The Madhya Pradesh NEET counselling process for 2026 is conducted by the Department of Medical Education (DME), Madhya Pradesh. DME runs a combined counselling for MBBS and BDS seats together under the banner “MP State Combined NEET UG Counselling.” The process covers 39 medical colleges with approximately 4,875-5,200 MBBS seats across all rounds (the R1 2025 allotment placed 4,073 candidates in MBBS, according to DME allotment data).
Official portal: dme.mponline.gov.in
How the MP NEET counselling rank system works
MP does not use your NEET All India Rank for state seat allotment. DME prepares its own merit list with two separate ranks for each registered candidate: a “Common Rank” and an “MP State Rank.” Both appear alongside your NEET AIR and NEET score in the allotment lists, but the MP State Rank determines your position in the state counselling queue.
Your MP State Rank will be lower than your AIR because only MP-eligible candidates are in the pool. A candidate with AIR 12,000 might hold MP State Rank 400 if fewer than 400 MP candidates scored higher.
When two candidates have the same NEET score, the one with higher marks in Biology is ranked above the other.
Who is eligible
Only MP domicile candidates can participate in the 85% state quota counselling. You qualify if:
- You are a permanent resident of Madhya Pradesh, OR
- You completed both Class 10 and Class 12 from a recognised school in MP
Non-domicile candidates cannot access state quota seats. They can apply only through the 15% All India Quota counselled by MCC.
Additional eligibility requirements:
- Minimum age: 17 years by 31 December of the admission year (maximum 25 years; 5-year relaxation for reserved categories)
- Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and English
- Minimum 50% aggregate in PCB for General; 40% for reserved categories
Registration and choice filling
The registration process is online through the DME portal:
- Pay Rs 1,000 (Rs 970 application fee + Rs 30 bank charges), non-refundable
- Pay security deposit: Rs 5,000 for government colleges or Rs 1,00,000 for private colleges (refundable if you do not take admission)
- Register and upload documents: NEET scorecard, Class 10 and 12 mark sheets, domicile certificate, category certificate, photographs
- Fill choices (college-category combinations) in order of preference during the choice-filling window
- Wait for allotment results
One important financial detail: MP imposes a Rs 30 lakh seat-leaving bond on candidates who withdraw after taking admission. This penalty applies regardless of the round.
Round-by-round timeline
MP runs 4 rounds of counselling:
Round 1 (July-August)
Registration and choice filling open shortly after NEET results. In 2025, registration ran from 21-29 July, choice filling from 31 July to 4 August, and the revised allotment list was published on 20 August (per the DME allotment PDF header). Reporting to allotted colleges followed within 3-5 days.
Round 2 (September)
Fresh registration window opens for candidates who missed Round 1. R1 allottees who want a better seat can opt for upgradation during the “Admission Cancellation / Upgradation Window” (opened after R1 allotment). Choosing “Yes (Float)” means DME will consider you for a higher-preference seat in Round 2 while keeping your current seat as backup. If you are upgraded, your R1 seat is released. If not, you continue with R1 allotment. The 2025 R2 allotment was published on 22 September.
Mop-up round (October-November)
Covers seats vacated after Rounds 1 and 2. Non-domicile candidates can participate in this round for remaining seats. The 2025 mop-up allotment was published on 5 November.
Stray vacancy round (November-December)
Fills any leftover vacancies. In 2025, the stray vacancy round ran through physical reporting at individual colleges rather than online allotment.
Exact dates shift each year. In 2024, R1 allotment was on 29 August, R2 on 25 September, and mop-up on 18 October. The 2024 R1 and R2 ran about 9 and 3 days later than the corresponding 2025 rounds, while the 2024 mop-up finished 18 days earlier than in 2025.
Quota structure and approximate seat distribution
MP’s seat distribution across government colleges:
- State quota (85%): Filled through DME MP counselling, restricted to MP domicile candidates. Approximately 2,200-2,300 government college MBBS seats fall under this quota.
- All India Quota (15%): Filled through MCC counselling, open to candidates from all states. Approximately 390-410 government MBBS seats.
- Management quota: Private college seats beyond the government quota allocation. Seat counts vary by college.
- NRI quota: 15% of private college seats, reserved for NRI candidates (private colleges only). Approximately 330-375 seats across all private colleges.
Total government MBBS seats are estimated at 2,575-2,700; private MBBS seats at 2,200-2,500 (according to DME seat chart data and web sources).
After allotment
Once allotted a seat:
- Download your provisional allotment order from the DME portal
- Report to the allotted college within the specified window
- Submit original documents for physical verification
- Pay the first-year fee
If you opted for upgradation, your R1 seat is automatically released only when you receive a preferred seat in the next round. If no upgrade happens, you continue at your current college with no action needed.
Key differences from AIQ counselling
| MP state counselling | MCC All India Quota | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank used | MP State Rank | NEET AIR |
| Reservation | ST 20% + SC 16% + OBC 14% + EWS 10% | OBC 27% + SC 15% + ST 7.5% + EWS 10% |
| Eligibility | MP domicile only (R1, R2); non-domicile in mop-up | Open to all India |
| Category system | Compound codes (UR/X/OP, OBC/GS/F, etc.) | UR/OBC/SC/ST/EWS + PwD |
| Rounds | 4 (R1, R2, Mop-up, Stray) | 3 |
| Upgradation | Float option between rounds | Freeze/float/slide |
| Registration fee | Rs 1,000 | Rs 1,500 |