AIQ (All India Quota) gives you access to 15% of government seats plus all deemed, AIIMS, JIPMER, BHU, AMU, and central institution seats — all via MCC counselling, open to every NEET UG qualifier regardless of domicile. State quota gives you access to 85% of government seats and 100% of private seats in your home state, via state counselling, often with domicile preference. You can register for both — and in 2025, 6,200 students took their final seat in state quota after first seeing what MCC would offer in R1. Based on analysis of 39,478 MCC 2025 counselling journeys — formity.ai.
What each track covers
| Track | Seats covered | Who is eligible | Who runs it |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIQ (MCC) | 15% of govt MBBS + ALL deemed + AIIMS + JIPMER + BHU + AMU + central + AFMC | All NEET UG qualifiers (no domicile requirement) | Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) |
| State quota | 85% of govt MBBS + 100% of private MBBS in that state | Primarily domicile; some states allow all-India | State counselling body (KEA, DGHS, UPNEET, etc.) |
Institutions only in AIQ (not in state quota)
These seats do not go through state counselling at all — MCC is the only route:
- AIIMS (22 campuses: New Delhi, Jodhpur, Bhopal, Patna, Rishikesh, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Nagpur, Raebareli, Gorakhpur, Bathinda, Bilaspur, Vijaypur, Deoghar, Bibinagar, Mangalagiri, Madurai, Rajkot, Kalyani, Guwahati, Darbhanga, Jammu)
- JIPMER Puducherry and Karaikal
- AFMC Pune (Army medical; separate selection criteria)
- BHU Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi
- AMU JNMC, Aligarh
- IP University Delhi (VMMC, LHMC, MAMC via MCC)
- All 50+ deemed universities (KMC Manipal, JSS Mysore, Saveetha, SRM, Amrita, etc.)
Institutions split between AIQ and state quota
Government medical colleges in most states have a 15%/85% split: 15% of seats go to MCC for all-India competition, 85% stay within the state counselling pool. This means if you are applying to BJMC Ahmedabad, you can compete for it via MCC (AIQ 15%) OR via Gujarat's state counselling (state quota 85%). The closing ranks in state counselling are often weaker (easier) for domicile students than the national MCC competition.
The strategy: register for both
Register for MCC and your home state counselling simultaneously. This is not just allowed — it is what most serious candidates do. The reason: MCC R1 is free exit. You can see what MCC offers, compare it to what state counselling will give you, and choose the better option without penalty.
In 2025, the 6,200 students who ended up in state quota seats went through this sequence: registered for both → got allotted in MCC R1 → participated in parallel state counselling → used free exit from MCC when their state quota result was better → confirmed state quota seat.
Domicile rules vary by state
State counselling seat preference by domicile:
- Open to all-India (no domicile needed): Karnataka OPN quota, some Puducherry seats, some Union Territory seats
- Domicile required for state quota: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, UP, Bihar, MP (state quota category seats)
- Non-domicile can access management/NRI quota: Almost all private colleges allow non-domicile to compete for management/NRI quota seats, typically at higher fees
See the state-specific counselling guides: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu.