Piyush · March 28, 2026 
Introduction
Imagine spending years preparing for one of India’s toughest exams, cracking NEET PG 2025 and then watching over 1,100 postgraduate medical seats go to waste, not because there were no eligible candidates, but because the system ran into a wall.
That is exactly what has happened this year.
The NEET PG 2025 counselling cycle has been one of the most turbulent in recent memory. There were cutoff reductions to historically low levels, thousands of seats remaining vacant, petitions in the Supreme Court, and a fresh Delhi High Court ruling just days ago that has changed the game for many candidates.
If you are a NEET PG 2025 aspirant trying to make sense of it all, this blog breaks it down clearly, with verified data from official sources, so you know exactly where things stand today.
What Is the Special Stray Vacancy Round in NEET PG Counselling?
The Stray Vacancy Round (also called Round 4) is the final phase of NEET PG counselling conducted by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). It is meant to fill any remaining seats that go unfilled after Round 1, Round 2, and Round 3 (Mop-Up Round).
The stray round is very different from earlier rounds. There are no upgrades and no resignations allowed. It ensures that medical seats do not go to waste and colleges can start the academic session on time.
A Special Stray Vacancy Round goes one step further; it is an additional round beyond the standard four, proposed only when a significant number of seats remain vacant even after the regular stray round concludes. This year, a plea was filed in the Supreme Court specifically asking for such an additional round.
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NEET PG 2025 Counselling Timeline: A Quick Recap
Here is a summary of how the 2025 counselling cycle unfolded, based on official MCC schedules (mcc.nic.in):
| Round | Key Dates | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Oct 28 – Nov 27, 2025 | Completed |
| Round 2 | December 2025 | Completed |
| Round 3 (Mop-Up) | Jan 15 – Feb 13, 2026 | Completed |
| Stray Vacancy Round | Feb 16 – Feb 28, 2026 | Completed |
| Special Stray Round | — | Rejected by SC |
According to the revised schedule released on the official MCC website, Round 3 counselling activities started from January 15, 2026, and concluded with reporting and joining by February 7, 2026. The stray vacancy round then commenced from February 9, 2026, and ended on February 28, 2026.
The seat allotment result for the stray round was declared on February 21, 2026. The Round 3 final result, announced on February 6, 2026, recorded 10,084 new allotments and 8,589 seat upgradations. Medical Counselling Committee
The Cutoff Controversy: How Did We Get Here?
This is the part that shocked the entire medical community. After Round 2 concluded, the number of vacant seats was staggering.
Officials confirmed that 18,000 out of 70,000 PG seats were vacant, prompting the government to drastically relax the qualifying percentile.
On January 13, 2026, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) issued an official directive reducing the minimum qualifying percentile for NEET PG 2025 counselling for Round 3. The ministry took this step to address large seat vacancies after Round 1 and Round 2 and to ensure maximum utilisation of PG medical seats across both the All India Quota and State Quota counselling.
The revised cut-offs marked an unprecedented shift. The ministry reduced the qualifying percentile for the General category to the 7th percentile (103 marks). It lowered the General PwD cutoff to the 5th percentile (90 marks). For SC, ST, and OBC categories, it dropped the qualifying percentile to 0, with a cut-off of -40 marks.
Source: Medical Counselling Committee
The reduction to the 0th percentile for SC/ST/OBC candidates meant that even those with a negative score of -40 (due to negative marking) became eligible to participate in counselling — a drop described as unprecedented across all categories.
Did NBE Decide This on Its Own?
No. NBEMS clarified in a counter-affidavit before the Supreme Court that the decision to reduce the qualifying percentile was taken by the Directorate General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the National Medical Commission (NMC). NBEMS stated it had no role whatsoever in deciding to lower the qualifying percentile.
After the cut-off reduction, 95,913 additional candidates became eligible to participate in NEET PG 2025 counselling.
Despite all this, the results after the Stray Vacancy Round were deeply disappointing for policymakers.
Supreme Court Verdict: No More Rounds for NEET PG 2025
This is the update that has closed the chapter for NEET PG 2025.
The Supreme Court has rejected the plea to conduct an additional Special Stray Vacancy Round. With this decision, the counselling process for the year is now officially over. The Court clearly stated that no further rounds will be conducted.
The Union Government informed the upper house of Parliament that 1,140 postgraduate medical seats remained unoccupied in the academic year 2025. According to the data shared by the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel, a considerable number of NEET PG seats remained vacant across government and private medical colleges after the stray vacancy round counselling — despite authorities having reduced the qualifying percentile across all categories.
This means over 1,100 PG seats will go unfilled for the 2025–26 academic session. For aspirants who were banking on a special round for one last opportunity, the Supreme Court’s decision marks the definitive end of the road for this cycle.
Delhi HC Ruling — A Big Win for SVR Non-Joiners (March 2026)
While the Supreme Court closed one door, the Delhi High Court opened another — one that directly benefits candidates allotted seats in the Stray Vacancy Round who chose not to join.
The Case: Remika Devi vs NBEMS [2026:DHC:2373]
Two NEET PG 2025 candidates participated in the counselling process and were allotted postgraduate medical seats in the Stray Vacancy Round under the All India Quota. However, they did not join the allotted seats, opting instead to pursue admission through Sponsored Post MBBS DNB (SPMD) counselling conducted by the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences. The candidates, initially found eligible for SPMD counselling, were later declared ineligible on the ground that they had already been allotted PG seats in NEET PG counselling.
