQ seats revert before MCC finishes Round 3 and the stray vacancy round.
The stray vacancy pool consists primarily of deemed university seats. Government AIQ seats that survive through Round 3 are rare. If you are targeting only government colleges, the stray round is unlikely to help.
Who can participate
Eligibility for the stray vacancy round:
Candidates who qualified NEET UG for that cycle
Candidates who registered with MCC in earlier rounds but were not allotted, or were allotted but did not join
Candidates who have not already joined a seat through any earlier MCC round (if you joined and froze in Round 1 or 2, you are out)
Candidates who joined in Round 3 are not eligible for the stray vacancy round. Round 3 joining is final.
Whether fresh registration is accepted varies by year. In some cycles, only previously registered candidates can participate; in others, limited fresh registration is allowed. Check the MCC notification for the specific year on mcc.nic.in.
How it differs from Round 3 (mop-up)
Aspect
Round 3 (mop-up)
Stray vacancy round
Seat types available
All MCC seats (govt AIQ, deemed, central, ESIC, AIIMS/JIPMER)
Primarily deemed and central; govt AIQ seats rare
Fresh registration
Required for all candidates
May be limited (check MCC notification)
Float option at reporting
Available
Not available; Freeze only
Joining
Compulsory
Compulsory
Typical timing (2025)
Late September – October
Mid-late October
The most important difference: there is no Float option in the stray vacancy round. If you are allotted a seat, you either Freeze (join permanently) or decline (forfeit deposit and face debarment). There is no “accept and wait for something better.”
Timeline (2025 cycle)
In the 2025 cycle, the stray vacancy round opened on 14 October 2025, with choice filling from 14-17 October. Results and reporting followed in late October.
MCC also conducted a special stray round in November-December 2025 to fill seats that remained vacant even after the standard stray vacancy round. Special stray rounds are not guaranteed every year; MCC announces them based on vacancy counts.
Rules and penalties
Joining is compulsory. If you are allotted a seat in the stray vacancy round and do not report, your security deposit is forfeited. For deemed university registrants, this means losing Rs 2,00,000. Additionally, you may face permanent disqualification from MCC counselling in future cycles (check the specific year’s MCC bulletin for the exact debarment rules).
No Float, no resignation. Once you join in the stray vacancy round, you cannot resign from the seat through MCC. Your admission is final for that academic year.
Only list colleges you will attend. Because joining is compulsory and there is no exit without penalty, be selective in your choice filling. Do not list a college as padding; if allotted, you must report and attend. If there are only 3 colleges you would attend from the stray pool, list only those 3.
Should you participate?
The stray vacancy round suits candidates in specific situations:
You missed allotment in earlier rounds and want any seat through MCC rather than waiting for the next NEET cycle. The stray pool is smaller and the colleges available are mostly deemed (with higher fees), but a seat is a seat.
You want a specific deemed university that had vacancies in previous years’ stray rounds. If you have been watching a particular institution and its pattern shows stray vacancies, this round is your opportunity. Our AIQ cutoff analyzer can show you which colleges had allotments in R3 (indicating they were still filling seats late in the cycle).
Before the stray round, check our cutoff analyzer for colleges that had Round 3 allotments in previous years. Late-round allotments indicate the institution regularly has stray vacancies, making it a realistic target for this round.
You have a state counselling seat as a backup. If you already hold a state counselling seat (and have not exited MCC), you can participate in the stray round and decide based on which allotment is better. Be careful about cross-track rules at this late stage; check both the MCC bulletin and your state’s information brochure for any restrictions.
The stray round does not suit candidates who are unsure about attending deemed universities at their fee levels. The Rs 10-30 lakh per year fee range at deemed institutions is a real financial commitment. If you cannot afford it or are not willing to pay it, do not list those colleges.
Be selective in stray-round choice filling. Since joining is compulsory and there is no exit without penalty, list only colleges you would genuinely attend at their published fee level. This is not the round for padding your list.
FAQ
Can I get a government medical college seat in the stray vacancy round?
It is unlikely. Government AIQ seats that survive through Round 3 are rare, and any that do may revert to state governments after the stray round. The stray vacancy round is primarily a deemed and central university round.
What is the special stray round?
If seats remain vacant after the standard stray vacancy round, MCC may conduct a special stray round. This happened in November-December 2025. The rules are similar to the stray vacancy round (compulsory joining, Freeze only), and the seat pool is even smaller. MCC announces special stray rounds on mcc.nic.in as needed.
If I do not get a seat in the stray round, is my deposit refunded?
Yes. If you registered and participated but were not allotted a seat in any round, your security deposit is refunded in full, typically within 30 days of the final counselling round.
Can I participate in the stray round if I exited MCC in Round 1?
If you took the free exit in Round 1 (did not join), you can register for Round 3 (which requires fresh registration) and potentially participate in the stray round. If you exited after Round 2 (deposit forfeited), you are ineligible for further MCC rounds in that cycle.
How many seats are typically available in the stray vacancy round?
This varies by year and is not published as a fixed number. In previous cycles, stray vacancies have ranged from a few hundred to over a thousand seats, predominantly at deemed universities. The MCC seat matrix before the stray round shows the updated vacancy count.
The All India Quota (AIQ) seat matrix determines exactly how many seats MCC fills at each government medical college in India. Understanding the AIQ seat matrix for NEET UG is the first step to knowing your realistic options outside your home state. This guide explains how the 15% quota is calculated, which institutions are included, how seats are distributed by category, and where to find the official seat matrix each year.
The 15% rule
Every government and corporation medical college in India surrenders 15% of its total sanctioned MBBS intake to the All India Quota. MCC fills these seats through central counselling based on NEET All India Rank, with no domicile restriction.
The arithmetic is straightforward. For a college with 250 sanctioned seats, 15% is 37.5. Since you cannot have half a seat, the number rounds to 37 or 38 depending on the rounding convention MCC applies that year. The remaining 212 or 213 seats stay with the state for state-level counselling.
For a college with 100 seats, 15 go to AIQ and 85 to the state. For a college with 150 seats, 22 or 23 go to AIQ.
This calculation applies only to government and corporation colleges. Private unaided colleges do not contribute to the AIQ pool. Their 15% institutional quota is a separate concept managed by the state counselling authority or the institution itself, depending on the state.
Only government and corporation colleges surrender 15% to the AIQ pool. Private unaided colleges have their own institutional quota, managed by the state or institution, not by MCC. Do not confuse the two.
What the 2025 AIQ seat matrix looked like
The 2025 MCC NEET UG seat matrix included approximately 26,515 total seats across all institution types. The breakdown by institution type:
Institution type
MBBS seats
BDS seats
Total
15% AIQ government college seats
8,159
492
8,651
Deemed universities (88 institutions)
10,649
3,290
13,939
Central universities
1,014
258
1,272
AIIMS + JIPMER + IMS-BHU
2,179
—
2,179
ESIC
446
28
474
Total
~22,447
~4,068
~26,515
The 8,159 MBBS seats in the AIQ government college row represent 15% extracted from government colleges across all states. The remaining 85% of those same colleges are filled by each state’s counselling authority.
AIIMS, JIPMER, and central universities: 100% through MCC
Unlike government colleges where only 15% goes to AIQ, certain institutions have all their seats filled by MCC:
AIIMS: All 17 AIIMS campuses contribute their entire intake to MCC. The 2025 seat matrix had 1,700 MBBS seats across AIIMS, ranging from AIIMS New Delhi (125 seats) to AIIMS Madurai (50 seats).
JIPMER: JIPMER Puducherry (134 MBBS seats) and JIPMER Karaikal (45 MBBS seats) are entirely under MCC. IMS-BHU adds 100 MBBS seats and 63 BDS seats.
Central universities: Delhi University colleges (MAMC with 207, LHMC with 189, UCMS with 144), JNMC-AMU (150), Jamia Millia Islamia (BDS only), and VMMC under IP University. Delhi University colleges split their seats: 85% Delhi quota and 15% AIQ. AMU has a 50-50 split between institutional and open categories.
ESIC: All 11 ESIC medical colleges participate through MCC, contributing 446 MBBS and 28 BDS seats.
How seats are distributed by category
Within the AIQ government college seats, MCC applies central government reservation:
Category
% of AIQ govt seats
Approx. MBBS seats (of 8,159)
Open / UR
40.5%
~3,304
OBC-NCL
27%
~2,203
SC
15%
~1,224
EWS
10%
~816
ST
7.5%
~612
PwD gets 5% horizontal reservation within each category. So within the ~3,304 UR seats, approximately 165 are for PwD candidates; within the ~2,203 OBC-NCL seats, approximately 110 are for PwD; and so on.
AIIMS, JIPMER, ESIC, and central universities follow the same reservation structure. Deemed universities carry no reservation (see our AIQ categories guide for details).
What happens to unfilled AIQ seats
If AIQ seats at a government college go unfilled after MCC completes all its rounds (including stray vacancy), those seats revert to the respective state government. Maharashtra’s 2025 Information Brochure states explicitly that AIQ seats “will not be reverted back to the respective states” during the MCC counselling cycle. Per a Supreme Court direction from July 2022, no AIQ seats revert before MCC finishes its Round 3 and stray vacancy rounds.
For AYUSH courses (BAMS, BUMS, BHMS), the rule differs. The Ayush Admissions Central Counselling Committee (AACCC) fills 15% AIQ seats at government AYUSH colleges, and unfilled AYUSH AIQ seats can revert to the state mid-cycle.
Where to find the official seat matrix
MCC publishes the seat matrix on mcc.nic.in before choice filling opens for each round. The seat matrix is a downloadable PDF or Excel file listing every participating college, its sanctioned intake, category-wise seat distribution, and fee structure. The matrix may be updated between rounds if colleges are added (NMC approved 41 new colleges for 2025-26) or if seat counts change due to NMC inspection outcomes.
Always download the latest seat matrix from mcc.nic.in before each round’s choice filling. The matrix can change between rounds as colleges are added, removed, or have their intake revised.
Our AIQ colleges page tracks 359 colleges from the MCC counselling data. The breakdown: 112 government, 239 private (including deemed through MCC counselling), and 8 classified as deemed. This covers three years of data (2023-2025) across all rounds.
Cross-reference seat matrix numbers with historical closing ranks using our cutoff analyzer. A college with more AIQ seats does not always mean easier admission; competition depends on the institution’s reputation and location.
Year-over-year changes
The AIQ seat matrix grows each year as NMC approves new colleges and increases sanctioned intake at existing ones. In 2025-26, NMC approved approximately 10,650 new MBBS seats across 41 new colleges. India now has approximately 816 medical colleges with about 1,14,550 MBBS seats nationally, of which roughly 26,500 are filled through MCC.
This growth means MCC’s share of seats increases in absolute terms even though the 15% ratio stays the same. More government colleges with more seats means more AIQ seats. The number of deemed university seats under MCC also changes as new deemed institutions are approved or existing ones expand.
The AIQ seat pool grows each year as NMC approves new colleges. In 2025-26 alone, approximately 10,650 new MBBS seats were approved across 41 new colleges. More government colleges mean more AIQ seats, even though the 15% ratio stays fixed.
FAQ
Do private medical colleges contribute seats to the AIQ seat matrix?
No. Private unaided colleges do not surrender 15% to AIQ. Only government and corporation colleges do. Private colleges have a separate 15% institutional quota, but that is administered by the state counselling authority (or the institution), not by MCC.
Can the AIQ seat matrix change between rounds?
Yes. MCC may update the matrix if NMC grants approval to new colleges or revises intake at existing ones during the counselling cycle. Colleges that lose NMC recognition or fail inspection may be removed. Always check the latest matrix on mcc.nic.in before each round’s choice filling.
How does the AIQ seat matrix affect my state quota chances?
The 15% taken for AIQ reduces the seats available in state counselling. A 250-seat government college has roughly 213 seats for the state (85%). This is a fixed formula and does not change based on demand. Your state counselling authority works with the 85% share.
Are there separate seat matrices for MBBS and BDS?
MCC publishes a combined seat matrix that includes both MBBS and BDS seats. The seat matrix PDF or spreadsheet has separate rows or sections for MBBS and BDS at each institution.
Where can I see closing ranks alongside the AIQ seat matrix?
Our AIQ cutoff analyzer shows closing AIR by college, category, seat type, round, and year across 2023-2025 data. Combine the seat matrix information with historical cutoff data to estimate which colleges are realistic targets for your rank.
All India Quota counselling through MCC follows the central government’s reservation policy, not your state’s. If you qualified for NEET UG and plan to participate in MCC counselling, your reservation category for AIQ is determined by the central government’s classification, which can be different from your state-level category. This guide explains the AIQ categories, how they map (or don’t) to state categories, and where reservation applies across different MCC seat types.
The five vertical categories in AIQ
MCC recognizes five vertical reservation categories for All India Quota seats at government colleges, central universities, ESIC, and AIIMS/JIPMER:
Category
Abbreviation
Reservation %
Seats in 2025 (AIQ govt only, ~8,159 MBBS)
Open / Unreserved
UR
40.5%
~3,304
Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer)
OBC-NCL
27%
~2,203
Scheduled Castes
SC
15%
~1,224
Economically Weaker Sections
EWS
10%
~816
Scheduled Tribes
ST
7.5%
~612
These five categories add up to 100% of AIQ government college seats. The percentages follow Article 15(4), Article 15(5), and Article 16(4) of the Indian Constitution, plus the 103rd Constitutional Amendment for EWS.
PwD: the horizontal reservation
Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD, also written PwBD) have a 5% horizontal reservation that cuts across all five vertical categories. This means 5% of UR seats, 5% of OBC-NCL seats, 5% of SC seats, 5% of ST seats, and 5% of EWS seats are set aside for PwD candidates.
To qualify for PwD reservation in MCC counselling, you need:
Minimum 40% benchmark disability
A disability certificate issued by one of MCC’s 16 designated assessment centres across India (not from any other hospital or medical board)
The disability categories recognized under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 include locomotor disability, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and specific learning disabilities, among others. The 5% horizontal reservation was increased from the earlier 3% under this Act.
PwD disability certificates are accepted only from MCC’s 16 designated assessment centres. Certificates from other hospitals or medical boards will be rejected at verification, even if the disability percentage meets the 40% threshold.
In our AIQ cutoff data, PwD cutoffs appear as separate categories: OPEN-PWD, OBC-PWD, SC-PWD, ST-PWD, and EWS-PWD.
The central OBC list versus state OBC lists
This distinction causes the most confusion. For AIQ counselling, MCC uses the central government OBC list maintained by the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). Your state may classify you under a different category entirely.
Concrete examples:
Maharashtra: Categories like VJ (Vimukta Jati), NT-B (Nomadic Tribes B), NT-C, NT-D, and SEBC (Socially and Educationally Backward Classes) exist only in Maharashtra’s state reservation. These categories have no equivalent in AIQ. If your caste appears in the central government OBC list, you participate as OBC-NCL in MCC counselling. If your caste is not on the central list, you participate as UR regardless of your Maharashtra category.
Karnataka: The state uses GM (General Merit), 2A (OBC Group A), 2B (OBC Group B), 3A, 3B, SC, ST, and Category 1. For MCC counselling, a candidate categorized as 2A or 2B in Karnataka would check the central OBC list. If listed, they participate as OBC-NCL; if not, as UR.
The non-creamy layer criterion also differs between state and central definitions. For MCC counselling, you need a Non-Creamy Layer certificate as per the central government’s income threshold (currently Rs 8 lakh per annum). Your state may use a different income limit for its own counselling.
