UP NEET UG Counselling 2026 — Portal, Domicile & Fee Reality
Domicile, four rounds, security deposits and fee bands for UP NEET UG state counselling 2026.
Uttar Pradesh runs the largest state medical counselling in the country by candidate volume, and it runs on its own portal, its own deposit structure and its own domicile rules — none of which are shared with MCC. Here is the complete picture for 2026, with the money questions answered honestly.
Who Conducts UP NEET Counselling?
UP's 85% state quota MBBS and BDS seats are counselled by the Directorate General of Medical Education & Training (DGME), Uttar Pradesh, through the portal upneet.gov.in. Everything happens there: registration, fee payment, choice filling, allotment results and seat confirmation. The remaining 15% All India Quota seats in UP's government colleges are counselled separately by MCC — see our MCC AIQ rounds guide for that side.
UP candidates who only register on upneet.gov.in are ignoring AIQ seats in AIIMS, JIPMER, central universities and every other state's government colleges — no domicile needed. The reverse mistake is worse: skipping UP counselling means skipping 85% of UP's government seats.
2026 Dates: What Is Actually Known
The NEET UG 2026 result was declared on 16 July 2026. As of this update, MCC has not published its official All India Quota calendar, and UP — which historically starts within days of MCC's Round 1 — has not published firm dates either. Expect the UP notification to appear on upneet.gov.in shortly after MCC's schedule goes live. Track the MCC 2026 schedule page, which we update the day official dates land.
UP Domicile: The Rule That Decides What You Can See
UP's eligibility split is one of the clearest in the country, and it surprises candidates from other states in a good way:
- Government medical & dental colleges (state quota): UP domicile is generally required. Candidates establish it through a domicile/residence certificate, and in practice through schooling and parental residence in UP.
- Private and minority institutions in UP: candidates from other states have historically been eligible to participate without UP domicile. This is why UP private colleges draw applicants nationally.
Eligibility clauses are re-issued in each year's information brochure, so read the 2026 brochure before you conclude you qualify. Our state quota vs AIQ guide covers how domicile works across states in general.
The Four Rounds
| Stage | What happens | Who should care |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Fresh registration, choice filling, merit-based allotment, reporting | Everyone eligible — this is where the deepest seat pool exists |
| Round 2 | Vacant + newly released seats; upgradation for Round 1 allottees who did not freeze | Anyone unhappy with a Round 1 seat, plus fresh candidates |
| Mop-Up | Seats still vacant after Round 2, usually with fresh registration allowed | Unallotted candidates and those willing to accept a binding seat |
| Stray Vacancy | Final clean-up of leftover seats, often at institute level from the merit list | Last realistic chance in the UP state pool |
Which UP college band does your rank actually reach? Ask on WhatsApp →
The round count is stable year to year; the rules attached to each round are not. Whether fresh candidates may enter at Mop-Up, and what happens if you skip a round, is set fresh each cycle. Our how many rounds guide compares UP's structure with MCC's and other states'.
Registration Fee and Security Deposit
This is the part parents ask about first, and the part where wrong numbers circulate freely. In recent UP cycles the structure has been:
| Component | Indicative amount | Refundable? |
|---|---|---|
| Registration / counselling fee | ≈ ₹2,000 | No |
| Security deposit — government college choices | ≈ ₹30,000 | Yes, subject to round-wise conditions |
| Security deposit — private medical college choices | ≈ ₹2,00,000 | Yes, subject to round-wise conditions |
| Security deposit — private dental college choices | ≈ ₹1,00,000 | Yes, subject to round-wise conditions |
Which UP college band does your rank actually reach? Ask on WhatsApp →
UP revises fee and deposit amounts between cycles, and the payment mode (online vs demand draft in favour of the DGME) has changed in the past too. Confirm the exact 2026 amounts and payment channel in the official brochure on upneet.gov.in before transferring anything, and never pay a deposit to an individual or an agent.
