C-DAC Counselling Explained: Rounds, Lock/Freeze, Fees, Withdrawal Rules
How C-DAC seat allocation works after C-CAT — one preference list for two rounds, lock or freeze, the caution deposit for Round 3, the two fee instalments and what withdrawing costs, week by week.
Updated : 10 hours ago
View Complete ArticleChecked 25 September 2026. From §11–§16 and Tables 11–13 of the August 2026 booklet, with the February 2026 dates for comparison. The February 2027 booklet will carry its own dates and amounts.
Clearing C-CAT gives you a rank, not a seat. The seat comes from C-DAC's online counselling: two counselling sessions and three allocation rounds, with money due at each step. The rules are strict and mostly irreversible — a preference list you cannot edit, a seat you must pay for to stay in the next round, a deposit you lose if you are allotted a seat and walk away. Here is how it worked for the August 2026 batch.
Where other pages get this wrong
Your first-counselling preference list is used for Rounds 1 and 2, and it cannot be edited after choice filling closes.
Commonly published instead: Advice to "fill a few options now and add more in Round 2".
The booklet makes the last saved list final at the close of the first counselling, and both Round 1 and Round 2 allocate from it. The only new list comes in the second counselling, which is for vacant seats and costs a caution deposit. You will never be allotted a course or centre you did not list.
August 2026 admission booklet. Both amounts were ₹10,000 + GST in February 2026.
The August 2026 timeline
| Step | Aug 2026 batch | Feb 2026 batch |
|---|---|---|
| Ranks published; first counselling (choice filling) opens | 16 Jul | 22 Jan |
| First counselling closes | 23 Jul | 28 Jan |
| Round 1 allocation | 25 Jul | 30 Jan |
| First instalment for Round 1 seats | by 31 Jul, 5 pm | by 4 Feb, 5 pm |
| Round 2 allocation | 2 Aug | 6 Feb |
| First instalment for new Round 2 allottees | by 6 Aug, 5 pm | by 10 Feb, 5 pm |
| Caution deposit and second counselling | 7–12 Aug | 11–16 Feb |
| Round 3 allocation | 13 Aug | 17 Feb |
| Balance fee | 20 Aug in the dates table, but "before 18 August" in §12.3 — pay by the earlier date | 23 Feb |
| Course starts | 24 Aug | 25 Feb |
The whole sequence takes about five weeks from ranks to the first class. For the February 2027 batch, expect the same shape starting in the second half of January — but use the dates in the new booklet, not these.
Round 1 and Round 2: one list, two chances
How the first counselling works
- List as many course–centre preferences as you like, but only courses you are eligible for. The last saved list is final when choice filling closes.
- Round 1: if you get your first preference, that seat is final.
- Otherwise, pay the first instalment to stay in the game. Having paid, you can lock/freeze the Round 1 seat or leave it open to be upgraded to a higher preference in Round 2. If you do not pay, you drop out of Round 2 and the allotment is cancelled.
- Round 2 seats are final. "A candidate cannot join a lower preferred choice if he/she is allocated a higher preference in any round."
August 2026 booklet §16.
The practical consequence is that the order of your list is a commitment. Put a course and centre above another only if you would genuinely take it: if Round 2 upgrades you to it, you cannot go back to the lower one.
A worked example
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| First counselling | You list, in order: (1) AC at Centre X, (2) AC at Centre Y, (3) BDA at Centre Z |
| Round 1 | You are allotted (3). You pay the first instalment and leave it unfrozen |
| Round 2 | A seat opens at (2) and you are upgraded to it. (3) is released; you cannot go back to it |
| If you had frozen (3) | You would have kept (3) and not been considered for (1) or (2) |
| If you had not paid in Round 1 | Your allotment would have been cancelled and you would be out of Round 2 |
Freeze only a seat you are content to keep; leave it open if a higher preference would be worth losing it for, knowing that an upgrade is final. The booklet is blunt: a candidate "cannot join a lower preferred choice" once allotted a higher one.
The second counselling and Round 3
| Who can join | Condition |
|---|---|
| Candidates who skipped the first counselling | Pay the caution deposit |
| Candidates who got no seat in Rounds 1–2 | Pay the caution deposit |
| Candidates allotted a seat who did not pay | Pay the caution deposit |
| Candidates who paid and then withdrew | Pay the caution deposit |
In the second counselling you see only the vacant course–centre combinations your rank qualifies for, based on each seat's cut-off rank — the one place C-DAC shows a cut-off, and only inside your login. If Round 3 gives you no seat, the deposit (₹15,000 + GST in August 2026) is refunded in full. If it gives you a seat, the deposit is not refunded: the booklet says candidates allocated seats in the third round "should go ahead with their seats".
