The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has released the NEET UG 2026 Information Bulletin and Counselling Scheme for MBBS, BDS and B.Sc Nursing seats. The bulletin came out on 1 August 2026. The biggest change this year is a new choice at every round: you decide to be a Freeze candidate or a Float candidate.
This one choice changes how you report, how your documents are checked, and how you can leave a seat. Get it wrong and you can lose a security deposit, or get stuck in a seat you did not want. Here is what Freeze and Float mean, and how the rounds work now.
Freeze or Float: the big 2026 change
Until 2025, every candidate had to physically report at the allotted college to join, to upgrade or to resign. From 2026, MCC splits candidates into two groups after each seat allotment:
- Freeze means you are happy with your allotted seat and do not want to upgrade in the next round. To join, you must report in person at the allotted college with your original documents.
- Float means you want to try for a better seat in the next round. You give your willingness to upgrade online and upload your documents for online verification by the college. You do not have to visit the college in person, and you can complete an online joining and generate a provisional admission letter.
You make this choice at each stage, from Round 1 to Round 2 and Round 2 to Round 3.
How a round works now
- Register and pay the counselling fee online. Only candidates who pay the full fee move ahead.
- Fill and lock choices of course and college within the schedule.
- Seat allotment by MCC, based on merit and your preferences.
- Upload documents once for all rounds. Both Freeze and Float candidates upload clear scanned copies on the MCC portal. MCC advises doing this within 2 to 3 days of the final result.
- Freeze candidates report in person, submit documents, get them verified and pay the admission fee at the college. If the documents are valid, the admission is confirmed. If there is a discrepancy, the admission is cancelled.
- Float candidates get documents verified online by the college nodal officer. If the officer finds a problem, such as a blurred copy, a wrong certificate, a category mismatch or a missing document, you must re-upload the correct document in time. If everything is in order, you get a provisional seat confirmation and stay eligible for the next round.
After the Round 3 provisional result, reporting in person becomes compulsory for all Round 3 allotted candidates, and for Float candidates of Round 1 or Round 2 who did not get an upgrade.
Leaving a seat: resignation and surrender
- Freeze candidates must visit the college in person to resign a seat.
- Float candidates can resign online: log in on the MCC portal, select Withdrawal (Resignation) and submit.
You can exit a Round 1 or Round 2 seat and stay eligible for the next round, as per the resignation rules. Round 1 allows a free exit; a Round 2 exit means your security deposit is forfeited. You cannot resign a Round 3 seat. Once you join a seat after Round 3, you cannot surrender it, and if you do not join a Round 3 seat your security deposit is forfeited and you cannot take part in further rounds.
Counselling fees
At registration you pay two amounts: a non-refundable registration fee and a refundable security deposit.
- All India Quota, central universities, AFMC, ESIC, all AIIMS, JIPMER and B.Sc Nursing: UR and EWS candidates pay Rs 1,000 plus Rs 10,000, which is Rs 11,000. SC, ST, OBC and PwD candidates pay Rs 500 plus Rs 5,000, which is Rs 5,500.
- Deemed universities: Rs 5,000 registration plus a Rs 2,00,000 refundable security deposit.
If you apply for both government and deemed seats, you pay only the higher fee, which is the deemed university fee. The security deposit is refunded to the same account you paid from, after all rounds are over. MCC does not pay any interest on it.
What to do now
- Read the full bulletin on the MCC website (mcc.nic.in) before you register.
- Decide Freeze or Float at each round based on how much you want to upgrade. If you are satisfied, Freeze; if you want a better seat, Float.
- Keep clear scanned copies of all your documents ready, so you can upload within 2 to 3 days of a result.
- Watch mcc.nic.in for the counselling schedule and round dates, which MCC will notify separately.
- Check the All India Quota closing ranks and run the college predictor so your choice list is realistic, and follow every round on our All India Quota counselling hub.
Related: NEET UG 2026 counselling: no physical reporting to hold a seat, online resignation allowed.
Source: Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), DGHS, MoHFW — NEET UG 2026 Information Bulletin & Counselling Scheme (MBBS/BDS/B.Sc Nursing), released 1 August 2026.
Reviewed and edited by Sahil Kakad. This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed and edited for accuracy by Sahil Kakad, a second-year MBBS student at Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Memorial Medical College, Amravati, and a State Council Member with the IMA Medical Students Network (MSN). Having been through NEET counselling himself and guided other students through it, he offers honest, numbers-first advice with no sugarcoating.