NEET counselling in Tamil Nadu — how it actually works for you.

You are in 2 counselling processes.

• MCC — 15% All India Quota government seats, every deemed seat, every central-university seat.
• Your state — the other 85% of government seats.

Separate registration for each. Separate dates. Separate fee.

In Tamil Nadu, Selection Committee, Directorate of Medical Education, Tamil Nadu (TN DME) holds your state seats — 4 rounds (Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up Round, Stray Vacancy Round).

The steps, in order:

1. Registration — pay the fee, create your account on the portal (MCC or your state’s).
2. Choice filling — you rank every seat you would actually join, in the order you want it.
3. Lock — choices close at a fixed deadline; the list is frozen, no more edits or reordering after.
4. Allotment — the system goes straight down your list and gives you the first seat still open at your rank.
5. Freeze or Float — accept and stop (Freeze), or stay in line for something higher while your current seat is held (Float).
6. Report + deposit — verify documents, pay the seat deposit.
7. Later rounds — Round 2, Round 3 (mop-up), and a stray-vacancy round fill what is left; floating carries you into the next round automatically.
8. Upgrade / exit — you can move up in a later round, or step away — but only Round 1 lets you leave without losing the deposit.

2026 change on MCC seats: After each allotment you now choose Freeze or Float. Freeze = accept and stop: you report once at the allotted college for document verification and fee, and you’re done. Float = accept but stay in line for a higher choice: under the 2026 reform you do not report physically while floating — your provisional admission stays valid online as you take the next rounds. Upgradation is open up to Round 3; after Round 3 anyone still holding a seat reports physically to finish.

This reform is MCC’s own — it covers AIQ, deemed and central seats only. Tamil Nadu’s own counselling (held by TN DME) sets its own process; check with them for how upgrades work on your state seats.

Round 1 — you leave with your deposit, but you give up the seat: In Round 1, if you do not report to your allotted college, your Round 1 choices become null and void and you register fresh for Round 2. No deposit is forfeited in Round 1. However, you give up your Round 1 seat — if Round 2 allots lower or nothing, you cannot get it back.

Deposit (Round 2 onward): The deposit amount depends on seat type: AIQ Government seats — UR/EWS: ₹10,000; OBC/SC/ST reserved: ₹5,000. Deemed / Central University seats: ₹2,00,000. From Round 2 onward, not joining (no-show) after being allotted forfeits this deposit. Round 1 has no deposit forfeiture — you can exit with no penalty. State-quota seat deposits are governed by each state's counselling authority (e.g. KEA for Karnataka) and differ from MCC rules — verify with the state DME.

Upgrading — 2026 change on MCC seats: After each allotment you now choose Freeze or Float. Freeze = accept and stop: you report once at the allotted college for document verification and fee, and you’re done. Float = accept but stay in line for a higher choice: under the 2026 reform you do not report physically while floating — your provisional admission stays valid online as you take the next rounds. Upgradation is open up to Round 3; after Round 3 anyone still holding a seat reports physically to finish.

Exiting a seat: You can now resign (forego) an allotted seat online through the MCC portal, within the timeline — no physical visit to the college. The deposit rule is unchanged: exit in Round 1 and your security deposit is refunded — you give up the seat, not the money; the deposit is forfeited from Round 2.

Freeze/Float changed the reporting, not the money: in Round 1 you can exit and your security deposit is refunded — you give up the seat, not the money; from Round 2 the deposit is forfeited if you leave.

Tamil Nadu (TN DME) seats — its own deposit rule: ₹30,000 to take part for the government quota. ₹1,00,000 to take part for the management quota. ₹1,00,000 to take part for the NRI quota. Registration fee ₹500, non-refundable. After Round 2, security deposit AND any tuition paid are forfeited; from Round 3 or Stray, not downloading the allotment order also bars you from the remaining rounds and from NEXT YEAR's counselling ₹1,00,000 held, and in Rounds 1 and 2 you get no-penalty exit — no forfeiture and no adverse condition

Tamil Nadu government-seat bond: Rs 5,00,000 (penalty for bond violation), 5 years rural service (must begin within 2 years of registration).