Where these reservations apply
Not all MCC seats carry the same reservation policy. The distribution depends on the institution type:
Institution type
SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS reservation?
PwD reservation?
AIQ seats at government colleges (8,651)
Yes (central policy)
Yes (5% horizontal)
AIIMS campuses (1,700 MBBS)
Yes (central policy)
Yes
JIPMER + IMS-BHU (479 MBBS)
Yes (central policy)
Yes
ESIC (474)
Yes (central policy)
Yes
Central universities (1,272)
Yes (central policy)
Yes
Deemed universities (13,939)
No
No
Deemed universities are the exception. Their 13,939 seats (the single largest block under MCC) carry no SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS/PwD reservation. Admission is on NEET merit, with separate quota types: General/Paid (merit-based), NRI, and minority quotas (Jain or Muslim) at select institutions. If you belong to a reserved category, your reservation gives you no advantage at deemed universities through MCC.
Deemed university seats (13,939 in 2025) carry zero reservation. Your SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS/PwD status provides no advantage there. All candidates compete on NEET merit for General/Paid seats, regardless of category.
Seat types in AIQ cutoff data
Beyond reservation categories, MCC uses seat types that reflect the institutional quota structure. Our cutoff analyzer shows these as separate filters. The 16 seat types in our AIQ data:
Seat type code
Meaning
AI
All India Quota (standard AIQ at government colleges)
OS
Open Seat (AIIMS/JIPMER/Central)
DU
Delhi University quota
IP
IP University quota
AMU
AMU institutional quota
ESI
ESIC quota
CW
Children/Wards of ESIC employees
CW-DU
Children/Wards (Delhi University)
CW-IP
Children/Wards (IP University)
NRI
NRI quota (deemed universities)
NRI-AMU
NRI quota at AMU
FC
Foreign Category
DP
Defence Personnel quota
JMQ
Jain Minority Quota (select deemed)
MMQ
Muslim Minority Quota (select deemed)
PUD
Puducherry quota (JIPMER)
When using our cutoff analyzer, filter by both category (OPEN, OBC, SC, etc.) and seat type (AI, OS, etc.) to find the closing rank relevant to your situation.
Determine your central government category now, before counselling begins. Check the SC, ST, and OBC lists at the relevant ministry websites. If you qualify as OBC-NCL, get a fresh non-creamy layer certificate referencing the central government threshold (Rs 8 lakh per year).
How to determine your MCC category
Step by step:
Check if your caste or community appears in the central government SC list for your state (published by the Ministry of Social Justice). If yes, you are SC.
Check the central government ST list. If listed, you are ST.
Check the central government OBC list maintained by NCBC (ncbc.nic.in). If listed AND your family income is below the non-creamy layer threshold (Rs 8 lakh/year), you are OBC-NCL.
If you do not fall into SC, ST, or OBC-NCL, and your family income is below Rs 8 lakh/year with no agricultural land above 5 acres and no residential flat above 1,000 sq ft, you may qualify for EWS.
If none of the above apply, you are UR (General/Open).
Your state-level category is irrelevant for this determination. A candidate who is NT-D in Maharashtra state counselling may be UR in MCC counselling if NT-D is not on the central OBC list. Both categories are valid simultaneously but apply to different counselling tracks.
FAQ
My caste is OBC in my state but not on the central OBC list. Can I still get OBC-NCL reservation in AIQ?
No. For MCC counselling, only the central government OBC list applies. If your caste is not on that list, you participate as UR (General) in AIQ, even if your state grants you OBC status for state counselling. The two lists are maintained independently.
Check the central government OBC list at ncbc.nic.in before assuming your state-level OBC status applies to MCC counselling. Many state categories (VJ, NT, SEBC in Maharashtra; 2A, 2B in Karnataka) have no equivalent in the central list.
Do I need separate certificates for MCC and state counselling?
Typically yes. MCC requires certificates as per central government format. Your state counselling authority may require state-format certificates. For OBC-NCL, the Non-Creamy Layer certificate for MCC must reference the central government income threshold. Some states accept central-format certificates, but check your state’s specific requirements.
Is there any reservation at deemed universities through MCC?
No. Deemed university seats filled through MCC have no SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS/PwD reservation. All candidates compete on NEET merit for General/Paid seats. NRI and minority quotas (Jain, Muslim) at specific institutions are separate from merit-based reservation.
What is the difference between PwD and PwBD?
PwBD stands for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, which is the legal term under the RPwD Act, 2016. PwD (Persons with Disabilities) is the commonly used abbreviation. In MCC counselling, both terms refer to the same 5% horizontal reservation requiring minimum 40% benchmark disability certified by an MCC-designated centre.
Can an EWS candidate also claim OBC-NCL reservation in AIQ?
No. These are mutually exclusive vertical categories. You participate under one vertical category only. If you qualify as both OBC-NCL and EWS, choose the one that gives you a better chance based on cutoff trends. Generally, OBC-NCL (27% reservation) has more seats than EWS (10%), so OBC-NCL cutoffs are slightly more relaxed.
OBC-NCL reservation (27%) covers nearly three times as many seats as EWS (10%). If you qualify for both, OBC-NCL typically offers better odds. Check recent cutoff trends for your target colleges before deciding which category to register under.
The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) runs All India Quota counselling for NEET UG, filling seats at government colleges, deemed universities, central universities, AIIMS campuses, JIPMER, and ESIC institutions across India. If you qualified NEET UG, MCC counselling is the route to seats outside your home state’s quota, and the only route to deemed and central institution seats.
This guide covers the full MCC NEET UG counselling process: who runs it, what seats are available, how to register, the round structure, choice filling, allotment, and what happens after you get a seat. All data is from the 2025 counselling cycle unless stated otherwise.
Who runs MCC counselling
MCC operates under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The counselling portal is at mcc.nic.in, with the application system at mcc.admissions.nic.in. MCC is not the same as NTA (National Testing Agency), which conducts the NEET exam itself. NTA runs the test; MCC runs the counselling for central seats.
MCC handles only NEET UG counselling for All India Quota and central institutions. State quota counselling (85% of government college seats plus state-level private college seats) is handled separately by each state’s counselling authority. You can register for both MCC and your state’s counselling simultaneously.
Register for both AIQ government and deemed university seats upfront. You can skip deemed colleges during choice filling, but you cannot add deemed registration mid-cycle. The higher deposit is refundable if you are not allotted.
What seats MCC fills
In the 2025 cycle, MCC filled approximately 26,515 seats (MBBS and BDS combined) across five categories of institutions:
Institution type
MBBS seats
BDS seats
Total
15% AIQ at government colleges
8,159
492
8,651
Deemed universities (88 institutions)
10,649
3,290
13,939
Central universities (DU, AMU, BHU, etc.)
1,014
258
1,272
AIIMS + JIPMER + IMS-BHU
2,179
—
2,179
ESIC (11 institutions)
446
28
474
Total
~22,447
~4,068
~26,515
The 15% AIQ seats come from government and corporation medical colleges in every state. For a college with 250 sanctioned seats, 37 or 38 go to AIQ (depending on rounding) and the remaining 212 or 213 stay with the state. Private unaided colleges do not contribute to the AIQ pool.
Deemed universities contribute the largest share of MCC seats: 13,939 across 88 institutions. These are entirely under MCC; no state counselling authority fills deemed university seats. Central universities (MAMC, LHMC, UCMS under Delhi University; JNMC-AMU; Jamia Millia Islamia; VMMC under IP University) contribute 1,272 seats. All 17 AIIMS campuses, both JIPMER campuses (Puducherry and Karaikal), and IMS-BHU together account for 2,179 MBBS seats. ESIC’s 11 medical colleges add 474 seats.
Deemed universities contribute more MCC seats (13,939) than government AIQ (8,651). If your budget permits deemed-level fees, these seats expand your options considerably beyond what government AIQ alone offers.
The round structure
MCC counselling runs in four stages: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 (mop-up), and a stray vacancy round. A special stray round may follow if seats remain. The 2025 cycle ran from late July through December 2025.
Round 1
All registered candidates fill preferences and the system allots seats based on NEET All India Rank and preference order. Round 1 is a free exit round: if you are allotted a seat and decide not to join, your security deposit is refunded in full. No penalty, no consequences beyond losing that seat. This makes Round 1 low-risk; fill as many preferences as you are willing to consider.
Round 1 is your only penalty-free exit. From Round 2 onward, not joining your allotted seat forfeits your security deposit (up to Rs 2,00,000 for deemed seats) and bars you from all remaining MCC rounds that cycle.
If you join your allotted college, you choose one of two options at reporting: Freeze (accept the seat permanently and exit all future MCC rounds) or Float (accept the seat but remain in the pool for upgradation in Round 2). Choosing Float means if a higher-preference seat opens in Round 2, you get upgraded automatically and your Round 1 seat is released.
Round 2
Fresh choice filling is required. Round 1 preferences do not carry forward. Available seats include: seats left from Round 1, seats vacated by candidates who did not join, and seats freed by candidates who were upgraded. Candidates who joined in Round 1 with Float are automatically considered for upgradation.
The exit rules tighten here. If you are allotted a seat in Round 2 and do not join, your security deposit is forfeited and you become ineligible for further MCC rounds in that cycle.
Round 3 (mop-up)
Fresh registration is required, even if you participated in Rounds 1 and 2. Fresh choice filling is also required. Once you join in Round 3, resignation is not permitted. This round fills seats that remained vacant or were vacated after Round 2.
Stray vacancy round
Seats still vacant after Round 3 go to the stray vacancy round. Joining is compulsory if allotted. There is no Float option; Freeze only. Failure to join results in deposit forfeiture and permanent disqualification from MCC counselling. The stray round primarily fills deemed university, central university, ESIC, and AIIMS/JIPMER vacancies. Government AIQ seats that remain unfilled after the stray round revert to the respective state governments.
If seats remain vacant even after the stray round, MCC may conduct a special stray round (one was held in November-December 2025).
MCC counselling timeline (2025 cycle)
Event
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Registration opens
21 July
4 September
29 September
Choice filling opens
22 July
5 September
30 September
Choice filling closes
7 August
15 September
9 October
Result declaration
13 August
17 September
11 October
Reporting window
14-22 August
18-25 September
13-21 October
The stray vacancy round opened on 14 October 2025, with choice filling through 17 October. These are the dates from the 2025 cycle; the 2026 schedule will follow a similar pattern (typically starting 2-4 weeks after NEET results are declared) but exact dates are announced each year on mcc.nic.in.
How to register
Registration happens on mcc.admissions.nic.in. In the 2025 cycle, personal information was auto-fetched from NTA’s database, so you could not modify your details during registration. You choose which seat types to register for (AIQ government, deemed, or both) and pay the corresponding fee.
Seat type
Category
Registration fee
Security deposit
Total
AIQ / Central
UR / EWS
Rs 1,000
Rs 10,000
Rs 11,000
AIQ / Central
SC / ST / OBC-NCL / PwD
Rs 500
Rs 5,000
Rs 5,500
Deemed
All categories
Rs 5,000
Rs 2,00,000
Rs 2,05,000
If you register for both AIQ and deemed seats, you pay one fee at the higher rate (Rs 2,05,000). The registration fee is non-refundable. The security deposit is refundable if you are not allotted a seat or if you exit during Round 1 (free exit).
Documents required at reporting
When you report to your allotted college, bring originals plus photocopies of:
NEET UG admit card and scorecard
Class 10 certificate (date of birth proof)
Class 12 mark sheet and passing certificate
Photo ID (Aadhaar, passport, or equivalent)
Eight passport-sized photographs
MCC allotment letter (downloaded from the portal)
Category-specific documents: SC/ST/OBC-NCL caste certificate from competent authority (OBC-NCL certificate must be current-year, confirming non-creamy layer status), EWS certificate, or PwD disability certificate from one of MCC’s 16 designated assessment centres. Physical reporting is mandatory; proxy reporting was abolished for the 2025 cycle.
Get your category certificates ready well before counselling opens. For OBC-NCL, the non-creamy layer certificate must reference the central government income threshold (Rs 8 lakh per year), be current-year, and be in central format. State-format or expired certificates will be rejected at document verification.
AIQ reservation categories
MCC follows the central government reservation policy for AIQ government college seats, central universities, ESIC, and AIIMS/JIPMER:
Category
Reservation
Scheduled Castes (SC)
15%
Scheduled Tribes (ST)
7.5%
Other Backward Classes – Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL)
27%
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
10%
Open / Unreserved (UR)
40.5%
Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD) have a 5% horizontal reservation across all vertical categories. This means 5% of seats within SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, and UR are reserved for PwD candidates (minimum 40% benchmark disability, certified by an MCC-designated centre).
The OBC list used is the central government OBC list, not your state’s OBC list. Your state-level category (such as VJ, NT-B, NT-C, NT-D in Maharashtra or 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B in Karnataka) has no bearing on MCC counselling. For AIQ, your category is determined entirely by the central government classification.
Deemed universities do not have SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS/PwD reservation. Admission is on merit, with separate NRI and minority (Jain, Muslim) quotas at select institutions. For a full breakdown, see our AIQ categories guide.
How choice filling works
During the choice-filling window, you build an ordered preference list of college-course combinations on the MCC portal. There is no limit on how many choices you can add. You can add, delete, reorder, and rearrange choices freely until the locking deadline.
Near the end of the choice-filling window, MCC opens a choice locking period (typically the last few hours). Once you lock your choices, they cannot be changed. If you do not manually lock your choices before the deadline, the system auto-locks your last saved list.
The allotment algorithm processes candidates in order of NEET All India Rank. For each candidate, it scans the preference list from top to bottom and assigns the first choice that has a vacant seat in the candidate’s eligible category. Higher-ranked candidates are processed first, so if you and another candidate both list the same college as their first choice, the one with the better rank gets it.
Fresh choices are required for each round. Your Round 1 list does not carry forward to Round 2. This is different from some state counselling systems (like Maharashtra, where fresh preferences are also required each round) but matches the pattern candidates should expect: treat each round as a new exercise in preference ordering.
Save your Round 1 preference list offline before it is voided. It serves as a useful starting template when you build your Round 2 list from scratch.
When results are declared, you check your allotment on the MCC portal. If allotted a seat, you must report to the college within the reporting window (typically 7-9 days). At reporting, you submit documents, pay the college fee, and select your willingness option:
Freeze: Accept this seat permanently. You exit all future MCC rounds. Your seat is confirmed.
Float (upgrade willingness): Accept this seat and stay in the pool for the next round. If a higher-preference seat opens, you are automatically upgraded and your current seat is released. If no upgrade happens, you keep this seat.
In Round 1, there is also a free exit option: simply do not join, and your security deposit is refunded. From Round 2 onward, non-joining forfeits your deposit.
The Freeze-vs-Float decision depends on how satisfied you are with your allotment and how much risk you are willing to take. Our AIQ float, freeze, and upgrade guide covers this in detail.
How MCC counselling differs from state counselling
If you are also participating in state counselling (CET Cell in Maharashtra, KEA in Karnataka, or your home state’s authority), note these differences:
No domicile restriction in AIQ. A candidate from Bihar can get an AIQ government seat in Tamil Nadu. State counselling restricts government seats to domicile holders.
Central reservation only. MCC uses SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS. State counselling uses state-specific categories (VJ, NT-B, NT-C, NT-D, SEBC in Maharashtra; GM, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, Category 1 in Karnataka).
