The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is a centre-level examination, conducted by NTA (National Testing Agency) since 2019, for admission to all undergraduate medical programs across medical institutions in India. Admissions to these institutions are granted only through the NEET (UG) Counselling process, based on the candidate’s rank and preferences. This also includes premier institutions such as AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) and JIPMER (Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research), which previously (before 2020) held their separate entrance exams.

Cracking the NEET UG exam is considered a big achievement, but it’s only a stepping stone. The real journey toward securing a seat in a top medical college begins with the NEET UG counselling process. Whether you’re aiming for AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Science), a Government Medical or Dental college, AYUSH institutes, or a reputed private institution, understanding how counselling works is essential. Read this blog to know everything about the NEET UG counselling process, including the system, types of quotas, required documents, and a list of India’s top medical colleges where counselling is mandatory.

Key Highlights of NEET UG

The objective of the NEET is to evaluate medical aspirants across four core subjects of the stream, i.e., Physics, Chemistry, Botany, and Zoology. Each subject is divided into two sections:

Section A: one with 35 mandatory questions and
Section B: with 15 questions, out of which 10 are to be attempted.

Check the table below for concise details of the NEET UG.

NEET UG - Important Details
Exam Conducting Authority	National Testing Agency
Exam Name	National Eligibility and Entrance Test - NEET (Undergraduate)
Eligibility	Candidates must have completed and passed the 10+2 examination or its equivalent with a minimum of 50% marks taken together in core subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Biotechnology, along with English
Exam mode	Offline - Pen and paper-based
Frequency	Once a year
Duration of the written exam	3 hours (180 minutes)
Languages in which the Exam is Conducted	English Hindi Assamese Bengali Gujarati Marathi Tamil Telugu Odiya Kannada Urdu
Question Format	Multiple choice questions
Number of Questions	200 (180 compulsory)
Total Marks	720
No. of Test Cities/ Centres	543
Courses Available After Exam	MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BSMS, BUMS, BHMS
Official Website	neet.nta.nic.in
Complete NEET UG Information	NEET UG Overview

What is NEET UG Counselling?

NEET UG counselling is a 4-round, including Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up Round, and Stray Vacancy Round, centralised admission process through which seats in medical and dental colleges across India are allotted to qualified candidates. After the NEET written exam result is declared, candidates who have qualified NEET cut-off by obtaining the minimum qualifying percentile will take part in the NEET Counselling and claim their seats in MBBS, BDS, and other allied medical courses.

NEET counselling is conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and respective State Medical Authorities in both online and offline modes, depending on the state and central agencies. Students who participate in online counselling must fill out online forms and follow the online method. Candidates who participate in offline counselling must report straight to the designated venues.

Admission to the counselling sessions is based on:

Candidate’s NEET All India Rank
Category
Seat availability
And most importantly, their preference choices

NEET UG Counselling: Step-wise Registration Process

After the NEET UG results are announced, the counselling process begins. This is done by either the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) at the national level or by the appropriate state authorities. The complete process takes place online and usually includes registering, filling out preferences of college, getting a seat, checking documents, and getting admission. Candidates must first sign up for the official MCC counselling portal with their NEET information and personal details. Once they have successfully registered, they can choose the colleges and courses they want to attend in a specific order. These preferences must be filled out carefully, as the system will allot you the best possible seat based on your merit and choices. You can follow these steps to register yourself:

Step 1: Candidates need to visit the MCC website and click on the link to register for NEET UG counselling.

Step 2: Submit all information carefully, like the stream (Medical/Dental), NEET UG written exam roll no., application no., your name, birth date and personal details, and click on the ‘Submit’ button after verifying.

Step 3: Proceed to pay the non-refundable registration fee and the refundable tuition fee using a credit/debit card, UPI, or net banking.

Step 4: After the successful submission of details, the registration slip will be displayed on the screen; download and take a printout of the same for future reference. Now, click on the ‘Login’ button to proceed to the preference section.

Step 5: Use your roll number and the password you just created to log in again. Go to the Choice Filling section and start selecting your preferred colleges and courses.
Step 6: Once you’ve arranged your preferences in the desired order, lock your choices before the deadline. Not that locking your preference is mandatory, if you forget to lock, the last saved list will be auto-locked.

Step 7: After locking, download and save the choice locking confirmation slip.

The seats assigned to the candidates will be made available once the NEET counselling results are declared in the format of a seat allocation list and a letter. The NEET seat allocation list allows candidates to view their name, roll number, assigned category, candidates' category, college, quota, and course.

Note: The seat allotment result is declared in rounds, and if you’re allotted a seat, you must report to the assigned college or verification centre within the given time frame. If a candidate does not get a seat in the first round or is not satisfied with it, they can choose to participate in subsequent rounds.

NEET UG Counselling: All India Quota vs State Quota

NEET UG counselling is divided into two major types: All India Quota (AIQ) and State Quota. The admitting/counselling authorities will draw a merit list of the candidates in the respective categories, declared by the candidates at the time of applying for admission/counselling.

