NEET-UG Counselling Reform: Single Physical Visit, Online Verification Now Allowed

The Union government has introduced a major reform in the NEET-UG counselling process, eliminating the need for repeated physical visits to medical colleges for seat upgrades. Under the new system, candidates will only need to report physically once, while subsequent procedures can be completed online.

Union Health Minister J P Nadda reviewed the preparedness for NEET-UG counselling on Wednesday, ahead of its commencement. The reforms aim to streamline the process and reduce the burden on candidates.

“Earlier, every candidate allotted a seat had to physically report to the college even if they wanted to participate in the next round for a better option,” said Dr B Srinivas, Deputy Director General (Medical Education), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. “Now, they can complete document verification online, retain the allotted seat and continue in the counselling process. If they get a better seat, the earlier one will be released to another candidate. If not, they will retain their original seat.”

Under the new framework, candidates who opt for the “Float” option can complete document verification online and receive provisional admission while retaining their allotted seat for subsequent rounds. If a better seat is allocated, the earlier seat is automatically released to another candidate. Those who choose the “Freeze” option, or retain a seat after the third round, must report physically to complete admission formalities, including verification of original documents and fee payment.

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has also introduced an online resignation facility, allowing eligible candidates to surrender their allotted seat through the counselling portal instead of visiting the institute. Additionally, the entire process for NRI category admissions has been digitised.

Candidates requiring additional eligibility documents can now upload them through a dedicated portal, replacing the earlier email-based system. “Earlier, these documents sometimes landed in spam folders or were missed, delaying verification. The new software allows direct online verification,” Dr Srinivas explained.

To improve transparency, the counselling system will use pre-populated candidate data from the National Testing Agency, online document verification, NMC-validated seat matrices, and enhanced cybersecurity measures developed with the National Informatics Centre.

The Centre has also increased the number of assessment centres for persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) from 16 to 61 and introduced an Appellate Disability Assessment Board under revised NMC guidelines.

Minister Nadda directed officials to ensure a transparent and merit-based counselling process.