The Telangana NEET counselling process 2026 is conducted by Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS), Warangal. KNRUHS manages admission to 85% state quota seats in government colleges and Competent Authority (CQ) seats in private colleges. The state has 65 medical colleges (36 government, 29 private) with approximately 8,400-9,500 MBBS seats, depending on whether central institutions like AIIMS and ESIC are included. The KNRUHS seat matrix, published before each counselling cycle, is the authoritative source for the exact count.
Official website: knruhs.telangana.gov.in (counselling portal: tsmedadm.tsche.in)
How Telangana’s rank system works
KNRUHS prepares a Telangana State Merit List by sorting all registered candidates by their NEET score, but seat allocation in the allotment PDFs uses your NEET All India Rank (AIR). The state merit list is published with candidate name, gender, caste, NEET AIR, state rank, NEET score, percentile, and qualifying status.
For practical purposes, your NEET AIR is the number that determines where you stand in the counselling queue. This makes it straightforward to compare your position across Telangana state counselling and AIQ counselling. For example, if your NEET AIR is 30,000, that same rank applies in both state and AIQ allotment; there is no separate state rank conversion to worry about.
Tie-breaking criteria (when two candidates have identical NEET scores):
- Higher marks in Biology
- Higher marks in Chemistry
- Fewer incorrect answers (fewer negative marks)
- Older candidate gets preference
Who is eligible
Telangana is a domicile-restricted state for CQ seats. You can participate in state counselling if you meet one of these conditions:
- 4-year study rule: Studied in Telangana for at least 4 consecutive academic years immediately before the qualifying examination
- Parental residence: Parents are permanent residents of Telangana
- 7-year study rule: Studied in educational institutions within the state for a minimum of 7 consecutive academic years (considered local in the area where you studied the most years)
- 7-year residence rule: If not enrolled in any educational institution, resided continuously in a local area for 7+ years
Only Telangana domicile candidates are eligible for Competent Authority (CQ) seats. Non-local candidates can apply only for the 15% unreserved seats.
Other eligibility criteria:
- Minimum age: 17 years by 31 December of the admission year
- Passed 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology
- Indian nationals, PIOs, or OCIs (OCI card issued before 04-03-2021)
The local area system
Telangana retains a university-based local area system inherited from pre-2014 united Andhra Pradesh. The primary local area is the Osmania University (OU) region, covering Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Nalgonda, Medak, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Adilabad, Khammam, Mahaboobnagar, Warangal, and surrounding districts. After the 2014 bifurcation, the entire state is effectively OU-local for most purposes, though the legal framework still references the older multi-university structure. The 2024-2025 allotment PDFs dropped the local area (LOC) column entirely, suggesting the distinction has been de-emphasized.
Registration process
- Register on the KNRUHS counselling portal (tsmedadm.tsche.in)
- Upload required documents: NEET scorecard, Class 10 and 12 mark sheets, domicile/study certificate, community certificate (if applicable), passport-size photographs
- Pay the registration fee: Rs 3,500 for General/OBC/BC or Rs 2,900 for SC/ST (non-refundable)
- Download your allotment letter after results; a one-time university fee of Rs 12,000 applies at this stage
- Verify and lock your application before the deadline
Registration typically opens in mid-July and runs for about two weeks.
Steps in the Telangana NEET counselling process
Telangana conducts four rounds of counselling:
Round 1 (September)
- Registration and document upload: 16-30 July 2025
- Merit list publication: After registration closes
- Choice filling (web options): 16-18 September 2025
- Seat allotment results published
- Reporting to allotted college within the specified window
Round 2 (late September)
- Choice filling: 25-27 September 2025
- Seat allotment for vacancies from Round 1
Mop-up round (October-November)
- Covers seats vacated after Rounds 1 and 2
- Dates announced after Round 2 is complete
Stray vacancy round (November)
- Final round for remaining unfilled seats
Management Quota (MQ) registration runs separately: 31 July to 7 August 2025, with its own rounds (MQ R1, MQ R2, MQ R3). MQ has 3 rounds compared to CQ’s 4 rounds, and the two are independent counselling tracks with separate registrations and separate allotment PDFs.
Exact dates shift each year based on NEET results and AIQ counselling schedule. Monitor tsmedadm.tsche.in and knruhs.telangana.gov.in for official notifications.
Seat matrix and quota structure
Government colleges (36 colleges, approximately 4,300-4,400 state quota seats):
- 85% State Quota: Filled through KNRUHS counselling
- 15% All India Quota: Filled through MCC counselling
Private colleges (29 colleges, approximately 4,100-5,100 seats across all quotas):
- Category A (Convener/State Quota): 50% of seats, filled through KNRUHS counselling, Telangana domicile only, at regulated fees
- Category B (Management Quota): 35% of seats (85% of B-seats reserved for Telangana local candidates; 15% open to all states)
- Category C (NRI Quota): 15% of seats, open to NRI/OCI/PIO candidates
CQ and MQ are handled as entirely separate counselling processes. You must register for each track separately if you want to be considered for both.
Upgradation rules
- Round 1: You can freeze (accept your seat with no further rounds) or float (accept your seat but remain in the pool for an upgrade in Round 2). If upgraded, your previous seat is automatically released.
- Round 2: Allotment is final. No further upgradation.
- Mop-up round: No upgradation; non-joining triggers legal action.
- Stray vacancy round: Non-joining incurs a Rs 20 lakh penalty and 3-year debarment from future counselling.
- Mandatory Round 1 participation: Candidates who skip Round 1 registration become ineligible for all subsequent rounds. This is an anti-seat-blocking measure.
Key differences from AIQ counselling
| Telangana state | MCC All India Quota | |
|---|---|---|
| Rank used | NEET AIR | NEET AIR |
| Reservation | ~60-64% (SC 15% + ST 6-10% + BC 29% + EWS 10%; see Guide B for details on conflicting ST figures) | 49.5% (OBC 27% + SC 15% + ST 7.5%) |
| Eligibility | Telangana domicile only (CQ seats) | Open to all India |
| Category system | OC/BCA-BCE/SC/SC1-SC3/ST/EWS | UR/OBC/SC/ST/EWS |
| Rounds | 4 (R1, R2, Mop-up, Stray) | 3 |
| Fees (govt colleges) | ~Rs 10,000-15,000/year | Varies by state |
| Special quotas | Women 33.33%, CAP 1%, PMC 0.25%, PwD 5% | EWS, PwD |
| Conducting body | KNRUHS, Warangal | MCC, New Delhi |
| Separate MQ track | Yes (separate registration) | No (single process) |