Counselling for Seats Under 15% All India Quota

Under AIQ, 15% of the seats in all government medical and dental colleges (except in Jammu & Kashmir) are reserved for candidates across India. This quota is managed by MCC and covers some of the most prestigious institutions, including AIIMS, JIPMER, GSIPU, AFMC, ESI, Delhi University (DU), BHU & AMU and various deemed universities.

Counselling for Seats Under 85% State Quota

The remaining 85% of the seats fall under the State Quota. This is where each state conducts its counselling for candidates who meet their domicile eligibility criteria. States like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and others have dedicated portals and timelines for this process. Some states also include AYUSH courses and private medical colleges in their counselling rounds. To make sure they don't miss out on any seat opportunities, students need to stay up to date on both MCC and their own state counselling schedules.

There are other courses besides MBBS and BDS that are also part of NEET counselling. Read on to find out what options you have.

Courses That Require NEET UG Counselling for Admission

MBBS and BDS are the two most well-known options after NEET UG, but this examination also opens the door to a number of other undergraduate medical and health science programs in India. NEET UG counselling is mandatory for admission into programs like AYUSH, veterinary medicine, and nursing. Here's a quick look at the key courses, their full forms, counselling authorities, and eligibility criteria:

Courses after NEET UG
Course Name	Full Form	Counselling Authority
MBBS	Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery	MCC (AIQ), State Medical Counselling Authorities
BDS	Bachelor of Dental Surgery	MCC (AIQ), State Medical Counselling Authorities
BAMS	Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery	AACCC (Central), State AYUSH Counselling
BHMS	Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery	AACCC (Central), State AYUSH Counselling
BUMS	Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery	AACCC (Central), State AYUSH Counselling
BSMS	Bachelor of Siddha Medicine and Surgery	AACCC (Central), State AYUSH Counselling
BVSc & AH	Bachelor of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry	VCI (Veterinary Council of India), State Agencies

Note: AACCC is the AYUSH Admission Central Counselling Committee

Each course has different eligibility conditions and counselling authorities, so students must pay close attention to the specific guidelines issued for the course they are targeting. However, your NEET UG rank determines your admission, and without participating in counselling, no seat will be allotted regardless of your score.

Top Medical Colleges in India Through NEET UG Counselling

Admission to leading medical colleges in India is done solely through NEET UG counselling, whether under the All India Quota or through state counselling authorities. These medical colleges are recognised for their strong academics, experienced faculty, good facilities, and national reputation, which makes them very competitive and popular. Here is a list of some of the most well-known government and private medical colleges that students prefer based on their NEET UG ranks:

Top Colleges in India for UG Medical Courses
College Name	Location	College Type	Counselling Body
AIIMS Delhi	New Delhi	Central Govt	MCC – All India Quota
JIPMER Puducherry	Puducherry	Central Govt	MCC – All India Quota
Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC)	Delhi	State Govt	MCC (15%) + Delhi State Quota (85%)
King George's Medical University (KGMU)	Lucknow	State Govt	MCC (15%) + UP State Quota (85%)
Lady Hardinge Medical College	Delhi	Central Govt	MCC – All India Quota
B.J. Medical College	Ahmedabad	State Govt	MCC (15%) + Gujarat State Quota (85%)
Sawai Man Singh Medical College	Jaipur	State Govt	MCC (15%) + 85% Rajasthan State NEET UG Counselling (conducted by RUHS)
Dr. SN Medical College	Jodhpur	State Govt	MCC (15%) + 85% Rajasthan State NEET UG Counselling (conducted by RUHS)
RNT Medical College	Udaipur	State Govt	MCC (15%) + 85% Rajasthan State NEET UG Counselling (conducted by RUHS)
Grant Medical College	Mumbai	State Govt	MCC (15%) + Maharashtra State Quota (85%)
Institute of Medical Sciences – BHU	Varanasi	Central University	MCC – All India Quota
Christian Medical College (CMC)	Vellore	Private	MCC + Institutional Criteria
Kasturba Medical College (KMC)	Manipal	Deemed University	MCC – Deemed University Counselling
Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC)	Pune	Defence Institute	MCC + AFMC-specific selection steps

The Admissions to these government and private medical colleges depend on NEET UG rank, category, and seat availability. Some institutes, like AFMC and CMC Vellore, have their own shortlisting criteria after NEET. This may include interviews or service commitments, along with the MCC counselling process. For deemed universities such as KMC Manipal and Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (Amrita Vishva Vidyapeetham), counselling is handled under a different fee and seat structure through MCC.

When selecting your college preferences during NEET UG counselling, it’s best to include a mix of AIQ seats, state quota colleges, and deemed universities based on your score and rank. A solid strategy and timely paperwork can increase your chances of getting a seat in one of India’s top medical colleges.