Security deposit system. MCC charges a refundable security deposit (Rs 10,000 to Rs 2,00,000). Maharashtra charges a non-refundable registration fee (Rs 1,000 to Rs 6,000) with no separate deposit. Karnataka has its own fee structure.
Deemed universities only through MCC. There is no state counselling route to deemed university seats.
Round 1 free exit in both. Both MCC and Maharashtra state counselling allow free exit after Round 1 with no penalty.
You can register for both MCC and state counselling, participate in both tracks, and choose the better allotment if you receive offers from both. Our AIQ vs state quota guide covers this comparison in depth.
Our data for AIQ colleges
neet2seat tracks 359 medical colleges under All India Quota across 267 cities, with allotment data from 2023, 2024, and 2025. Our database contains 2,381 cutoff summaries covering 10 reservation categories and 16 seat types.
The 359 colleges break down as: 112 government, 239 private (including deemed through MCC), and 8 classified as deemed. Cutoff data covers all three rounds (R1, R2, R3) across three years.
As a reference point: AIIMS New Delhi had a closing AIR of 48 for the OPEN category (OS seat type) in Round 1 of 2025, down from 57 in 2023. You can explore all AIQ closing ranks using our cutoff analyzer for All India Quota.
FAQ
Can I register for MCC counselling and state counselling at the same time?
Yes. Registration with MCC does not affect your state counselling participation, and vice versa. If you receive allotments from both, you choose one and vacate the other within the reporting window. The exception: joining in Round 3 of either track may bar you from further rounds in the other.
Is there a limit on how many choices I can fill in MCC counselling?
No. Fill as many college-course combinations as you want. More choices give you better odds of getting an allotment. You can reorder and modify your list until the locking deadline.
What happens to my security deposit if I am not allotted a seat?
It is refunded in full, typically within 30 days of the final counselling round. The registration fee (Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 depending on category and seat type) is non-refundable regardless.
Do AIQ government college seats have the same fee as state quota seats?
Generally yes. The tuition fee at government medical colleges is set by the state government or fee regulatory authority, and AIQ students pay the same structure as state quota students at the same college. Minor differences exist in some states (for example, Kerala charges Rs 33,500 for AIQ versus Rs 53,865 for state quota at certain government colleges), so check the specific college’s fee notification.
Do unfilled AIQ seats return to the state?
Government AIQ seats that remain unfilled after MCC’s stray vacancy round revert to the state. Maharashtra’s 2025 Information Brochure states that AIQ seats “will not be reverted back to the respective states” during the MCC counselling cycle itself. Per a Supreme Court direction from July 2022, no AIQ seats revert to states before MCC completes its Round 3 and stray rounds.
I have a state-level OBC category (like NT-C in Maharashtra or 3A in Karnataka). What am I in MCC counselling?
Your MCC category depends on whether your specific caste appears in the central government OBC list. If it does, you participate as OBC-NCL in MCC counselling. If it does not, you participate as UR (General). State-level and central-level categories are determined independently.
Get all documents ready before counselling registration opens, not after your allotment
Names must match exactly across NEET application, Aadhaar, SSC, and HSC certificates
Maharashtra reserved category candidates need both Caste Certificate AND Caste Validity Certificate (CVC takes months)
Maharashtra EWS certificate must use state format (Annexure T), not central government format
Why documents matter more than you think
Every year, candidates lose confirmed medical seats because of missing or incorrect documents at the reporting stage. The allotment algorithm does not check your documents; it only looks at your AIR, your preferences, and your category eligibility as declared during registration. Document verification happens at the college after allotment, and that is where problems surface.
Missing documents at verification means losing your seat. Colleges cannot extend deadlines for document issues. The most common casualties: pending Caste Validity Certificates, expired Non-Creamy Layer certificates, and wrong-format EWS certificates.
If your caste validity certificate is pending, or your domicile certificate lists the wrong district, or your EWS certificate is in the central government format instead of the state format, the college cannot complete your admission. Depending on the state and round, this can mean outright cancellation of your seat with no second chance in that round.
The document lists below cover both MCC (central) and state counselling for Maharashtra and Karnataka. Get everything ready before counselling registration opens, not after your first allotment.
Documents required by everyone
These are needed regardless of your category, state, or counselling track:
1. NEET UG admit card and scorecard
Original copies downloaded from the NTA website (neet.ntaonline.in). The scorecard shows your marks, percentile, and All India Rank. Colleges verify your identity and rank against these documents. Keep multiple printed copies; some counselling authorities ask for attested photocopies alongside originals.
2. Class 10 (SSC) certificate and marksheet
Used for date of birth verification. The name on your SSC certificate must match the name on your NEET registration exactly. If there is a discrepancy (a middle name present in one but not the other, a spelling variation), get it corrected before counselling begins. Name mismatches are one of the most common reasons for delays at document verification.
Check your name across all documents now: NEET application, Aadhaar, SSC certificate, HSC certificate. If there is any mismatch, get a correction certificate or affidavit before counselling starts.
3. Class 12 (HSC) certificate and marksheet
Verifies that you passed the qualifying examination with the required subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English) and met the minimum marks threshold. For MBBS admissions in Maharashtra, OPEN/EWS candidates need 50% in PCB combined (150 out of 300), while reserved category candidates need 40% (120/300).
4. Government-issued photo ID
Aadhaar card, PAN card, passport, or driving licence. Must have a clear photograph matching your NEET application photo.
5. Passport-size photographs
At least 8 copies, matching the photo used in your NEET application. Some colleges ask for up to 10. White background, recent (taken within six months of counselling). Do not use photos with different hairstyles, glasses, or backgrounds from your NEET application photo.
6. Nationality certificate or proof
Either a valid Indian passport, or a nationality certificate from the District Magistrate / Additional District Magistrate / Metropolitan Magistrate, or a school leaving certificate indicating Indian nationality. MCC accepts the passport as sufficient proof. Some states additionally require a separate nationality certificate.
7. Allotment letter
Downloaded from the counselling portal (mcc.nic.in for MCC, mahacet.org for Maharashtra, kea.kar.nic.in for Karnataka) after seat allotment. This is generated automatically when results are published. Print it before reporting.
8. Medical fitness certificate
Issued by a registered medical practitioner, confirming you are physically fit to undergo the medical course. Maharashtra provides a specific proforma (Annexure H in the Information Brochure). Some colleges conduct their own medical examination during reporting, but the certificate is still required as a baseline.
Documents for state quota seats
Domicile certificate
Required for state quota seats (the 85% filled by state counselling authorities). Not required for AIQ seats under MCC.
In Maharashtra, the domicile certificate is issued by the District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate, or Metropolitan Magistrate. It confirms that you are a permanent resident of Maharashtra. Processing time varies: urban districts like Mumbai and Pune typically take 2 to 4 weeks, while rural districts can take longer.
In Karnataka, the domicile requirement is fulfilled through the study certificate or the Karnataka CET (KCET) eligibility certificate, depending on the category. Karnataka does not issue a separate “domicile certificate” in the same format as Maharashtra.
Start your domicile certificate application as soon as your NEET result is out. It is the single most common document that candidates scramble to obtain at the last minute.
SSC and HSC institution certificates
For state quota, you typically need to have passed SSC and HSC from institutions within that state. Maharashtra requires both SSC and HSC from Maharashtra institutions (with specific exceptions for children of government employees posted outside the state). Karnataka requires candidates to have studied in Karnataka for a specified number of years (7 years for government seats, specific study requirements for private college state quota).
Documents for reserved category candidates
Caste certificate
Issued by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Executive Magistrate, or Metropolitan Magistrate in your state. Must state that your caste is recognized under the relevant category in your state. This is the base document for all constitutional reservation claims.
Caste validity certificate (CVC)
This is different from the caste certificate, and Maharashtra requires both. The CVC is issued by the Divisional Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee of the respective Divisional Social Welfare Office. For SC candidates in Maharashtra, this comes from one of six divisional offices: Konkan, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad (now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Amravati, or Nagpur. For ST candidates, it comes from the Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee of the respective region.
The CVC process can take months. If you are a reserved category candidate in Maharashtra and do not have your CVC yet, treat it as an emergency. Without it at verification, you are automatically treated as Open category and may lose your seat.
The CVC process can take months. Some candidates apply in Class 11 and receive it by Class 12. If you are a reserved category candidate and do not have your CVC yet, treat it as an emergency.
Without the CVC at document verification in Maharashtra, you are automatically treated as an Open category candidate. If your AIR does not qualify under Open, you lose the seat entirely.
Non-Creamy Layer certificate (NCL)
Required for OBC, VJ (DT-A), NT-B, NT-C, NT-D, SEBC, and SBC candidates in Maharashtra. Required for OBC (2A, 2B, 3A, 3B) candidates in Karnataka. Not required for SC and ST candidates.
In Maharashtra, the NCL must be valid up to 31 March 2026 or later. It is issued by the Sub-Divisional Officer, Deputy Collector, or Collector of the district. It must be produced at the time of physical document verification. If you fail to produce it, your reservation claim is denied and you are treated as General/Open category.
In Karnataka, the NCL (called “income and asset certificate” in some contexts) must be current for the academic year. It is issued by the Tahsildar of your taluk.
EWS certificate
Maharashtra requires the state government format EWS certificate (Annexure T of the Information Brochure). Central government format certificates are explicitly not accepted. Check the correct format before applying.
For Economically Weaker Section candidates. In Maharashtra, this must be in the state government format (Annexure T of the Information Brochure), issued for 2025-26 by the appropriate authority. Central government format certificates are explicitly not accepted in Maharashtra. The certificate must confirm that the candidate’s family income is below Rs 8 lakh per annum and that they do not own agricultural land above the specified limit or residential property above the specified area.
In Karnataka, EWS certificates follow the central government format since the Supreme Court mandated a uniform approach for NEET admissions.
Documents for specified quota candidates
Defence category (Maharashtra)
Candidates claiming Defence quota (DEF-1, DEF-2, DEF-3) must produce the relevant defence service certificate as per Annexure C of the Maharashtra IB. DEF-1 is for children of ex-servicemen with MH domicile. DEF-2 is for children of active service personnel with MH domicile. DEF-3 is for children of active personnel transferred to Maharashtra.
PWD certificate
Candidates claiming Person with Disability quota must have a disability certificate issued in 2025 by one of the designated Disability Assessment Boards. Maharashtra lists 16 authorized centres in the Information Brochure, including Safdarjang Hospital (Delhi), AIIPMR Mumbai, Grant GMC Mumbai, and AIIMS Nagpur. Certificates from other medical boards are not accepted for NEET admission purposes.
The candidate must also undergo a medical examination to confirm they are physically fit to undergo the medical course despite their disability. The Medical Board must be satisfied on this point before issuing the certificate.
Hilly Area certificate (Maharashtra only)
For the 3% HA reservation at government/corporation medical colleges in Maharashtra. The certificate must confirm residence in the specified hilly areas as per the MH government notification.
Orphan certificate (Maharashtra)
Issued by the Women and Child Welfare Department. For the 1% orphan reservation.
MKB certificate (Maharashtra)
For the Maharashtra-Karnataka Border area quota. Certificate as per Annexure E of the Information Brochure.
HK region certificate (Karnataka)
For the Hyderabad-Karnataka region reservation. Candidates must produce the relevant certificate confirming they belong to the HK region (now Kalyana-Karnataka).
Documents for NRI/OCI/OMS candidates
Candidates applying through institutional quota (15% at private colleges) on an all-India basis, including NRI, OCI, and Out-of-Maharashtra/Out-of-State candidates, need additional documents:
NRI: Valid passport showing NRI status, NRI sponsor relationship certificate, NRI sponsor’s passport and visa copies, bank statements or income proof of the NRI sponsor
OCI: OCI card (must be obtained before 4 March 2021 for Maharashtra eligibility per Supreme Court order). Plus SSC and HSC from Maharashtra and MH domicile.
OMS (Out of Maharashtra State): No domicile certificate needed, but must have NEET qualification and meet institutional quota eligibility requirements.
Minority institution documents
If you are seeking admission to a minority institution (Jain, Muslim, Christian, Gujarati, Sindhi, or Hindi linguistic minority colleges in Maharashtra), you need to prove your minority status. Acceptable documents:
School leaving certificate stating your minority community membership
Certificate from a religious institution confirming your community
Affidavit stating your minority community membership
For Hindi linguistic minority: the school leaving certificate must state that your mother tongue is Hindi, or you need a certificate from the Head Master/Principal of your school confirming this, along with an affidavit.
Document verification timeline
In both MCC and state counselling, document verification happens at the allotted college during the reporting window. The typical sequence:
Allotment result published online
Download allotment letter from the portal
Report in person to the allotted college within the prescribed window (usually 3 to 5 days)
College staff verify all original documents against the data in your registration
If everything matches, you complete admission formalities (fee payment, original document submission)
If documents are missing or mismatched, the college cannot complete admission. Depending on the issue, you may get time to correct it (minor mismatches) or your allotment may be cancelled (major issues like wrong category claim or missing CVC)
You must appear in person. Proxy reporting (sending someone else on your behalf) is not allowed in either MCC or state counselling.
Common problems and how to avoid them
Name mismatch across documents. Your name on the NEET application, Aadhaar, SSC certificate, and HSC certificate must all match. Even minor discrepancies (middle name present in one, absent in another; “Mohammad” vs “Mohammed”) can cause delays. If you spot a mismatch, get an affidavit or correction certificate before counselling starts.
Caste validity certificate not ready. The CVC is the most time-consuming document for reserved category candidates in Maharashtra. The Divisional Scrutiny Committee processes hundreds of applications, and delays are common. Apply as early as possible. If your CVC is pending during counselling, you participate as Open category and switch to reserved category only if the CVC arrives before the verification deadline.
NCL certificate expired. The Non-Creamy Layer certificate has a validity period. Maharashtra requires it to be valid up to 31 March 2026 or later for the 2025-26 cycle. An expired NCL is treated as no NCL, which means your reservation claim is denied.
Wrong format EWS certificate. Maharashtra requires the state government format. Using the central government format will result in your EWS claim being rejected. Check Annexure T of the Maharashtra Information Brochure for the correct format before applying.
PWD certificate from unauthorized centre. Only certificates from the 16 designated Disability Assessment Boards are accepted for NEET admission in Maharashtra. A certificate from your local government hospital, however valid for other purposes, will not be accepted here.
Carry originals plus at least two sets of self-attested photocopies of every document. Some colleges ask for three sets. Get these ready in advance.
Not carrying attested photocopies. Most colleges ask for one or two sets of attested photocopies of every original document. Get these ready in advance. Running to a photocopier while the verification queue moves forward wastes time you may not have.
Checklist by counselling track
MCC (All India Quota) reporting
NEET UG admit card and scorecard (original + 2 copies)
Allotment letter from mcc.nic.in
Class 10 certificate and marksheet
Class 12 certificate and marksheet
8 passport-size photographs
Government photo ID (Aadhaar/PAN/passport)
Category/caste certificate (if applicable)
PWD certificate from designated board (if applicable)
OCI/NRI documentation (if applicable)
Gap year affidavit (if applicable)
Provisional allotment letter
Maharashtra CET Cell reporting (additional to above)
Domicile certificate (state quota only)
Caste validity certificate (reserved categories)
Non-Creamy Layer certificate valid up to 31/3/2026 (OBC, VJ, NT-B/C/D, SEBC)
EWS certificate in state government format (EWS candidates)
Defence certificate per Annexure C (DEF candidates)
Hilly Area certificate per Annexure F (HA candidates)
MKB certificate per Annexure E (MKB candidates)
Orphan certificate from Women and Child Welfare Dept (Orphan candidates)
Minority status proof (minority institution applicants)
Medical fitness certificate per Annexure H proforma
Transfer orders (children of govt employees posted outside MH)
Karnataka KEA reporting (additional to MCC list)
Study certificate / eligibility certificate for Karnataka
Caste/income certificate from Tahsildar (reserved categories)
HK region certificate (Hyderabad-Karnataka candidates)
Rural study certificate (if claiming rural quota)
Kannada medium study certificate (if applicable)
FAQ
Can I submit documents online or do I need to go in person?