The deposit exists to stop candidates from blocking seats they never intend to join. That means it is forfeitable — the conditions differ by round and by college type. Our security deposit and refund guide walks through the forfeiture logic round by round.
Fee Bands: Government vs Private in UP
UP has a large government sector, which is exactly why competition for its state quota seats is fierce. The gap between a government seat and a private seat is the single biggest financial decision in the process:
| College type | Indicative annual tuition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UP government medical college | Low tens of thousands of rupees | Plus hostel, mess and university charges |
| UP private medical college (state quota) | Several lakh per year | Regulated fee; varies materially college to college |
| UP private medical college (management/NRI) | Substantially higher | See our NRI quota and private fee guides |
Which UP college band does your rank actually reach? Ask on WhatsApp →
We deliberately publish bands rather than precise per-college numbers, because UP's regulated private fees are re-notified and litigated regularly. For a fuller treatment of what a "package" figure hides, read private vs deemed MBBS fees 2026.
The UP Service Bond
UP government medical college graduates have in recent years been subject to a compulsory service requirement of around two years, with a penalty in the region of ₹10 lakh for non-compliance, and deferment commonly permitted for candidates who proceed to PG. Bond terms are revised by state governments more often than any other counselling variable — see our state-wise bond policy comparison and confirm the current UP order before you treat any figure as final.
Documents to Have Ready Before Registration Opens
- NEET UG 2026 admit card and scorecard
- Class 10 and Class 12 mark sheets and certificates
- UP domicile / residence certificate (for government seat eligibility)
- Category certificate in the UP-prescribed format, where applicable — a central-format certificate is not always accepted for state quota
- Aadhaar or other photo ID, recent photographs, signature scan
the single most common UP rejection is a category certificate issued in the wrong format or beyond its validity window. Start that paperwork now, not after allotment. Full list in our document checklist.
UP NEET Counselling — FAQs
Which website is used for UP NEET UG counselling?
UP NEET UG state counselling is conducted through upneet.gov.in by the Directorate General of Medical Education & Training (DGME), Uttar Pradesh. Registration, choice filling, allotment results and fee payment all happen on that single portal — MCC's All India Quota counselling at mcc.nic.in is separate and needs its own registration.
Do I need a UP domicile certificate for UP NEET counselling?
For UP government medical and dental college seats you generally need to establish UP domicile. For private and minority institution seats in UP, candidates from other states have historically been eligible without UP domicile. Because eligibility clauses are re-issued each year, confirm the current rule in that year's UP counselling information brochure before you register.
How much is the UP NEET counselling security deposit?
In recent cycles UP charged a non-refundable registration fee of about ₹2,000, plus a refundable security deposit of about ₹30,000 for government college choices and about ₹2,00,000 for private medical college choices (lower for private dental). Treat these as indicative figures and confirm the exact amounts for 2026 on upneet.gov.in.
How many rounds does UP NEET counselling have?
UP typically runs four stages: Round 1, Round 2, a Mop-Up round and a Stray Vacancy round. Round 1 and Round 2 are the main merit rounds, Mop-Up fills seats left after them, and Stray Vacancy is the final institute-level clean-up. The number of rounds in any given year is confirmed in the official UP counselling notification.
Can I take part in both UP counselling and MCC AIQ counselling?
Yes. The two are separate systems and most UP candidates register for both. What you cannot do is hold confirmed seats in both at once — once you accept and report against a seat in one track, your ability to continue in the other depends on that year's rules, so check both the MCC and UP brochures before accepting anything.
Your next step
You now know the rules. What this guide cannot tell you is your answer — which seat your rank actually reaches, in which round, at which fee. That is personal, it is deadline-bound, and it is the part we do.
Get my answer on WhatsAppGuidance only. No seat is guaranteed — allotment is decided solely by the counselling authority. Not affiliated with MCC, NTA or any state counselling authority.