NEET PG 2025: Round-3 Counselling Schedule Announced for PG Medical Admissions

NEET PG 2025: Round-3 Counselling Schedule Announced for PG Medical Admissions

NEET PG 2025: Round-3 Counselling Schedule Announced for PG Medical Admissions

The counselling process for NEET PG 2025 continues forward with the official release of the Round-3 allotment schedule. This phase of counselling plays a critical role for postgraduate medical aspirants who were unable to secure seats in earlier rounds or are awaiting better seat conversion options in specialized disciplines such as MD, MS and DNB courses for the 2025 academic year.

Round-3 ensures allocation of remaining seats under the 50 percent All India Quota, 100 percent AIQ seats for deemed and central universities, AFMS institutions and other recognized postgraduate medical programs. Candidates eligible for participation are expected to follow the sequence of counselling activities strictly as per the defined dates and timelines.

Detailed Round-3 Schedule

The counselling schedule for Round-3 has been structured in an organized manner to ensure smooth seat allotment and reporting procedures. The key dates are as follows:

• Verification of Tentative Seat Matrix by Participating Institutes:
  15 January 2026

• Registration and Payment Window:
  15 January 2026 to 26 January 2026 (up to 12:00 noon as per server time)
  Payment facility will remain open until 03:00 PM on 26 January 2026

• Choice Filling and Choice Locking:
  16 January 2026 to 26 January 2026
  Choices can be filled up to 11:55 PM on the last date
  Choice locking begins at 04:00 PM of 24 January 2026 and closes at 11:55 PM of 26 January 2026

• Seat Allotment Processing:
  27 January 2026 to 28 January 2026

• Allotment Result Declaration:
  29 January 2026

• Reporting to Allotted Institutes:
  30 January 2026 to 6 February 2026

• Verification of Joined Candidates by Institutes:
  7 February 2026

The structured timetable ensures a clear flow from registration to final joining, enabling institutions to maintain accurate seat records for postgraduate programs.

Significance of Round-3 Counselling for Candidates

Round-3 is particularly important for candidates in the following categories:

• Candidates who did not receive any seat in Round-1 and Round-2

• Candidates who wish to upgrade their previously allotted course or institution

• Aspirants aiming for highly demanded clinical branches

• Candidates seeking seats in deemed universities or AFMS institutions

• Students preferring state-shift or institute-shift opportunities

This round often witnesses dynamic reshuffling due to upgradation requests and resignations from earlier allotments, creating fresh opportunities for waiting candidates.

Mandatory Reporting and Verification

Candidates allotted seats in Round-3 must report to the designated institute during the reporting window. Reporting is compulsory for seat confirmation and involves:

• Document verification

• Fee submission as per the respective institute norms

• Admission formalities and departmental registration

Verification of joined candidates ensures transparency in seat occupancy before moving forward to subsequent vacancy management processes.

Post Round-3 Process and Seat Management

After completion of Round-3 verification, institutions forward the final status of admitted candidates. This data is crucial for determining vacancy positions before any final mop-up rounds or stray rounds, depending on the respective counselling authority’s framework.

Round-3 serves as the last structured allotment phase before the transition into institutional/offline rounds in many counselling systems. Hence, candidates seeking PG seats should not miss participation in this round.

Conclusion

The NEET PG 2025 Round-3 counselling schedule marks a key phase in the admission cycle for postgraduate medical courses across India. With well-defined timelines for registration, choice filling, allotment, reporting and verification, candidates are provided with a systematic pathway to secure PG seats in MD, MS and DNB programs for the academic session.

Aspiring doctors are encouraged to prepare their documents, track the deadlines carefully and participate actively in this crucial phase of the counselling process to maximize their chances of securing a postgraduate medical seat.