Initial document uploading happens online during registration (both MCC and state counselling accept scanned copies at registration). But physical verification of original documents happens in person at the allotted college. You cannot skip the in-person step.
What if my caste validity certificate is delayed?
In Maharashtra, you are treated as an Open category candidate during allotment. If the CVC arrives before the document verification deadline of a subsequent round, you can present it then and claim your reserved category seat. If it never arrives during the current admission cycle, your reservation claim is void for that year.
Do I need a domicile certificate for AIQ seats?
No. All India Quota seats under MCC are open to candidates from any state. Domicile certificates are required only for state quota seats (the 85% filled by state counselling authorities). However, if you are applying for state counselling in addition to MCC, you will need the domicile certificate for the state counselling track.
My name is slightly different on my Aadhaar and SSC certificate. Will this be a problem?
Potentially yes. Get it corrected before counselling starts. If correction is not possible in time, carry an affidavit explaining the discrepancy, along with any supporting documents (gazette notification for name change, school records showing both versions). This does not guarantee acceptance, but it helps.
How many copies of each document should I carry?
Carry the originals plus at least two sets of self-attested photocopies. Some colleges ask for three sets. Self-attestation means signing each photocopy yourself. Some colleges may additionally require attestation by a gazetted officer; check the specific reporting instructions in your allotment letter.
Two parallel tracks: MCC fills ~26,500 central seats (AIQ, deemed, AIIMS, ESIC); state authorities fill the 85% state quota
Register for both MCC and state counselling simultaneously; choose one if allotted in both
Round 1 is free exit in both tracks: fill preferences aggressively, no penalty for not reporting
6-step process: register, fill choices, lock preferences, allotment, report to college, pay fees
Two parallel tracks: central and state
The NEET counselling process for 2026 runs on two separate tracks that operate simultaneously. The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), handles central counselling. Each state has its own counselling authority for the remaining seats. Understanding this NEET UG counselling process is the first step toward converting your NEET rank into a medical seat.
MCC fills roughly 26,500 seats across five categories:
15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats in government medical and dental colleges
100% of seats in deemed universities (88 institutions, about 13,900 seats in 2025)
100% of seats in central universities (Delhi University, BHU, AMU, Jamia Millia Islamia, IP University)
All AIIMS and JIPMER campuses
ESIC medical colleges
State counselling authorities fill the other 85% of government college seats, restricted to candidates with domicile in that state. States also handle private college admissions within their borders, though the exact seat split between state quota and management quota varies.
A candidate can register for both MCC and state counselling at the same time. If allotted a seat in both, they must choose one and vacate the other within the reporting window.
The numbers: how many seats, how many candidates
In 2025, 12.36 lakh candidates qualified NEET UG, competing for approximately 1,29,000 MBBS seats. Karnataka and Maharashtra together account for over a fifth of India’s total MBBS capacity.
In 2025, about 22.7 lakh students registered for NEET UG. Of these, 12,36,531 qualified (roughly 56% of those who appeared). They competed for approximately 1,16,000 MBBS seats available at the start of counselling, a number that grew to 1,29,026 by December 2025 as the National Medical Commission approved new colleges and seat increases through the year.
The seat distribution across institution types looks like this:
Institution type
Approximate MBBS seats
Share
Government colleges
55,000 to 58,000
~45%
Private colleges
50,000 to 53,000
~40%
Deemed universities
11,000 to 14,000
~11%
Central institutions (AIIMS, JIPMER, etc.)
4,000 to 5,000
~4%
Karnataka had 13,944 MBBS seats in 2025-26, making it the state with the most seats in the country. Maharashtra had 12,824. Together, these two states account for over a fifth of India’s MBBS capacity.
The six steps of counselling
Whether you go through MCC or state counselling, the process follows the same sequence.
1. Registration
Register on the MCC portal (mcc.nic.in) or your state counselling portal. You enter personal details, your NEET roll number, and upload required documents. You also pay a registration fee and security deposit online.
MCC registration fees for 2025 were Rs 1,000 for General/EWS candidates and Rs 500 for SC/ST/OBC/PwD candidates. Security deposits ranged from Rs 10,000 (government AIQ seats) to Rs 2,00,000 (private/deemed seats).
2. Choice filling
This is the most consequential step. You rank college-and-course combinations in order of preference. You can fill as many or as few choices as you want, and you can rearrange them until the locking deadline.
The order matters: the allotment algorithm assigns you the highest-ranked choice where your AIR meets the cutoff. A poorly ordered preference list can land you in a less preferred college even if your rank qualifies for better options. Our choice filling optimizer helps you build a preference list using three years of actual cutoff data from Maharashtra and Karnataka.
3. Choice locking
Do not rely on auto-lock. Review your preference list carefully and lock it yourself before the deadline. Auto-lock saves the last version, which may not be your intended final order.
Before the deadline, you lock your final preference list. If you forget to lock it manually, the system auto-locks the last saved version. Do not rely on auto-lock; review your list and lock it yourself.
4. Seat allotment
MCC runs the allotment algorithm considering your NEET AIR, your locked preference list, available seats, and your category eligibility. A provisional result is published first. After an objection window, the final result comes out.
You can see what cutoffs looked like in previous years using our cutoff analyzer, which covers all rounds of Maharashtra and Karnataka state counselling from 2023 to 2025.
5. Reporting to the allotted college
You physically go to your allotted college within the reporting window and bring all original documents. The college verifies your documents, conducts a medical fitness check, and processes your admission. No proxy reporting: you must appear in person.
6. Fee payment
Tuition and other fees are paid at the college during reporting. Government college fees in Maharashtra and Karnataka typically range from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 per year. Private colleges charge Rs 5 to 25 lakh per year depending on the institution.
How many rounds, and what happens in each
MCC ran four rounds plus a special stray round in 2025. Most state authorities follow a similar pattern.
Round
What happens
Can you exit freely?
Round 1
Fresh allotment based on your preference list and AIR
Yes. No penalty, full deposit refund.
Round 2
Fresh allotment + upgradation for Round 1 candidates. If you get a higher-preference seat, Round 1 seat is auto-cancelled.
No. Security deposit forfeited if you exit.
Round 3 (Mop-up)
Remaining seats after Rounds 1 and 2
No. Seat is binding after joining.
Stray vacancy
Final vacancies. Joining is compulsory.
No. Non-joining means deposit forfeiture and potential disqualification.
Round 1 is your free option. If you receive an allotment you do not want, simply do not report. Your deposit is refunded and you remain eligible for Round 2. Fill choices aggressively in Round 1.
The free exit in Round 1 is a safety valve. If you receive an allotment you don’t want, you simply don’t report. Your deposit is refunded and you remain eligible for Round 2. This means Round 1 carries almost no risk: fill choices aggressively and see what you get.
The 15/85 seat split: AIQ vs. state quota
In every government medical college, 15% of seats go to the All India Quota (open to candidates from any state, filled by MCC) and 85% stay with the state (restricted to domicile candidates, filled by the state authority).
Private colleges follow different rules. The split varies by state. In many states, private colleges allocate around 50% to state quota, 35% to management quota, and 15% to NRI quota. All seats, including management and NRI quota, require NEET qualification.
Deemed universities are entirely under MCC. No state quota applies to them.
Unfilled AIQ seats after Round 2 historically revert to the respective state quotas, giving state authorities additional seats to fill. In 2025, the MCC information bulletin stated that unfilled AIQ seats revert to state authorities. Whether vacated seats (from resignations after joining) also revert or are filled within the AIQ pool depends on the timing and the specific MCC circular for that year. Check the current year’s MCC bulletin for the exact reversion rules, as they can change between counselling cycles.
Open vs. closed states for private colleges
When people talk about “open” and “closed” states, they mean private college state quota seats specifically. Government college state quota (85%) is always restricted to domicile candidates in every state.
Maharashtra is a closed state: only Maharashtra domicile holders can apply for private medical college seats through the state counselling process. Karnataka is open: candidates from other states can apply for private college seats in Karnataka through KEA counselling.
This distinction matters if you’re from one state but considering private colleges in another. If the target state is open, you can participate in their counselling. If closed, you cannot.
Documents you’ll need
Both MCC and state counselling require the same core documents during reporting:
NEET UG admit card and scorecard (originals)
Allotment letter from the counselling portal
Class 10 certificate and marksheet (for date of birth verification)
Class 12 certificate and marksheet
8 passport-size photographs matching the NEET application photo
Government-issued ID (Aadhaar, PAN, or passport)
Category/caste certificate in the prescribed format (if applicable)
Domicile certificate (for state quota)
Disability certificate (for PwD candidates)
Gap year affidavit (if applicable)
Get all documents ready before counselling registration opens. Domicile and caste certificates take weeks to obtain. Do not wait until after your first allotment.
MCC tightened several rules for the 2025 counselling cycle compared to 2024:
Multiple registrations are now strictly prohibited. Registering more than once results in automatic cancellation and potential debarment.
MCC no longer edits or modifies personal information in registrations. All data is auto-fetched from the NTA database.
In-person reporting is mandatory. Proxy reporting (having someone else report on your behalf) is not allowed.
Resignation after Round 3 joining is no longer possible. Once you join after Round 3, the seat is binding.
Stray round joining is compulsory. Not joining after stray round allotment leads to deposit forfeiture and disqualification from the current year’s counselling.
OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders are now treated at par with Indian citizens for General/Unreserved seats, following a Supreme Court order.
Maharashtra and Karnataka: what our data shows
neet2seat tracks over 407,000 allotment records across Maharashtra (86 colleges) and Karnataka (74 colleges) from 2023 to 2025, covering every round of state counselling.
neet2seat tracks cutoff and allotment data for Maharashtra (86 colleges) and Karnataka (74 colleges) across 2023, 2024, and 2025. Our database has over 407,000 individual allotment records.
In Maharashtra, the state counselling covers government, private, and deemed colleges through the CET Cell. The process typically runs three rounds (Round 1, Round 2, Round 3) plus stray vacancy rounds. Closing AIRs ranged from as low as 10 (a top government college in an early round) to over 13 lakh (the last seats filled in later rounds) in 2025.
In Karnataka, KEA conducts the state counselling. Karnataka had three counselling rounds in 2024 and 2025 (up from two rounds plus a mop-up in 2023). Closing AIRs showed a similar spread.
Can I participate in both MCC and state counselling simultaneously?
Yes. You can register for and participate in both. If you receive allotments from both, you choose one and vacate the other within the specified reporting window.
What if I don’t get any seat in Round 1?
You automatically move to Round 2 with the same registration. No re-registration is needed. Round 2 includes seats vacated by Round 1 candidates who took free exit, plus any new seats added.
Is the security deposit refundable?
It depends on when you exit. In Round 1, you get a full refund if you choose not to report (free exit). After Round 2, the deposit is forfeited if you resign. If you’re never allotted a seat, the deposit is refunded regardless of round.
Do I need a domicile certificate for AIQ seats?
No. AIQ seats under MCC are open to candidates from any state. Domicile certificates are required only for state quota seats (the 85% filled by state counselling authorities).
When should I start preparing documents?
As soon as your NEET result is out. Domicile and caste certificates in particular can take weeks to obtain. Don’t wait until the registration window opens.
What’s the difference between free exit and resignation?
Free exit is available only in Round 1. You simply don’t report to the allotted college, and your deposit is refunded. Resignation is available in Round 2: you give up your seat, but your deposit is forfeited. After Round 3, neither option exists; the seat is binding.
How many counselling rounds are there in NEET?
MCC conducts 4 rounds for All India Quota: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 (mop-up), and a stray vacancy round. State counselling authorities run 2 to 3 regular rounds plus their own mop-up rounds. Maharashtra runs 3 rounds plus a stray vacancy round. Karnataka runs 3 rounds. The total number depends on which tracks you participate in; candidates in both MCC and state counselling may go through 6 to 8 rounds across the full counselling cycle.
How much does NEET counselling cost?
MCC charges a registration fee of Rs 1,000 for General/EWS and Rs 500 for SC/ST/OBC/PwD candidates. A refundable security deposit of Rs 10,000 to Rs 2,00,000 is required depending on the college type. Maharashtra CET Cell charges a registration fee plus a security deposit as per the Information Brochure. Karnataka KEA charges a similar registration fee. The total upfront cost (registration + deposit) ranges from Rs 11,000 to Rs 2,00,000, most of which is refundable if you do not take a seat.
CET Cell runs counselling for 64 colleges (9,070 seats) through mahacet.org; 16 more deemed universities fill seats through MCC
Closed state: only Maharashtra domicile holders qualify for state quota. Non-domicile candidates are limited to the 15% institutional quota at private colleges
Fresh preferences every round: Round 1 choices do not carry forward to Round 2
Status Retention is irrevocable: once submitted, you exit all future rounds permanently
Who runs Maharashtra medical counselling
Maharashtra NEET counselling 2026 is conducted by the Office of the Commissioner, State Common Entrance Test Cell (CET Cell) in Mumbai. The CET Cell process runs under the authority of the Medical Education and Drugs Department, Government of Maharashtra, and follows rules published in the NEET UG Information Brochure issued each year. For the 2025-26 cycle, the brochure was approved on 22 July 2025 and runs to 337 pages of rules, annexures, college lists, and seat matrices.
Everything happens on one portal: mahacet.org. Registration, document uploading, preference filling, allotment results, status retention, and stray vacancy rounds all run through this single website. There is no offline preference form.
Maharashtra is a closed state for private college admissions. Only candidates with Maharashtra domicile (or those exempted under specific rules for children of government employees posted outside the state) can apply for state quota seats. Candidates from other states cannot participate in Maharashtra state counselling, except for the 15% institutional quota at private colleges, which is open on an all-India basis.
How many colleges and seats
According to the 2025 Information Brochure (college list dated 23 July 2025), Maharashtra has 64 MBBS colleges with a combined intake of 9,070 seats. Of these, 41 are government or corporation colleges (5,850 seats) and 23 are private unaided colleges (3,220 seats).
Including deemed universities, Maharashtra has 86 medical colleges with a combined capacity of 12,924 MBBS seats across all admission pathways. The 16 deemed universities fill seats through MCC, not CET Cell.
The state also has 16 deemed universities with MBBS programmes, but these fill seats through MCC (central counselling), not the CET Cell. Including deemed universities, our database tracks 86 medical colleges in Maharashtra with a combined capacity of 12,924 MBBS seats across all admission pathways.
The four largest government colleges each have 250 seats: Grant Government Medical College Mumbai, Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital Mumbai, BJ Government Medical College Pune, and Government Medical College Nagpur. The smallest government colleges (GMC GT and Cama Hospital Mumbai, GMC Parbhani) have 50 seats each.
How seats are distributed
Maharashtra splits its seats across three tracks:
All India Quota (AIQ): 15% of seats in government and corporation MBBS and BDS colleges go to the All India Quota, filled by MCC through central counselling. These are open to candidates from any state. Per the 2025 brochure, AIQ seats from government and corporation medical and dental colleges do not revert back to the state if unfilled.