What Did the Court Decide?
The Delhi High Court directed that candidates who were allotted seats in the Stray Vacancy Round of NEET PG 2025 but did not join cannot be treated as “ineligible” for SPMD counselling. The bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh ruled that the eligibility condition barring candidates “already pursuing” a postgraduate course applies only where a candidate has actually joined the course, not merely been allotted a seat.
The Court set aside communications dated March 5 and 6, 2026, issued by NBEMS, which had blocked these candidates from participating.
The Key Legal Distinction: Allotment ≠ Joining
The Court emphasised that allotment and joining are distinct stages of the counselling process and are governed by different provisions. Joining a seat leads to a binding admission, whereas failure to join only results in forfeiture of the deposit, with no additional disqualification prescribed.
Rejecting the stand of NBEMS, the Court held that expanding the meaning of “pursuing” to include mere allotment would amount to rewriting the rules. It observed that eligibility conditions must be strictly interpreted and cannot be widened through administrative interpretation to penalise candidates beyond what is expressly provided.
What About the Security Deposit?
The High Court allowed the petitions and directed that the petitioners be permitted to participate in SPMD counselling for the 2025 session, while upholding the forfeiture of their security deposit for non-joining of the SVR seats.
In short: you lose the security deposit, but you do not lose your future. The Court also referenced the Supreme Court’s ruling in State of U.P. v. Bhavna Tiwari, reinforcing that stronger penalties like debarment are contingent on the implementation of NExT, which has not yet been enforced.
Why Are 1,140 Seats Still Vacant? The Real Issues
Even after cutting the qualifying percentile to near zero and opening participation to nearly 96,000 more candidates, over 1,100 seats went unfilled. Why?
There are several structural reasons behind the NEET PG vacant seats crisis. High tuition fees in private and deemed medical colleges remain a major concern. Many candidates show low interest in non-clinical specialties like Physiology, Microbiology, and Anatomy. Excessive workload and unsafe training conditions in remote regions also deter candidates from accepting certain seats. Doctors avoid taking admission in colleges with heavy workload and weak infrastructure.
Beyond these, seat blocking has been a documented concern — candidates securing seats strategically without the intention of joining, hoping for a better option later. And while the courts have now addressed part of this problem through the Remika Devi ruling, the systemic fixes will require policy-level action.
Vacant PG medical seats after the first round of NEET PG counselling increased by approximately 51.5% between 2021 and 2025. MCC data highlights that around one-third of all NEET PG seats are in three states — Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu — and they also have the highest vacancies. High PG seat expansion is not translating into proportional seat filling.
The NExT exam, once implemented, is expected to bring in a new framework that could address some of these gaps. For now, however, the structural mismatch between seat availability and candidate preference continues to be an unresolved challenge.
How Career Plan B Helps
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For Latest Information
FAQ
Q1. Will there be a Special Stray Vacancy Round for NEET PG 2025?
No. The Supreme Court has officially rejected the plea to conduct an additional special stray round. The NEET PG 2025 counselling cycle is now completely over. Candidates must now prepare for NEET PG 2026.
Q2. How many seats remained vacant after the NEET PG 2025 stray round?
According to data shared by the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in Parliament, 1,140 postgraduate medical seats remained unoccupied after the stray vacancy round concluded on February 28, 2026.
Q3. I was allotted a seat in the stray round but did not join. Am I barred from SPMD counselling?
In Remika Devi vs NBEMS (2026:DHC:2373), the Delhi High Court ruled that authorities cannot make candidates who were allotted SVR seats but did not join ineligible for SPMD counselling, since mere allotment does not amount to pursuing a PG course. However, authorities will forfeit their security deposit.
Q4. Why was the NEET PG 2025 cutoff reduced so drastically?
MoHFW reduced the cutoff to fill vacant seats after Rounds 1 and 2 and ensure maximum utilisation of PG seats, making 95,913 more candidates eligible for counselling.
Q5. Who decided to lower the NEET PG 2025 cutoff — NBE or the government?
NBEMS told the Supreme Court that the qualifying percentile was reduced by DGHS under MoHFW with NMC, and NBEMS had no role in the decision.
Q6. What is SPMD counselling and who is eligible for it?
NBEMS conducts SPMD counselling for DNB PG hospital seats. After the March 2026 Delhi High Court ruling, candidates who didn’t join SVR seats can reapply if they forfeit the security deposit and meet eligibility criteria.
Conclusion
NEET PG 2025 counselling has pushed candidates, regulators, and the healthcare system to the edge. Authorities slashed the cutoff to near-zero levels, the Supreme Court rejected demands for an additional round, and 1,140 seats will still remain unfilled despite repeated attempts to prevent it.
However, the Delhi High Court’s ruling in Remika Devi vs NBEMS marks a significant win for fairness. The court drew a clear line between mere seat allotment and actually pursuing a course — a distinction that will protect many candidates from arbitrary penalties going forward.
If you are reading this after missing out in 2025, here is the most important takeaway: the 2026 cycle is your next real opportunity, and preparation must start now. Use this time wisely – not just to study harder, but to make smarter decisions about speciality choice, counselling strategy, and your backup options.
Career Plan B is here to help you build that strategy. Book a personalised counselling session today and take charge of your medical career — one well-informed decision at a time.
