MCC extends NEET UG 2026 Round 1 choice filling to August 18

Direct answer: MCC has extended NEET UG 2026 Round 1 choice filling until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. As of the MCC Notice No. 10 dated August 17, 2026, this is the deadline candidates should act on—not the earlier August 17 deadline reported in our August 14 update.

The extension applies to candidates participating in MCC Round 1 of NEET UG counselling 2026, covering the 15% All India Quota and the central, deemed, AIIMS, JIPMER, AFMC and other seats handled through MCC. As of the MCC Round 1 extension notice dated August 17, 2026, the choice-filling deadline is now 11:59 p.m. on August 18, while the notice says choice locking started from 5:30 p.m. on August 17.

## What changed from the earlier schedule?

As of the MCC revised Round 1 schedule dated August 13, 2026, candidates had been told that choice filling would remain available only up to 6:00 p.m. on August 17, according to server time. The newer MCC Notice No. 10 dated August 17, 2026 changes that choice-filling deadline to 11:59 p.m. on August 18.

This is a real deadline change, not a new counselling round. It gives candidates additional time to review and submit preferences, but it does not remove the need to complete the counselling steps correctly.

## Who needs to act now?

Candidates who have registered for MCC Round 1 but have not yet completed their choices should log in to the official MCC counselling portal, review the available colleges and courses, and submit their preference order before the extended deadline. As of the MCC UG Information Bulletin dated August 1, 2026, choice filling requires candidates to select course and institute preferences and then save and lock them within the prescribed schedule.

Candidates who already filled choices should still check their login dashboard. As of the MCC UG Information Bulletin dated August 1, 2026, choices once locked cannot be modified through a normal request to MCC. Do not assume that a list visible on screen has been finally submitted: check whether the portal shows the required saved or locked status and keep a screenshot or downloaded confirmation for your records.

Candidates considering deemed-university or other high-fee choices should pause before locking. As of the MCC UG Information Bulletin dated August 1, 2026, MCC says fee, bond and related institutional information is supplied by colleges and that candidates should confirm the fee structure directly before filling choices. This is particularly important because an attractive preference order can still lead to an unaffordable seat.

For the step-by-step process, use our guide: NEET UG Counselling: 15% AIQ vs 85% State Quota Explained. The guide is for process context; always follow the current MCC portal and notices for the live deadline.

## What happens if a candidate does nothing?

As of the MCC UG Information Bulletin dated August 1, 2026, seat allotment is based on merit and the candidate’s choices. The practical consequence is that a candidate who does not complete the preference submission within the live schedule may have no usable Round 1 preference list for MCC to process. Registration by itself should not be treated as a college preference.

Do not wait for the final minutes. Server-time cut-offs can create payment, login or traffic problems, and MCC’s notice gives no assurance of another extension. As of the MCC UG Information Bulletin dated August 1, 2026, candidates are expected to monitor the MCC website themselves; MCC says it will not individually contact every candidate about updates.

## What is not changing—and what is not yet announced?

The August 17 notice extends Round 1 choice filling only. It does not announce a fresh registration window, a new fee-payment window, or a change to the Round 1 allotment-result date. As of the MCC revised Round 1 schedule dated August 13, 2026, the Round 1 result was scheduled for August 19, followed by reporting from August 20 to August 25; candidates should check MCC for any later revision.

As of the MCC UG counselling schedule dated August 1, 2026, Round 2 registration is scheduled for August 25 to August 29, with choice filling continuing through August 30. As of August 18, MCC has not published a further Round 2 change in the documents checked for this update. Treat the official MCC portal as the controlling source if another notice appears.

Author: NEET Help Center Editorial Team Published: August 18, 2026 Last updated: August 18, 2026 AI assistance disclosure: This post was researched and drafted with AI assistance and checked against the linked primary MCC documents by the NEET Help Center Editorial Team.

Sources - Official NEET portal - MCC Notice No. 10: Round 1 choice filling extended, dated August 17, 2026 - MCC Revised Schedule for Round 1, dated August 13, 2026 - MCC UG Information Bulletin 2026, dated August 1, 2026 - MCC UG AIQ Counselling Schedule 2026, dated August 1, 2026

_Last verified: 2026-08-18._

This is a free, independent help center, not an official NEET site. Always confirm the latest dates, results and notifications on the official NEET portal.