State quota: 85% of government college seats and 85% of private college seats are filled by the CET Cell from the state merit list. Constitutional reservation, specified reservation, and female reservation all apply to state quota seats.
Institutional quota: 15% of seats in private unaided colleges are institutional quota seats. The CET Cell fills these through CAP rounds on an all-India basis, open to NRI, OCI, and out-of-Maharashtra (OMS) candidates. This is the only route for non-domicile candidates to get a private college seat in Maharashtra through state counselling.
Maharashtra’s reservation structure
Maharashtra has one of the most layered reservation systems in Indian medical admissions. The categories here differ from most other states, so pay close attention if you are comparing across states.
Constitutional reservation (government colleges): 50% of state quota
Category
Reservation
Scheduled Castes and SC converts to Buddhism (SC)
13%
Scheduled Tribes (ST)
7%
Vimukta Jati / DT-A (VJ)
3%
Nomadic Tribes B (NT-B)
2.5%
Nomadic Tribes C (NT-C)
3.5%
Nomadic Tribes D (NT-D)
2%
Other Backward Classes including SBC (OBC)
19%
Total
50%
Constitutional reservation (private unaided colleges): 25% of total intake
Private colleges carry exactly half the government percentages: SC 6.5%, ST 3.5%, VJ 1.5%, NT-B 1.25%, NT-C 1.75%, NT-D 1%, OBC 9.5%. This comes from the Maharashtra Act No. XXX of 2006.
Additional reservations (parallel/specified)
These operate in parallel with constitutional reservation, meaning a candidate can hold both a constitutional category seat and a specified quota seat simultaneously:
SEBC (Socially and Educationally Backward Classes): 10% of available state quota seats, in government and private colleges (excluding minority institutions). This reservation is subject to the outcome of W.P. No. 3468/2024 in the Bombay High Court.
EWS (Economically Weaker Section): 10% of available state quota seats, same scope as SEBC.
Defence (DEF): 5% of intake, maximum 5 seats per government/corporation/government-aided college. Three sub-categories: DEF-1 (ex-service, MH domicile), DEF-2 (active, MH domicile), DEF-3 (active, transferred to MH).
PWD (Persons with Disability): 5% of annual sanctioned intake, per the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016. Constitutional reservation applies within PWD quota seats.
Hilly Area (HA): 3% at government/corporation medical colleges, MBBS only.
Orphan: 1% of available seats. Constitutional reservation applies within orphan quota.
Female: 30% reservation at all colleges under CAP, across all categories. Female candidates fill female quota seats first; after those are exhausted, they compete for general seats on merit.
Specified reservations (DEF, PWD, HA, MKB, Orphan, Female) are allotted before general seats in each round. If specified quota seats go unfilled, they revert to the respective category in the state quota.
Inter-se for unfilled reserved seats
When reserved category seats remain vacant after allotment, Maharashtra uses a three-group inter-se mechanism. Unfilled seats first go to candidates from the same group:
Group I: SC and ST (share unfilled seats between these two)
Group II: VJ and NT-B
Group III: NT-C, NT-D, and OBC (including SBC)
If seats remain vacant after group inter-se, they go to the combined merit list of all reserved categories. If still vacant, they go to the common (open) merit list. SEBC and EWS unfilled seats skip this cascade entirely and revert directly to general category.
Ear-marking
When a reserved category candidate qualifies on open merit, they can choose to take either the open seat or their category seat. If they choose their category seat, one open seat at that college is “ear-marked” for the next eligible candidate from that reserved category. This mechanism prevents reserved category candidates from inadvertently blocking seats for their own community. Ear-marking does not apply to specified reservations.
The round structure
Maharashtra runs three regular CAP (Centralized Admission Process) rounds plus stray vacancy rounds. The structure differs from MCC counselling in one critical way: you fill fresh preferences for every round. Choices from one round do not carry forward to the next (except stray vacancy round choices, which carry forward to subsequent stray rounds).
Unlike MCC, Maharashtra requires fresh preferences for each round. Your Round 1 choices are completely voided before Round 2. Do not assume your earlier preferences carry forward.
Round 1
All registered candidates fill preferences and the software allots seats based on NEET AIR and preference order. If you are allotted a seat, you must report to the college and complete admission formalities (document verification, fee payment, original document submission) within the prescribed window.
If you do not report, your selection stands cancelled and the seat becomes vacant for Round 2. You remain eligible for Round 2 without re-registration. This is effectively a free exit: no penalty, no lost deposit, no consequences beyond losing that particular seat.
Round 1 carries zero risk. Not reporting after allotment is a free exit with no penalty or deposit forfeiture. Fill as many preferences as you are willing to consider.
If you join and are satisfied, you fill the Status Retention Form (more on this below). If you join but want to try for a better seat, you skip Status Retention and fill fresh choices for Round 2.
Status Retention
This is Maharashtra’s equivalent of “freezing” your seat. After joining your Round 1 college, you submit the Status Retention Form (Annexure J in the Information Brochure) to the Dean or Principal of your allotted college within the prescribed window. The form is a physical document, signed by you, your parent or guardian, and the Dean or Principal.
Two rules make Status Retention consequential. First, it is irrevocable and irreversible. Once submitted, you cannot withdraw it under any circumstances. Second, after submitting it, you are removed from consideration for all subsequent rounds of the 2025-26 admission process. Your seat is locked; you are done.
Status Retention is irrevocable. Once submitted, you cannot withdraw it and you are removed from all subsequent rounds. If there is any chance you want a better seat in Round 2, do not submit this form.
There is one exception: a candidate who has submitted Status Retention can still resign from the allotted seat before the prescribed date and become eligible for Round 2. But this effectively means giving up a confirmed seat to re-enter the pool with no guarantee of getting anything better.
Available seats include everything left from Round 1: unallotted seats, seats vacated by candidates who did not join, and seats freed by candidates who joined Round 1 but got upgraded in Round 2.
Candidates who joined during Round 1 and did not fill Status Retention are automatically considered for upgradation. If upgraded, their Round 1 seat is released and allotted to someone else in the same round. If not upgraded, they keep their Round 1 seat.
Fresh preferences are required. Round 1 choices are treated as null and void.
If you are allotted a seat in Round 2 and do not join, you must re-register (and pay the registration fee again) to participate in Round 3.
Round 3
Seats unallotted or vacated from Round 2 are available. Fresh preferences required; all previous preferences are null and void. If allotted a seat in Round 3, joining is mandatory. After Round 3 allotment, you are not eligible for any further state counselling rounds. The CET Cell informs MCC of all candidates allotted in Round 3.
Stray vacancy rounds
After Round 3, if seats remain vacant, the CET Cell conducts online stray vacancy rounds. Only candidates who registered and filled preferences previously but did not receive any allotment through Round 3 are eligible. Candidates who joined in any earlier round are not eligible. No new registrations are accepted for stray rounds. Fresh choices are required (Round 3 choices are voided), but stray round choices carry forward to subsequent stray rounds if any.
There is no institutional-level round for MBBS and BDS seats. All rounds run through the CET Cell’s centralized software, per an NMC circular dated 24 July 2023.
Registration and fees
Registration happens on mahacet.org during two windows: before Round 1, and again before Round 3 (for candidates who need fresh registration). You submit an online application form combined for all institution types (government, corporation, private, minority).
Application type
Fee (non-refundable)
State quota only
Rs 1,000
Institutional quota only
Rs 5,000
Both state and institutional quota
Rs 6,000
After payment, you upload documents online (NEET admit card, scorecard, government ID, domicile certificate, SSC and HSC certificates, category certificates if applicable). Physical document verification happens at the allotted college during reporting.
Eligibility for Maharashtra state quota
The core requirements from the 2025 Information Brochure (Section 4):
Nationality: Indian citizen. OCI cardholders who obtained OCI status before 4 March 2021 and passed 10th and 12th from Maharashtra with MH domicile are eligible (per Supreme Court order in W.P.(C) No. 891/2021, dated 3 February 2023).
Domicile: Maharashtra domicile certificate required (except for institutional quota, defence, and MKB candidates).
SSC: Must have passed SSC (10th) from an institution in Maharashtra.
HSC: Must have passed HSC (12th) from an institution in Maharashtra with English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.
HSC marks: OPEN and EWS candidates need minimum 50% in PCB combined (150/300). Constitutional reservation, SEBC, and PWD candidates from reserved categories need 40% (120/300). PWD candidates in General category need 45% (135/300).
Age: Born on or before 31 December 2008.
NEET percentile: OPEN and EWS need 50th percentile. Reserved categories and SEBC need 40th percentile. PWD in General need 45th percentile.
Exceptions exist for children of Maharashtra government employees posted outside the state, children of central government employees transferred to Maharashtra, and defence personnel with MH domicile posted elsewhere. These candidates can have their SSC/HSC from outside Maharashtra. Details are in Sections 4.7 and 4.8 of the brochure.
Fee structure
Government and corporation college MBBS fees for 2025-26, per the brochure:
Fee component
Amount per year
Tuition fee
Rs 1,52,100
Development fee
Rs 5,000
Gymkhana fee
Rs 500
Hostel fee
Rs 4,000
Library fee
Rs 1,000
One-time fees at admission: Rs 1,500 admission fee and Rs 2,000 library deposit.
Total first-year cost at a government MBBS college in Maharashtra comes to about Rs 1,65,100. Subsequent years are roughly Rs 1,62,600.
Private college fees are set by the Fee Regulating Authority of Maharashtra (mahafra.org) and vary widely by institution. The brochure does not list private college fee amounts; it directs candidates to check each college’s website or the FRA portal. Based on publicly available FRA data from recent years, private MBBS fees in Maharashtra typically range from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh per year, though some institutions charge more.
Backward class candidates selected on open merit are eligible for freeship and scholarship schemes. The MAHADBT portal (mahadbtmahait.gov.in) handles applications for post-matric scholarships, the Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Shulk Shishyavrutti scheme (for OPEN/EWS candidates with family income below Rs 8 lakh), and minority scholarship schemes.
What our data shows for Maharashtra
neet2seat tracks 244,015 Maharashtra allotment records across 2023, 2024, and 2025, covering 86 colleges and every round of state counselling.
neet2seat tracks allotment data for 86 Maharashtra medical colleges across 2023, 2024, and 2025. Our database contains 244,015 Maharashtra allotment records across these three years, covering every round of state counselling.
In 2025 specifically, Maharashtra state counselling processed 97,011 records across three rounds (R1, R2, R3), with 30,988 candidates receiving final allotments at 95 distinct colleges. AIR ranks ranged from 10 (top seats in Round 1) to over 13,19,000 (last seats filled in Round 3).
Closing AIRs for OPEN category at the most competitive government colleges in 2025 (final round, excluding sub-quotas):
College
Closing AIR (2025)
Closing AIR (2024)
Closing AIR (2023)
Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai
2,571
3,689
3,331
Lokmanya Tilak Municipal MC, Sion, Mumbai
6,033
9,357
8,379
BJ Government Medical College, Pune
8,634
5,595
7,716
Government Medical College (Grant), Mumbai
9,433
9,264
10,416
GMC Nagpur
11,360
12,700
15,077
Some patterns from the three-year data: Seth GS/KEM tightened significantly in 2025 (closing at AIR 2,571, down from 3,689 in 2024). GMC Nagpur has tightened steadily year over year. BJ Medical Pune fluctuates: it closed at 5,595 in 2024 but loosened to 8,634 in 2025. These shifts reflect changes in candidate preference patterns and seat availability each year, not necessarily changes in college quality.
You can explore this data in detail using our Maharashtra cutoff analyzer, which lets you filter by college, category, round, and year. For a quick look at where your rank might land you, try the college predictor.
How Maharashtra state counselling differs from MCC
If you are also participating in MCC (All India Quota) counselling, note these differences in the Maharashtra state process:
Fresh choices every round. MCC carries forward your original preference list across rounds. Maharashtra requires fresh preferences for each round. Round 1 choices are voided before Round 2, Round 2 choices are voided before Round 3.
Status Retention vs. Freeze. MCC uses Freeze (keep current seat, no upgradation) and Float (stay in pool for upgradation). Maharashtra uses Status Retention (irrevocable exit from all future rounds). The consequence is sharper: in MCC, freezing still keeps you enrolled in the system through subsequent rounds. In Maharashtra, Status Retention removes you entirely.
No deposit system. MCC charges a refundable security deposit (Rs 10,000 to Rs 2,00,000). Maharashtra charges a non-refundable registration fee (Rs 1,000 to Rs 6,000) and you pay college fees directly at reporting. There is no separate security deposit to forfeit or refund.
Maharashtra-specific categories. VJ (Vimukta Jati), NT-B, NT-C, NT-D, and SEBC are Maharashtra categories with no direct equivalent in MCC counselling.
Round 3 is binding. In Maharashtra, if you are allotted a seat in Round 3, joining is mandatory and you are barred from subsequent state counselling rounds. MCC’s mop-up round has similar rules, but the terminology and timeline differ.
Common mistakes
Based on patterns we see in the data and recurring questions from candidates:
Not filling enough preferences in early rounds. Since each round requires fresh preferences and Round 1 carries no risk (you can simply not report), there is no reason to be conservative. Fill as many preferences as you are willing to consider. You can always decline by not joining.
Confusing Status Retention with MCC’s Freeze option. They are not the same. Status Retention in Maharashtra pulls you out of the process entirely. If there is any chance you want a better seat in Round 2, do not fill the Status Retention Form.
Missing the re-registration deadline for Round 3. If you were allotted a seat in Round 2 and did not join, you must register again (and pay again) before the Round 3 deadline. Missing this window means you are out of the process.
Not having category certificates ready. Maharashtra requires the Caste Validity Certificate (not just the caste certificate) and the Non-Creamy Layer certificate at document verification. These take time to obtain. If you fail to produce them, you are automatically treated as an Open category candidate, which can mean losing your seat entirely if your rank does not qualify under Open.
If you belong to a reserved category, start your Caste Validity Certificate and Non-Creamy Layer certificate applications now. These documents take weeks to process. Without them at verification, you will be treated as Open category and may lose your seat.
FAQ
Can I participate in both MCC and Maharashtra CET Cell counselling?
Yes. Register separately for each. If you receive allotments from both, you choose one and vacate the other within the reporting window.
I am from another state. Can I get a private medical college seat in Maharashtra?
Only through the 15% institutional quota at private unaided colleges, which the CET Cell fills on an all-India basis through CAP rounds. You cannot apply for state quota (85%) seats at private colleges. Maharashtra is a closed state.
What if I join in Round 1 but want to try for a better seat in Round 2?
Do not fill the Status Retention Form. Fill fresh preferences for Round 2 instead. If upgraded, your Round 1 seat is automatically released. If not upgraded, you keep your Round 1 seat. There is no risk to trying, as long as you skip Status Retention.
Is there a fee penalty for not joining after Round 1 allotment?
No. Not reporting after Round 1 is treated as a free exit. Your registration fee (Rs 1,000 to Rs 6,000) is non-refundable regardless, but there is no additional penalty or deposit forfeiture.
When does the CET Cell publish the seat matrix?
The seat matrix (college-wise distribution of seats by category) is published on mahacet.org before preference filling opens for each round. The exact date is announced in the schedule notification. It typically comes out after the provisional merit list is published and the document verification window closes.
Do SEBC and EWS unfilled seats go through inter-se?
No. Unlike constitutional reservation categories (SC, ST, VJ, NT-B, NT-C, NT-D, OBC), unfilled SEBC and EWS seats revert directly to general category. They do not participate in the three-group inter-se mechanism.