Withdrawal: what leaving costs
| If you withdraw (Aug 2026 batch) | Penalty |
|---|---|
| 25–31 Jul | ₹1,000 + GST |
| 1–6 Aug | ₹5,000 + GST |
| 7–12 Aug | ₹10,000 + GST |
| 13–23 Aug | ₹15,000 + GST |
| 24 Aug – 23 Sep (first month of the course) | 50% of the total fee + GST |
| After 23 Sep | The full fee |
Our arithmetic on the booklet's Table 12. Before the course, withdraw by the online form and e-mail the signed copy to actsfinance@cdac.in by 5 pm on the deadline; after it starts, at your centre. Refunds are paid within two months of the course starting.
What your seat will cost
| Course and mode | First instalment | Second instalment |
|---|---|---|
| PGCP-AC / CSF — online | ₹15,000 + GST | ₹69,150 + GST |
| PGCP-AC / CSF — physical; other physical-only courses | ₹15,000 + GST | ₹84,000 + GST |
| PGCP-BDA — online / physical | ₹15,000 + GST | ₹82,750 / ₹1,00,000 + GST |
| PGCP-AI — online / physical | ₹15,000 + GST | ₹1,12,500 / ₹1,35,000 + GST |
| PGCP-FBD — online | ₹15,000 + GST | ₹91,250 + GST |
Rules that cost money
- Pay online only. Demand drafts, cheques and cash are not accepted.
- Ineligible at document verification? The ₹15,000 + GST first instalment is forfeited.
- No manual transfers after allocation; relocation after admission only in exceptional cases, in rank order. Moving to a dearer course means paying the difference; to a cheaper one, no refund.
- If C-DAC cancels a course at a centre, you get a full refund, or another course or centre if your rank allows.
August 2026 booklet §12–§16.
Practise it, don't just read it
For the February 2027 batch, the rank you carry into counselling is set at the January C-CAT. Sections A and B decide it for every Category II course.
The ProSyllabus C-CAT library has topic quizzes for English and Quantitative Aptitude, Logical Reasoning, Computer Fundamentals, C Programming and Data Structures and OOP — the core of Sections A and B. Each question comes with an explanation.
What is lock and freeze in C-DAC counselling?
After paying the first instalment for a Round 1 seat, you can lock/freeze it to keep it, or leave it unfrozen to be considered for a higher preference in Round 2. If you do not pay, you drop out of Round 2 and lose the allotment.
Can I change my C-DAC preferences after Round 1?
No. The list saved when the first counselling closes is final and is used for both Round 1 and Round 2. A new list is possible only in the second counselling, for vacant seats, after paying the caution deposit.
What is the C-DAC caution deposit?
₹15,000 + GST in the August 2026 booklet (₹10,000 + GST before), paid to enter the second counselling for Round 3. It is refunded if you get no seat, and not refunded if you are allotted one.
What is the C-DAC refund policy on withdrawal?
In August 2026, withdrawing cost ₹1,000 + GST in the first week after Round 1, rising to ₹5,000, ₹10,000 and ₹15,000 + GST before the course, 50% of the fee in the course's first month, and the full fee after that.
How is the C-DAC fee paid?
In two online instalments: ₹15,000 + GST to confirm the seat, then the balance before the course starts.
Does C-DAC publish cut-off ranks?
Not publicly. In the second counselling each candidate sees only the vacant course–centre options their rank qualifies for, based on each seat's cut-off rank, inside their own login.
Is the first instalment refundable?
Not simply. Withdrawing after paying costs a penalty that rises from ₹1,000 + GST in the first week after Round 1 to ₹15,000 + GST just before the course (August 2026 schedule), and the instalment is forfeited if you are found ineligible at document verification.
When does the C-DAC course start after counselling?
About four to five weeks after ranks: the August 2026 batch had ranks on 16 July and began on 24 August; the February 2026 batch had ranks on 22 January and began on 25 February.
How many preferences can I fill in C-DAC counselling?
As many as you like, among the courses you are eligible for. The last saved list is final when choice filling closes.
What happens if I am allotted a higher preference in Round 2?
You must take it: a candidate cannot join a lower preference if allotted a higher one in any round, and Round 2 seats are final.
More in this series
- C-CAT pattern, syllabus and Category II vs III
- Eligibility: which degree opens which C-DAC course
- The twelve C-DAC courses compared
- Training centres and seats: C-DAC vs ATCs
- A preparation plan for the January 2027 C-CAT
- C-DAC placements: what the data does and does not show
- C-CAT notice board — official updates
Sources
- official — C-DAC ACTS admission booklet, August 2026 batch (v1.0)
- official — C-DAC PG Certificate Programme admission page
- official — C-DAC admission page for the February 2026 batch (archived 19 Jan 2026)
- official — C-DAC PGCP-AC course page
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