What is the Non-Creamy Layer certificate requirement?
Candidates from DT-A (VJ), NT-B, NT-C, NT-D, SEBC, and OBC (including SBC) must produce a Non-Creamy Layer certificate valid up to 31 March 2026 or later. This must be submitted at physical document verification. Without it, you are treated as an Open category candidate. SC and ST candidates are exempt from this requirement.
Can I use a central government format EWS certificate?
The CET Cell requires the state government format EWS certificate (Annexure T of the Information Brochure). Central government format certificates are not accepted for Maharashtra state counselling.
No. The CET Cell explicitly requires the state government format EWS certificate (as given in Annexure T of the Information Brochure). Central government format certificates are not accepted for Maharashtra state counselling.
74 colleges (24 govt, 38 private, 12 deemed) with ~12,400 MBBS seats; fees range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 45 lakh per year
Karnataka is an open state: non-domicile candidates can access private and deemed university seats through KEA
Choice 1/2/3 system after each round: accept-and-exit, accept-and-seek-upgrade, or decline-and-re-enter
48+ category codes from 8 base categories combined with 6 suffixes (G, K, R, H, KH, RH)
KEA runs Karnataka’s medical counselling
Karnataka NEET counselling 2026 is conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), operating from Bengaluru under the Department of Higher Education. KEA fills state quota seats at government colleges (85% of intake), government quota seats at private colleges, and coordinates deemed university admissions within its jurisdiction. The counselling portal is cetonline.karnataka.gov.in.
Karnataka had 74 medical colleges in 2025: 24 government, 38 private, and 12 deemed universities. Our database tracks allotment data across all three categories from 2023 through 2025, covering 45,673 individual records. If you are looking for how Karnataka’s process compares to the central MCC process, see our AIQ vs state quota guide. For Maharashtra’s counselling process, see our CET Cell guide.
Seats: government, private, and deemed
Karnataka’s seat pool is split unevenly across three institution types:
Type
Colleges
Approximate MBBS seats
Government
24
~3,800
Private
38
~6,000
Deemed
12
~2,600
Total
74
~12,400
Unlike Maharashtra where government colleges hold the majority of seats, Karnataka’s private sector accounts for nearly half the total MBBS capacity. The fee range spans Rs 50,000/yr (government) to Rs 45 lakh/yr (management quota at deemed universities).
Unlike Maharashtra where government colleges hold the majority of seats, Karnataka’s private sector accounts for nearly half the total MBBS capacity. This has practical consequences: the fee range across Karnataka colleges spans from Rs 50,000 per year at government colleges to over Rs 25 lakh at private ones and Rs 45 lakh for management quota seats at deemed universities.
The seat split for government colleges follows the standard All India pattern: 15% goes to MCC for All India Quota, 85% stays with KEA. Private colleges contribute their government quota seats to KEA and fill management and NRI quotas separately. Deemed universities allocate roughly 25% of seats as government quota through KEA, with the remaining 75% going through MCC.
Karnataka is an open state
Karnataka allows candidates from any state to apply for private college and deemed university seats through KEA counselling. No domicile certificate is required for these seats. Government state quota seats (85%) remain restricted to Karnataka domicile.
This is the single most consequential structural fact about Karnataka’s medical admissions. Karnataka allows candidates from any state to apply for private college and deemed university seats through KEA counselling. No domicile certificate is required for these seats.
Government college state quota seats (the 85%) remain restricted to Karnataka domicile candidates. But private college seats, which are the majority of Karnataka’s capacity, are open to everyone. This makes Karnataka one of the most popular destinations for out-of-state NEET candidates, particularly from states with fewer colleges or higher cutoffs.
The practical split:
Seat type
Open to non-Karnataka?
Government state quota (85%)
No (Karnataka domicile required)
Government AIQ (15%)
Yes (through MCC)
Private government quota
Primarily Karnataka domicile
Private/management quota
Yes (all India, through KEA)
NRI quota
Yes
Deemed university
Yes (25% via KEA, 75% via MCC)
Non-Karnataka candidates cannot claim reservation in state quota seats. They compete on open merit for available seats and must meet the General/UR eligibility threshold (50th percentile) regardless of their home state category.
Reservation categories: the suffix system
Karnataka’s reservation structure differs from both the central government system and Maharashtra’s system. The state recognizes eight base categories for medical admissions:
GM (General Merit): unreserved, open to all on merit. Roughly half of state quota seats fall under GM after all reservations are applied.
Category 1: the most backward among OBC groups. 4% reservation. Unlike other OBC categories, creamy layer exclusion does not apply to Category 1.
Category 2A: the largest OBC subcategory. 15% reservation. This is the most populated reservation category in Karnataka.
Category 2B: 5% reservation. Smaller candidate pool than 2A, with cutoff ranks often higher (less competitive) than 2A at the same college.
Category 3A: 4% reservation. Includes the Vokkaliga community and related groups.
Category 3B: 4% reservation. Includes the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community and related groups.
SC (Scheduled Castes): 15% reservation. In 2024, Karnataka restructured SC reservation internally into four sub-groups (SC Left, SC Right, Touchable, Others), though the total allocation remains the same for counselling purposes.
ST (Scheduled Tribes): 3% reservation. The smallest reservation category in Karnataka’s medical admissions.
EWS (Economically Weaker Sections): 10% reservation for unreserved category candidates with family income below Rs 8 lakh, applied post the 103rd Constitutional Amendment.
These eight base categories are then combined with a suffix system that creates sub-quotas. Each base category can carry one of six suffixes:
G: General (no additional sub-quota; standard pathway)
K: Kannada medium (studied Classes 1 through 10 in Kannada medium schools)
R: Rural (studied in schools in rural areas of Karnataka)
H: Hyderabad-Karnataka region (from the six HK districts under Article 371J)
KH: Kannada medium + HK region (both criteria must be met)
RH: Rural + HK region (both criteria)
This gives 48 regular category codes (8 bases multiplied by 6 suffixes). On top of these, KEA uses special codes for private college seats (GMP, OPN), minority quotas (MA, MC, ME, MM, MU), religious congregation seats at deemed universities (RC1 through RC8), NRI, PWD, Defence, NCC, and Sports quotas. In total, our database tracks 78 distinct category codes in Karnataka’s allotment data.
In the Karnataka cutoff analyzer, you can filter by any of these category codes to see closing ranks for specific sub-quotas.
The Choice 1 / Choice 2 / Choice 3 system
This is Karnataka’s version of the float/freeze mechanism used in other states. After each round’s allotment, every allotted candidate must pick one of three options within the deadline:
Choice 1: accept and exit
You are satisfied with the allotted seat. You pay the full course fee, download the seat guarantee card, and report to the college. You cannot participate in any subsequent round. This is equivalent to “Freeze” in MCC terminology.
Choice 2: accept and seek upgrade
Choice 2 carries no penalty if you are not upgraded. You keep your Round 1 seat and pay the remaining balance. It is the safe way to seek a better seat while holding your current one.
You accept the allotted seat but want to try for a better seat in Round 2. For seats with course fees exceeding Rs 12 lakh, KEA requires only Rs 12,001 as an advance payment (a 2025 rule change; previously the full course fee was required). SC/ST/Category 1 candidates pay Rs 2,000 as a caution deposit. If upgraded in Round 2, the old seat is released automatically. If not upgraded, you keep the original seat and pay the remaining balance. This is equivalent to “Float.”
A notable advantage of Choice 2: you can cancel your KEA seat before Round 2 results without forfeiting fees, if you received admission elsewhere (for example, through MCC).
Choice 3: decline and re-enter
Choice 3 is the highest-risk option. Your Round 1 seat is permanently forfeited. If you receive no allotment in Round 2, you must pay Rs 1,00,000 (Rs 50,000 for SC/ST) just to stay eligible for the mop-up round.
You reject the allotted seat entirely and re-enter the pool for Round 2. No fee payment or college reporting is required. But this carries real risk: your Round 1 seat is forfeited, and there is no guarantee you will get any seat in Round 2. If you chose Choice 3 in Round 1 and do not receive an allotment in Round 2, you must pay a caution deposit of Rs 1,00,000 (Rs 50,000 for SC/ST) to remain eligible for subsequent rounds.
KEA typically runs three counselling rounds plus an optional stray vacancy round:
Round 1: the largest round. After online registration and in-person document verification, candidates receive a secret key to activate their counselling account. KEA publishes a mock allotment first, allowing candidates to modify their preference list. After the final allotment, candidates select Choice 1, 2, or 3. In 2025, Round 1 filled 8,320 seats.
Round 2: Choice 2 and Choice 3 candidates from Round 1 participate. Choice 2 candidates retain their Round 1 seat while seeking an upgrade. The preference list from Round 1 is generally carried forward. Round 2 is consistently the largest round by allotment count: 9,957 seats in 2025, 8,758 in 2024. Many seats become available because of Choice 1 exits and new seats being added.
Round 3 (Mop-up): fills remaining seats across all college types. KEA opens fresh registration for candidates who did not register earlier. This round is much smaller: 967 seats in 2025, 622 in 2024. At government colleges, only a handful of seats remain by this point; in 2025, just 6 government colleges had GM seats in Round 3, filling 11 total.
Stray vacancy round: conducted in person at the KEA office. Only for candidates who were not allotted any seat in previous rounds. This is the final opportunity.
Fees
The fee structure varies dramatically by seat type. Our database records actual fee amounts from allotment data:
Seat type
Annual fee range (2025)
Average
Government
Rs 50,000 to Rs 6,09,084
~Rs 1,06,911
Private (government quota)
Rs 8,10,535 to Rs 25,15,000
~Rs 14,17,169
Management quota
Rs 25,00,000 to Rs 45,40,750
~Rs 35,87,749
NRI quota
Rs 25,09,350 to Rs 45,40,750
~Rs 36,41,774
The base government MBBS fee in Karnataka is Rs 50,000 per year. SC/ST candidates may pay as little as Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 due to fee exemptions. ESI colleges charge higher: approximately Rs 1,09,350 per year.
Private college fees saw a 10% increase for 2025-26 after the Karnataka government approved the hike. Management and NRI quota fees are set by the Fee Regulatory Committee and can exceed Rs 45 lakh per year at certain deemed universities.
Register online at cetonline.karnataka.gov.in with personal details and NEET particulars.
Upload passport photo, signature, and thumb impression.
Pay the registration fee online.
Attend in-person document verification at KEA or designated centres. Bring all originals plus self-attested photocopies.
After verification, receive a secret key to activate your counselling account.
Fill college preferences in order of priority. No limit on the number of options.
Review the mock allotment and modify preferences if needed.
Lock final preferences before the deadline.
Candidates who already registered for KCET (Karnataka Common Entrance Test, used for engineering admissions) can link their NEET roll number to the existing registration instead of re-registering from scratch.
Domicile qualification for government seats works through multiple pathways: completing Class 10 and 12 from Karnataka schools, or having at least 7 years of schooling in Karnataka, or having a parent who studied at least 7 years in Karnataka with current residency, or having Kannada, Tulu, or Kodava as mother tongue with a parent currently resident in Karnataka. Children of defence personnel who served at least 1 year in Karnataka also qualify.
All candidates must have passed Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English. Minimum age is 17 years as of December 31 of the admission year. The NEET percentile requirements are: General/UR 50th percentile, OBC/SC/ST 40th percentile, PWD 45th percentile.
Compulsory rural service
All candidates admitted to medical courses in Karnataka must complete 1 year of compulsory rural service in government hospitals after finishing MBBS, per the Karnataka Compulsory Service Training Act of 2012. There is no monetary penalty for UG rural service non-compliance (unlike PG, which carries a Rs 50 lakh penalty for a 3-year bond).
Hyderabad-Karnataka region reservation
Article 371(J) of the Constitution, inserted by the 98th Amendment in 2012, grants special reservation to candidates from the Hyderabad-Karnataka (now Kalyana-Karnataka) region. Six districts qualify: Bidar, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir, Koppal, and Ballari. These were part of the erstwhile Hyderabad State under the Nizam and remain among Karnataka’s most economically backward areas.
In medical admissions, 8% of state quota seats across all government colleges statewide are reserved for HK candidates. In colleges located within the HK region, the reservation rises to 70% of state quota seats. This creates a meaningful cutoff advantage, particularly at colleges like Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Kalaburagi.
HK reservation is encoded in the suffix system. A candidate from Kalaburagi district competing under SC category with rural school background would have the code “SCRH” (SC + Rural + HK). The certificate required is the “Article 371(J) Certificate” or “Hyderabad-Karnataka Domicile Certificate” issued by the Tahasildar’s office.
What our data shows
Bangalore Medical College’s Round 1 closing AIR dropped from 3,508 in 2023 to 1,299 in 2025: a 63% tightening in two years. This pattern holds across top-tier government colleges as competition intensifies.
We track allotment data for all 74 Karnataka colleges across 2023, 2024, and 2025. The 2025 dataset alone contains 19,244 allotment records across three rounds.
Top government colleges by closing AIR (GM category, Round 2, 2025)
College
Opening AIR
Closing AIR
Bangalore Medical College, Bengaluru
398
3,025
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College, Bengaluru
3,240
7,669
Mysore Medical College, Mysuru
2,403
8,394
ESIC Medical College, Bengaluru
5,700
12,937
Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubballi
4,941
13,488
Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences
8,509
15,588
Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences, Shivamogga
8,198
21,676
Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences
5,949
21,862
Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences
2,968
23,365
Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalaburagi
3,611
23,671
Year-over-year trends
Cutoffs at top government colleges have tightened consistently over the past three years. Using Round 1 GM closing AIRs for comparison:
College
2023
2024
2025
Bangalore Medical College
3,508
2,154
1,299
Mysore Medical College
8,243
7,069
4,053
KIMS Hubballi
13,106
11,378
8,343
Bangalore Medical College’s R1 closing AIR dropped from 3,508 in 2023 to 1,299 in 2025: a roughly 63% decrease over two years. This pattern holds across the top tier. The data reflects increasing competition for government seats as more candidates target Karnataka specifically because of its open-state status for private colleges, pulling the overall applicant pool up.
The full AIR range in Karnataka 2025 allotment data spans from 22 (the most competitive allotment) to 13,19,086 (the least competitive, typically a management quota seat at a private college). You can explore this data in detail using the Karnataka cutoff analyzer.
Seat type distribution (2025)
Our allotment data breaks down by seat type:
Seat type
Allotments
Share
Government
11,180
58%
Private (government quota)
6,195
32%
Management quota
1,680
9%
NRI quota
189
1%
Management and NRI seats together account for 10% of total allotments but carry fees 20 to 40 times higher than government seats.
How KEA differs from MCC
Beyond the obvious difference in seat pools, several structural differences matter for candidates participating in both tracks:
Choice system vs float/freeze: MCC uses Freeze/Float/Slide with an auto-upgrade mechanism. KEA uses Choice 1/2/3 where the candidate explicitly decides whether to accept, upgrade-seek, or decline. The outcome is similar, but the decision framework is different.
Mock allotment: KEA publishes a mock allotment before the final allotment in Round 1, giving candidates a preview of likely outcomes. MCC does not offer a mock round.
Fresh preference entry: KEA requires preference filling before Round 1 and generally carries it forward. MCC allows preference modification between rounds but within constraints.
Categories: MCC recognizes SC, ST, OBC-NCL, and EWS. KEA recognizes eight base categories with suffix variants, producing 48+ regular codes. A candidate who is OBC-NCL under the central government list might be Category 2A, 2B, 3A, or 3B in Karnataka. The two classifications are independent.
FAQ
Can candidates from other states get government college seats in Karnataka?
Not through state counselling. Government college state quota seats (85%) require Karnataka domicile. Non-Karnataka candidates can only get government seats in Karnataka through the 15% All India Quota via MCC. For private and deemed university seats, Karnataka is open to candidates from all states through KEA counselling.
What is the difference between GM and GMP categories?
GM (General Merit) applies to government college seats. GMP (General Merit Private) applies to private college seats. Both are unreserved and merit-based, but they draw from different seat pools with different fee structures and, in some cases, different eligibility rules for out-of-state candidates.
How does the HK reservation help candidates from those six districts?
HK candidates benefit from two layers. First, 8% of seats across all government colleges statewide are reserved for HK candidates (the H, KH, RH suffix codes). Second, at colleges within the HK region, up to 70% of seats are reserved for HK candidates. This creates significantly lower cutoffs: a candidate from Kalaburagi district might secure a government seat with an AIR that would not qualify under the general pool at the same college.
If I choose Choice 2 and don’t get upgraded, do I lose anything?
No. If you are not upgraded in Round 2, you keep your Round 1 seat. You pay the remaining course fee balance and report to the original college. Choice 2 carries no penalty for non-upgrade. The only risk is the opportunity cost of waiting, since you cannot report to your Round 1 college until Round 2 results are out.
What happens if I choose Choice 3 and don’t get any seat in Round 2?
You must pay a caution deposit of Rs 1,00,000 (Rs 50,000 for SC/ST) to remain eligible for the mop-up round. Your Round 1 seat is permanently forfeited; it goes back into the pool for other candidates. This is why Choice 3 is the highest-risk option: you could end up with no seat and a Rs 1 lakh deposit to pay for continued eligibility.
Are deemed university seats filled through KEA or MCC?
Both. Approximately 25% of deemed university seats are government quota, filled through KEA state counselling. The remaining 75% (management and NRI quotas) go through MCC central counselling. If your target is a specific deemed university in Karnataka, register for both tracks.
Do cutoffs change significantly between Round 1 and Round 2?
Yes, particularly at mid-tier colleges. At the most competitive government colleges, cutoffs in Round 2 are typically within 20% to 40% of Round 1 values (less competitive since the highest-ranked candidates have already locked seats). At private colleges, Round 2 cutoffs can shift substantially as seats vacated by Choice 1 and Choice 3 candidates become available.
Maharashtra recognizes 7 constitutional categories (50% at government colleges), 2 additional categories (SEBC 10%, EWS 10%), and 6 parallel reservation types.
Your Maharashtra category may differ from your central government category. Check the state backward classes list for your specific caste.
Non-Creamy Layer certificates are required for VJ, NT-B, NT-C, NT-D, SEBC, and OBC candidates. SC and ST are exempt.
All category claims must be made in the original application. You cannot add or change after the deadline.
Maharashtra’s category system is not the same as the central government’s
If you have only seen the MCC (All India Quota) counselling categories (SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, General), Maharashtra’s category list will look unfamiliar. The state recognizes seven constitutional reservation categories, two additional reservation categories, and six specified (parallel) reservation types. These categories determine which seats you can compete for, what cutoffs apply to you, and which documents you need.
Your central government category (for MCC counselling) and your Maharashtra state category (for CET Cell counselling) are determined by different lists. Some castes appear on both, some only on one. You could be OBC centrally and NT-C in Maharashtra, or vice versa. Check your specific caste against the Maharashtra backward classes list independently.
This guide covers every category used in Maharashtra NEET UG state counselling, based on the 2025 Information Brochure issued by the CET Cell and the reservation rules in Annexure B. If you are looking for Karnataka categories, see our Karnataka categories guide.
Constitutional reservation categories: 50% at government colleges
These seven categories account for 50% of state quota seats at government and corporation medical colleges in Maharashtra. At private unaided colleges, the same seven categories share 25% of total intake (exactly half the government percentages).
SC (Scheduled Castes and SC converts to Buddhism): 13% government, 6.5% private
Maharashtra’s SC reservation includes both Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Caste converts to Buddhism (Nav-Baudh). Maharashtra has a large Buddhist population (mostly Ambedkarite conversions), which is why Nav-Baudh are included under SC rather than as a separate category. The state percentage (13%) is lower than the central government’s 15% for SC at AIQ, but the eligible group is broader because it includes Nav-Baudh converts who may not be on the central SC list. No Non-Creamy Layer certificate is required for SC candidates. Caste certificate and Caste Validity Certificate (CVC) from the Divisional Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee are required.
ST (Scheduled Tribes): 7% government, 3.5% private
Includes Scheduled Tribes living both within and outside specified scheduled areas. Same as the national list. Tribe Validity Certificate from the Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee is required (different authority from the SC committee). No Non-Creamy Layer certificate needed.
Vimukta Jati literally means “liberated castes.” These are communities that were classified as “criminal tribes” under British colonial law (the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871) and were “denotified” after independence. The term DT-A (Denotified Tribes Category A) is used interchangeably with VJ. This category has no equivalent in the central government reservation system. For AIQ counselling, VJ candidates may qualify as OBC-NCL if their specific caste is on the central OBC list.
Non-Creamy Layer certificate is required (valid up to 31 March 2026 for the 2025-26 cycle). Caste certificate and CVC also required.
Nomadic Tribes are communities with historically itinerant lifestyles who do not have fixed settlements. Maharashtra divides them into three sub-categories (B, C, D) with separate reservation percentages. NT-B is the first of these. The specific castes in each sub-category are listed in state government notifications. Non-Creamy Layer certificate required.
The second Nomadic Tribes sub-category. Carries a slightly higher reservation percentage than NT-B. In the inter-se mechanism for unfilled seats, NT-C falls in Group III (along with NT-D and OBC), while NT-B falls in Group II (with VJ). This grouping matters when reserved seats go unfilled. Non-Creamy Layer certificate required.
The third Nomadic Tribes sub-category, with the smallest allocation among the three. Falls in Group III for inter-se purposes. Non-Creamy Layer certificate required.
OBC (Other Backward Classes, including SBC): 19% government, 9.5% private
Maharashtra’s OBC reservation at 19% is lower than the central government’s 27%, but the state’s overall 50% constitutional reservation is distributed across seven categories rather than the central government’s three. OBC here includes SBC (Special Backward Classes). SBC candidates are drawn from their parent OBC category; they do not have a separate reservation percentage. Non-Creamy Layer certificate required.
Private college calculation
At private unaided colleges, the total constitutional reservation is 25% (not 50%). The seven category percentages are exactly half the government figures. This comes from Maharashtra Act No. XXX of 2006. The remaining 75% includes open merit seats, institutional quota (15% on all-India basis), and female reservation.
Additional reservation categories
SEBC (Socially and Educationally Backward Classes): 10%
SEBC is a separate 10% reservation applied to available state quota seats at government, government-aided, corporation, and private unaided colleges (excluding minority institutions). It was introduced through a Maharashtra government resolution and is currently subject to the outcome of Writ Petition No. 3468/2024 in the Bombay High Court. If the court strikes it down, these seats revert to general category.
SEBC candidates must claim the category in their online application form. Non-Creamy Layer certificate required. If SEBC seats go unfilled, they revert to general category (they do not participate in the three-group inter-se mechanism that applies to the seven constitutional categories).
EWS (Economically Weaker Sections): 10%
The EWS certificate must be in the Maharashtra state government format (Annexure T of the Information Brochure). Central government format certificates are explicitly rejected. EWS candidates cannot belong to any constitutional reservation category. If you hold SC, ST, VJ, NT, OBC, SEBC, or SBC status, you are not eligible for EWS.
A 10% reservation for economically weaker candidates from the general (unreserved) category, applied to available state quota seats at the same institution types as SEBC. Like SEBC, unfilled EWS seats revert directly to general category without inter-se.
Specified (parallel) reservation categories
These reservations operate in parallel with constitutional reservation. A candidate can simultaneously benefit from a constitutional category (say, SC) and a specified quota (say, Female or PWD). The seat is coded with both designations. In our Maharashtra cutoff analyzer, you will see compound categories like “SCW” (SC Female) or “OPENDEFPH” (Open category, Defence, PWD) reflecting these parallel reservations.
DEF (Defence): 5% of intake, maximum 5 seats per college
Reserved for children of defence personnel at government, corporation, and government-aided colleges only. Three sub-categories:
DEF-1: Children of ex-servicemen with Maharashtra domicile
DEF-2: Children of active service personnel with Maharashtra domicile
DEF-3: Children of active service personnel transferred to Maharashtra
If defence seats in one sub-category go unfilled, they transfer to the other two sub-categories by inter-se merit. The minimum eligibility for defence quota is the same as for open merit candidates. Defence quota is a specified reservation, so these seats are allotted before general seats in each round.
PWD (Persons with Disability): 5% of sanctioned intake
Under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, 5% of seats are reserved for candidates with benchmark disabilities. Constitutional reservation applies within PWD quota seats (so there are PWD-SC, PWD-ST, PWD-OBC seats, etc.). The disability certificate must be from one of the 16 designated Disability Assessment Boards listed in the Information Brochure and must be issued in 2025. Certificates from other medical boards are not accepted.
Unfilled PWD seats revert to the respective constitutional category in the state quota. No fresh preferences are called; the reverted seats are added to the seat matrix and allotted based on existing preferences.
HA (Hilly Area): 3% at government/corporation MBBS colleges only
Reserved for candidates from designated hilly areas in Maharashtra. Only applies to government and corporation medical colleges, and only for the MBBS course. Constitutional reservation and female reservation apply within HA quota. If HA seats go unfilled, they revert to the state quota in the respective category.
Orphan: 1% of available seats
For candidates with orphan status, certified by the Women and Child Welfare Department. Constitutional reservation applies within orphan quota seats. Unfilled orphan seats revert to respective categories.
Female: 30% at all colleges under CAP
The 30% female reservation operates in parallel with constitutional reservation. A seat can be simultaneously coded as SC (constitutional) and Female (specified). The total effective reservation can exceed 50% because of this parallel operation. Female candidates are first allotted female quota seats; after those are exhausted, they compete for general seats on merit.
For residents of the Maharashtra-Karnataka border disputed area. Filled from the state merit list. Unfilled MKB seats revert to Open category since they are carved from it. MKB is allotted before general seats.
How inter-se works for unfilled seats
Maharashtra’s three-group inter-se cascade: Group I (SC and ST share unfilled seats), Group II (VJ and NT-B share), Group III (NT-C, NT-D, and OBC share). If still unfilled after within-group sharing, seats go to combined merit of all reserved categories, then to open merit. SEBC and EWS are excluded from this cascade; their unfilled seats go directly to general category.
The inter-se round runs at the end of each admission process, during Round 3. It is not a separate round that candidates need to register for; it operates on existing preferences.
Ear-marking: when reserved category candidates qualify on open merit
When a reserved category candidate’s NEET AIR qualifies them for an open merit seat, the candidate can choose: take the open seat, or take a seat under their reserved category. If they choose the reserved category seat, one open seat at the college where they would have been admitted on open merit is “ear-marked” for the next eligible candidate from their reserved category.
This prevents a situation where high-ranking reserved category candidates occupy open seats while blocking seats for lower-ranking candidates from their own category. The ear-marked seat is filled immediately in the same round.
Ear-marking applies only to constitutional reservation categories. It does not apply to specified reservations (DEF, PWD, HA, Female, Orphan, MKB).
What our data shows about category cutoffs
Our database tracks allotment data for 86 Maharashtra colleges across 2023, 2024, and 2025, with 41 distinct seat categories (including compound categories from parallel reservations). You can filter cutoffs by any of these categories using the Maharashtra cutoff analyzer.
Some patterns from the data:
The gap between OPEN and reserved category closing AIRs varies widely by college. At the most competitive government colleges (Seth GS/KEM, BJ Pune), the OPEN closing AIR in 2025 was around 2,500 to 8,600. SC closing AIRs at the same colleges were typically 2x to 4x higher (less competitive). At mid-tier government colleges, the OPEN-to-SC gap narrows.
SEBC and EWS closing AIRs tend to fall between OPEN and the constitutional reservation categories, since these candidates must first not qualify under any constitutional category.
Female reservation (the “W” suffix in our data, as in “OPENW” or “SCW”) consistently shows slightly higher closing AIRs than the corresponding non-female category at the same college. The 30% parallel reservation for women means additional seats open up, and these seats tend to close at higher (less competitive) AIRs than the general category equivalent.
Caste certificate + CVC + Non-Creamy Layer certificate (valid up to 31/3/2026)
SEBC
Caste certificate + CVC + Non-Creamy Layer certificate
EWS
EWS certificate in state government format (Annexure T), for 2025-26
DEF
Defence service certificate per Annexure C
PWD
Disability certificate from designated board, issued in 2025
HA
Hilly Area residence certificate per Annexure F
Orphan
Orphan certificate from Women and Child Welfare Dept
MKB
MKB area certificate per Annexure E
All category claims must be made in the original online application form. You cannot add or change your category after the deadline. If you fail to produce required documents at physical verification, you are automatically treated as OPEN category. Start gathering documents the moment your NEET result is out. See our documents guide for the complete checklist.
Non-Creamy Layer: the detail that trips people up
The NCL certificate is required for VJ, NT-B, NT-C, NT-D, SEBC, and OBC (including SBC) candidates. SC and ST are exempt. If your NCL certificate is missing, expired, or in the wrong format at document verification, your reservation claim is denied and you are treated as OPEN. If your AIR does not qualify under OPEN at your allotted college, your admission is cancelled. The Information Brochure states this twice. Verification officers enforce it strictly.
The certificate is issued by the Sub-Divisional Officer, Deputy Collector, or Collector of the district and must be valid up to 31 March 2026 or later. The “creamy layer” concept excludes candidates whose families exceed a certain income or asset threshold from reservation benefits.
FAQ
I am OBC in the central list. Does that automatically make me OBC in Maharashtra?
Not necessarily. The central OBC list and the Maharashtra OBC list are different. Some castes appear on both, some only on one. Your Maharashtra category is determined by Maharashtra state notifications. Check your specific caste against the Maharashtra backward classes list. You could be OBC centrally and NT-C in Maharashtra, or vice versa.
What is the difference between VJ and NT categories?
VJ (Vimukta Jati) comprises communities that were classified as “criminal tribes” under British law and later denotified. NT (Nomadic Tribes) comprises communities with historically nomadic lifestyles. Both are socially marginalized groups, but the historical basis for their classification differs. In the inter-se mechanism, VJ and NT-B form Group II, while NT-C, NT-D, and OBC form Group III.
Can I claim both constitutional reservation and EWS?
No. EWS is specifically for candidates from the general (unreserved) category. If you belong to SC, ST, VJ, NT-B, NT-C, NT-D, OBC, SEBC, or SBC, you are not eligible for EWS reservation. You claim one or the other, not both.
What does “SBC” mean in the context of OBC?
Special Backward Classes (SBC) are a sub-group within OBC. Per Maharashtra Act No. XXX of 2006, SBC candidates are considered from within the OBC reservation quota. They do not have a separate reservation percentage. In practice, SBC candidates compete under the 19% OBC allocation.
Do specified reservations (Female, DEF, PWD) reduce the seats available for constitutional categories?
No. Specified reservations operate in parallel. A seat can be simultaneously coded as SC (constitutional) and Female (specified). The 30% female reservation does not reduce the 13% SC reservation; they overlap. The total effective reservation can exceed 50% because of this parallel operation.
How do I know which categories to filter for in the cutoff analyzer?
Use your constitutional reservation category as the base, and add any specified quota suffix if applicable. For example: OPEN for general merit, SC for Scheduled Caste, OPENW for general merit female, SCW for SC female, OPENDEF for general merit defence. The cutoff analyzer shows all available categories in the filter dropdown for Maharashtra.
Karnataka uses 8 base categories plus a 6-suffix system (G, K, R, H, KH, RH), creating 75+ distinct category codes in allotment data.
The HK region suffix (Article 371J) provides the largest advantage: up to 70% reservation at colleges within the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.
Category 1 is exempt from creamy layer exclusion; Categories 2A through 3B require Non-Creamy Layer with income below Rs 8 lakh.
Your Karnataka state category and central MCC category are independent classifications. Check both lists for your specific caste.
Karnataka’s category system has no equivalent at the central level
If you have seen only the MCC categories (SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, General), Karnataka’s system will look unfamiliar. The state divides backward classes into five numbered groups (Category 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B) instead of a single OBC label. It then layers a suffix system on top, creating separate sub-quotas for rural students, Kannada medium students, and Hyderabad-Karnataka region candidates. The result is over 75 distinct category codes in allotment data.
This guide covers every category used in Karnataka NEET UG state counselling, based on KEA’s counselling documentation and the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission’s classification system. If you are looking for Maharashtra categories, see our Maharashtra categories guide.
Base categories: the eight groups
Karnataka recognizes eight base reservation categories for medical admissions. The stated reservation percentages (Cat 1 at 4%, 2A at 15%, 2B at 5%, 3A at 4%, 3B at 4%, SC at 15%, ST at 3%, plus EWS at 10%) add up to 60% on paper. In practice, not all reservation seats are filled (some revert to GM if no eligible candidates remain), and the effective reservation is closer to 50-55% in a given year. Roughly 40-50% of state quota seats end up going to General Merit candidates.
GM (General Merit): unreserved
Open to all candidates irrespective of caste, religion, or community. Approximately 44% of state quota seats fall under GM after all reservations are applied. GM seats are filled strictly on NEET All India Rank merit. Any candidate, including those from reserved categories, can compete for GM seats. No caste certificate is required. GM is the most competitive category in Karnataka counselling.
In 2025, GM closing AIRs at the top government colleges ranged from 3,025 (Bangalore Medical College, Round 2) to approximately 23,700 (Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, Round 2). At private colleges under government quota, GM cutoffs extended to much higher AIRs
Category 1: most backward OBC group (4%)
Category 1 is unique among Karnataka’s OBC groups: the creamy layer exclusion does not apply. High-income families in Category 1 retain reservation eligibility, whereas families in Categories 2A through 3B with annual income above Rs 8 lakh lose eligibility and must compete under GM. This makes Category 1 the only OBC group with no income ceiling.
Category 1 covers the most socially and educationally backward communities among the Other Backward Classes. It carries a 4% reservation. Candidates must submit a Caste/Income Certificate issued by the jurisdictional Tahasildar. Fee exemption may be available for candidates whose family income is below Rs 2.5 lakh per year.
Category 2A: largest OBC group (15%)
The largest reservation category in Karnataka with 15% of state quota seats. Category 2A covers communities classified as backward under Group 2A by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes. Because of the large allocation and large candidate pool, 2A cutoffs at government colleges can be competitive; at less sought-after institutions, they sometimes approach GM cutoffs.
Non-Creamy Layer Certificate with an RD (Registration Department) number is required. Family annual income must not exceed Rs 8 lakh.
Category 2B: OBC Group B (5%)
A 5% reservation for communities classified under Group 2B. Smaller candidate pool than 2A, which means cutoff ranks for 2B tend to be higher (less competitive) than 2A at the same college. The same documentation applies: Caste Certificate specifying 2B subcategory from the Tahasildar, plus Non-Creamy Layer Certificate with RD number and income below Rs 8 lakh.
Category 3A: OBC Group A (4%)
A 4% reservation covering communities classified under OBC Group 3A. Includes the Vokkaliga community and related groups. Same Non-Creamy Layer documentation requirements as 2A and 2B. The smaller seat allocation means cutoffs vary significantly between colleges: at top government colleges, 3A cutoffs can be close to GM, while at private colleges the gap widens.
Category 3B: OBC Group B (4%)
A 4% reservation for communities classified under OBC Group 3B. Includes the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community and related groups. Cutoff patterns are comparable to 3A. Candidates from 3B communities who fall within the creamy layer (income above Rs 8 lakh) must compete under GM instead.
Note: In 2024, the Karnataka government scrapped a 4% Muslim quota that had previously existed within OBC and redistributed portions to Categories 3A and 3B. The exact impact on seat percentages for the 2025 medical counselling cycle should be confirmed against the current KEA bulletin, as some sources report updated percentages while others continue to show the older figures.
SC (Scheduled Castes): 15%
A 15% reservation covering all communities listed under the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order for Karnataka. No creamy layer criterion applies. In 2024, Karnataka internally restructured SC reservation into four sub-groups (SC Left, SC Right, Touchable, Others), though the total allocation and the counselling process remain functionally the same for most candidates.
Candidates need a Caste/Income Certificate from the Tahasildar. Fee exemption at government colleges may be available for SC candidates with family income below Rs 10 lakh. Vacant SC seats follow the state’s inter-se vacancy filling rules.
ST (Scheduled Tribes): 3%
A 3% reservation for communities listed under the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order for Karnataka. This is the smallest base reservation category. Given the limited allocation, ST seats at popular government colleges fill quickly; candidates should carefully consider their preference order. Caste/Income Certificate from the Tahasildar is required. No creamy layer exclusion. Fee exemptions available as with SC.
EWS (Economically Weaker Sections): 10%
A 10% reservation for economically weaker candidates from the general (unreserved) category, introduced after the 103rd Constitutional Amendment. EWS candidates cannot belong to any of the above reservation categories. Family annual income must be below Rs 8 lakh, with restrictions on agricultural land and residential property ownership.
The EWS certificate follows the format prescribed by the state government, though Karnataka has largely adopted the central government format following Supreme Court guidance on uniform NEET admission standards.
The suffix system: sub-quotas within each category
Karnataka is unique among Indian states in using a suffix-based encoding for sub-quotas. Each of the eight base categories can carry one of six suffixes, and these suffixes determine additional eligibility criteria:
G (General sub-quota)
The default. No additional eligibility beyond the base category requirements. A candidate coded as “SCG” is an SC candidate with no Kannada medium, rural, or HK region advantage. This is the standard pathway.
K (Kannada medium)
Reserved for candidates who completed 10 years of schooling (Classes 1 through 10) in Kannada medium schools recognized by the Karnataka government. Approximately 5% of government seats are allocated for Kannada medium students within each category. A Kannada Medium Study Certificate is required.
A candidate coded as “2AK” is a Category 2A candidate who studied in Kannada medium. Their cutoff is typically different from “2AG” (Category 2A general), often reflecting the smaller competitive pool.
R (Rural)
Reserved for candidates who studied in schools located in rural areas of Karnataka. Approximately 5% of government seats are set aside for rural area students. A Rural Area Study Certificate is required.
H (Hyderabad-Karnataka region)
The HK reservation is one of the most impactful sub-quotas in Karnataka. Two layers apply: 8% of seats statewide across all government colleges, plus up to 70% of seats at colleges located within the HK region (Bidar, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir, Koppal, Ballari). A GM candidate from Kalaburagi with HK status (“GMH”) can secure a seat at a Bengaluru government college with a considerably higher AIR than “GMG” would require.
Reserved for candidates from the six districts of the Hyderabad-Karnataka (now Kalyana-Karnataka) region. This sub-quota operates under Article 371(J) of the Constitution. Article 371(J) Certificate or Hyderabad-Karnataka Domicile Certificate from the Tahasildar’s office is required.
KH (Kannada medium + Hyderabad-Karnataka)
Candidates must meet both criteria: Kannada medium schooling and HK region domicile. A candidate coded “SCKH” is SC, Kannada medium, and from the HK region. The competitive pool for combination suffixes is the smallest, and cutoffs can differ substantially from the base category.
RH (Rural + Hyderabad-Karnataka)
Candidates must qualify for both the rural area and HK region criteria. Same logic as KH but with rural schooling instead of Kannada medium.
How the suffix system creates 48+ codes
Eight base categories multiplied by six suffixes gives 48 regular category codes. In practice, not all combinations appear in every counselling round (some combinations have zero eligible candidates for specific colleges), but our database tracks 78 distinct category codes across Karnataka’s allotment data.
Beyond the 48 regular codes, KEA uses special category codes:
GMP, GMPH: General Merit Private, GM Private + HK region. For private college seats specifically.
OPN: Open (private college), similar to GMP.
OTH: Others (miscellaneous seat categories).
MA, MC, ME, MM, MU: Minority quotas. MA = Minority Arabic, MC = Minority Christian, ME = Minority English (often the Christian minority medium), MM = Minority Muslim, MU = Minority Urdu.
RC1 through RC8: Religious Congregation seats at deemed universities, each numbered for a specific congregation or trust.
NRI: Non-Resident Indian quota.
PH, PHM: Persons with Disability. PHM is PWD within the Muslim minority sub-category.
NCC, SPO: NCC (National Cadet Corps) and Sports quota candidates.
XD, D: Defence quota variants.
JK: Jammu & Kashmir migrant quota.
S-G: Special Government seats.
In the Karnataka cutoff analyzer, you can filter by any of these codes to see closing ranks for specific sub-quotas at specific colleges. Start with your base category, add your suffix (e.g., “SCR” for SC Rural), and compare cutoffs across colleges to build your preference list.
Horizontal reservations: parallel to the base categories
Like Maharashtra’s specified reservations, Karnataka operates several horizontal reservations that run in parallel with the base category system:
Women: 30% of seats within each category are reserved for female candidates. A female SC candidate competes for the SC female sub-quota first; if all female SC seats are filled, she competes for general SC seats on merit.
PWD (Persons with Disability): 5% of seats, applied across all categories. Disability certificate from a designated medical board is required.
Rural: approximately 5% of government seats, encoded through the R suffix.
Kannada medium: approximately 5% of government seats, encoded through the K suffix.
Defence/Ex-servicemen: a small quota for children of defence personnel.
NCC and Sports: quotas for NCC cadets and state/national level sportspersons.
Documents needed for each category
Category
Required documents
GM
No category-specific documents (standard NEET + academic documents only)
Category 1
Caste/Income Certificate from Tahasildar
2A, 2B, 3A, 3B
Caste Certificate from Tahasildar + Non-Creamy Layer Certificate with RD number (income below Rs 8 lakh)
SC, ST
Caste/Income Certificate from Tahasildar (no NCL required)
EWS
EWS certificate with income proof (below Rs 8 lakh)
K suffix
Kannada Medium Study Certificate (Classes 1-10)
R suffix
Rural Area Study Certificate
H/KH/RH suffix
Article 371(J) or HK Domicile Certificate from Tahasildar
PWD
Disability certificate from designated Disability Assessment Board
All category claims must be made during KEA registration. You cannot add or change your category after the deadline. If documents are missing or invalid at verification, you are treated as GM. Start gathering certificates immediately after NEET results. NCL certificates from the Tahasildar can take weeks to process. See our documents guide for the full checklist.
Non-Creamy Layer: who needs it and who does not
NCL applies to OBC categories 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B. It does not apply to Category 1, SC, or ST. The certificate must include an RD (Registration Department) number and confirm family annual income below Rs 8 lakh. An expired or improperly formatted NCL means your reservation claim is denied and you compete under GM for the entire counselling cycle. Apply for NCL as early as possible after receiving your NEET result.
The certificate is issued by the Tahasildar of your taluk. Processing time varies; apply early.
How Karnataka categories map to central government categories
Your category for MCC (All India Quota) counselling is determined by the central government list. Your category for KEA (state) counselling is determined by Karnataka’s list. These are independent classifications. A single candidate can hold different categories in each system.
Karnataka category
Likely central government equivalent
GM
General/Unreserved
Category 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B
OBC-NCL (if your caste is on the central OBC list)
SC
SC
ST
ST
EWS
EWS
The mapping is not automatic. Some Karnataka OBC communities may not appear on the central OBC list, making you General/Unreserved for AIQ purposes. Check your specific caste against the central list independently. Your KEA category and MCC category can be different.
What our data shows about category cutoffs
Our database tracks 45,673 Karnataka allotment records across 2023, 2024, and 2025, with 78 distinct category codes. Some patterns from the data:
The gap between GM and reserved category closing AIRs at government colleges follows a consistent hierarchy. At Bangalore Medical College (Round 2, 2025), the GM closing AIR was 3,025. Category 2A, the largest OBC group, had noticeably higher (less competitive) closing AIRs, while SC and ST closings were higher still. This hierarchy holds across colleges, though the gap narrows at less competitive institutions.
HK region codes (H, KH, RH suffixes) consistently show the largest advantage over their non-HK equivalents at the same college. At colleges within the HK region (Gulbarga, Raichur), HK cutoffs can be multiple times higher than GM cutoffs because those institutions reserve 70% of seats for HK candidates under Article 371(J). Kannada medium (K) and Rural (R) cutoffs fall between the general suffix (G) and HK suffix (H).
Year-over-year, all categories have seen cutoffs tighten. Between 2023 and 2025, closing AIRs at top government colleges dropped by 25% to 63%, depending on the college and category. This trend reflects the growing number of NEET qualifiers competing for a seat pool that has not expanded at the same rate.
I am OBC-NCL under the central government list. Which Karnataka category am I?
Karnataka’s five OBC groups (Category 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B) are based on the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes classification, which is separate from the central OBC list. Your specific caste determines your Karnataka OBC sub-category. Check the state backward classes list for your community, or consult the Tahasildar’s office in your taluk.
Can I claim both a base category and a suffix simultaneously?
You always have exactly one code: a base category plus one suffix. If you are Category 2A, studied in Kannada medium, and are from the HK region, you would be “2AKH.” You cannot hold multiple suffix codes simultaneously. KEA assigns the most advantageous applicable code based on your documented eligibility.
If I am from the HK region but studying in Bengaluru, can I claim the H suffix?
HK eligibility is based on your residential origin in one of the six qualifying districts, not on where you attend school. If you are from Kalaburagi district but studied in Bengaluru, you can still claim the H suffix if you hold the Article 371(J) certificate. However, for the KH (Kannada medium + HK) or RH (Rural + HK) suffixes, your school must meet the respective medium or rural criteria.
Does the creamy layer apply to Category 1?
No. Category 1 is exempt from the creamy layer exclusion. This distinguishes it from Categories 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B, where families with annual income above Rs 8 lakh lose reservation eligibility and must compete under GM.
What are the RC codes (RC1, RC2, etc.) in deemed university allotments?
RC stands for Religious Congregation. Deemed universities in Karnataka often have seats reserved for specific religious congregations or trusts that run the institution. RC1 through RC8 are numbered codes for these specific congregations. The eligibility criteria are set by each institution and involve membership in or affiliation with the specific religious congregation.
How do I know which category codes to filter for in the cutoff analyzer?
Start with your base category, then add your suffix. If you are SC from a rural area, filter for “SCR.” If you are GM with no special sub-quota, filter for “GM” (which includes GMG and all GM variants). The cutoff analyzer shows all available category codes in the filter dropdown for Karnataka.
