Checked 30 September 2026. High. Every rule here is from the 2025 MCC PG bulletin (revised 27.11.2025). MCC says the rules of each round apply to everyone once it starts, and the 2026 bulletin was not out on 30 September 2026. Re-read the 2026 bulletin before registering.
Under the 2025 MCC rules, walking away from a Round 1 seat costs nothing, walking away from a seat allotted in Round 2 or later costs the whole security deposit, and once you join a Round 3 seat you cannot resign or move again. The deposit is ₹25,000 for UR and EWS candidates and ₹10,000 for SC, ST, OBC and PwD candidates on AIQ and central seats, and ₹2,00,000 for deemed universities. This guide goes through each round's rules as the MCC bulletin states them, what a seat is worth to keep open, how refunds work and how long they take, and the two money rules outside the deposit: the stray-round debarment of 2024 and the Armed Forces bond. ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not part of NBEMS (the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences), the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) of DGHS, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare or the National Medical Commission. Every rule here is quoted or summarised from their bulletins and notices, and they decide every case.
MCC PG Information Bulletin 2025 (revised 27.11.2025), FAQ 7 and 8, flow chart and chapter on rounds.
Where other pages get this wrong
The security deposit is refundable only if you join the seat you are allotted, or if you are never allotted one. It is forfeited if you skip a seat allotted in Round 2 or later.
Commonly published instead: "Refundable deposit" read as "you always get it back", or the belief that you can drop any seat until the last round at no cost.
MCC forfeits the deposit when a candidate allotted in Round 2 or a later round does not join, or when an admission is cancelled for wrong information or missing documents (bulletin para 2.6 and FAQ 8).
What you pay to register
| Seats applied for | Registration fee (non-refundable) | Security deposit (refundable) |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ / central, UR or EWS | ₹1,000 | ₹25,000 |
| AIQ / central, SC, ST, OBC or PwD | ₹500 | ₹10,000 |
| Deemed universities (any category) | ₹5,000 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Both AIQ and deemed | only the higher: ₹5,000 | only the higher: ₹2,00,000 |
The deposit is refunded to the same account it was paid from, and the refund process starts only after all rounds of counselling are over (para 2.15); MCC says it will not entertain refund queries by email or phone. For PG counselling 2025, MCC was still publishing refund annexures in July 2026: an Annexure A for refund of security deposit is dated 8 July 2026. Plan on the deposit being tied up for many months either way.
Round by round
| Round | If you do not report | If you join | Resigning after joining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Free exit; deposit safe; you go into Round 2 without registering again | You may give willingness to upgrade at the college; if upgraded in Round 2 you must relieve and join the new seat | No resignation step in the 2025 flow chart; MCC opened a one-off window on 8-10 Dec 2025 (see below) |
| Round 2 | Deposit forfeited; you can still enter Round 3 with a fresh fee payment | You may opt to upgrade to Round 3; if upgraded you lose the Round 2 seat | Allowed; you can enter Round 3 "with full payment of fees" |
| Round 3 | Deposit forfeited and eliminated from all further MCC rounds, including the stray round | Final: no upgrade, no resignation, no further rounds | Not allowed |
| Stray vacancy | Deposit forfeited | Final | Not allowed ("once joined, candidate cannot resign") |
| Any round | — | — | Admission cancelled for wrong information or missing documents: deposit forfeited |
Three rules sit underneath this table. Each round is separate and has its own rules, and once a round starts its rules apply to every candidate, even those admitted in earlier rounds (para 2.17). All admissions and resignations are online only, entered by the college on MCC's portal; an offline admission or resignation is not accepted and the vacated seat will not be counted. And upgrades end at Round 3: a candidate who joins a Round 2 seat can opt to be upgraded in Round 3, and a candidate who joins in Round 3 cannot resign from it.
What happens if I leave this seat? MCC round-by-round checker
Pick the round, what you want to do and the pool you registered for. The answer quotes the 2025 MCC PG bulletin (revised 27.11.2025), the latest published; the 2026 rules may differ, and MCC says each round's rules apply to everyone once that round starts.
Round 1: the only free option
Round 1 is where you can keep options open at no cost. If you are allotted a seat and do not report, MCC treats it as a free exit, and you take part in Round 2 without registering again. If you report and complete admission formalities with original documents, you can ask at the college to be considered for an upgrade in Round 2. Your Round 1 seat is then shown to others as a virtual vacancy in Round 2; if you are upgraded, you must take relieving from the Round 1 college and join the Round 2 seat, and you have no claim to the Round 1 seat any more.
The 2025 cycle added a wrinkle. On 8 December 2025 MCC noted that several candidates had been allotted Round 1 seats through MCC and also seats in Round 1 of their state counselling. It allowed resignation from Round 1 MCC seats online from 4 PM on 8 December to 6 PM on 10 December 2025, so that those seats could be offered in Round 2. That was a one-off notice, not a standing rule. Do not plan on the same window in 2026 unless MCC announces it.
Round 2 and later: the deposit is on the line
From Round 2, an allotment is a commitment. If you are allotted a seat in Round 2 and do not join, the deposit is forfeited, though the 2025 flow chart says you remain eligible for later rounds (on paying again). If you join a Round 2 seat, you can still opt to upgrade to Round 3 after reporting. A candidate who resigned from Round 2 can take part in Round 3 with full payment of fees.
Round 3 is the last round with any flexibility, and it is final once used. If you are allotted a seat in Round 3 and do not join, you lose the deposit and are eliminated: no further MCC rounds, including the stray round. If you join, you cannot upgrade or resign. MCC shares the list of joined Round 3 candidates with the states, which remove them from their own later rounds.
The stray round, and the 2024 debarment
The stray vacancy round is open only to candidates not holding a seat. Choices from earlier rounds are void; you register and fill choices afresh. If you are allotted a stray seat and do not join, the deposit is forfeited, and once you join you cannot resign.
There is a precedent for more than losing the deposit. On 20 September 2024 MCC published a notice debarring PG 2023 candidates who had been allotted seats in the stray or special stray round and did not join from PG counselling 2024, under an undertaking they had signed. The notice lists them by roll number; we counted 991 and publish only that count. The 2025 bulletin text we searched carries no similar debarment clause (the only "debar" rule we found is for submitting more than one registration). Read the 2026 bulletin for any undertaking you are asked to sign.
Where the bigger money is: the college, not MCC
- MCC says the stipend, fee structure, course duration, bond amount and any rural or tribal service conditions shown on its site are provided by the colleges, and it takes no responsibility for them (para 2.9).
- It tells candidates to confirm fees, especially at deemed universities, with the college before filling choices (para 2.11).
- So there is no single national stipend or bond figure. The one bond MCC prints in full is the Armed Forces Medical Services bond below.
The Armed Forces Medical Services bond
Civilian doctors admitted to PG courses at AFMS institutions serve as Short Service Commission officers in the AFMS for five years after the course. The 2025 MCC bulletin prints the bond terms from the Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services for the 2025-28 session.
| Situation | Amount or rule |
|---|---|
| Service liability after the course | 5 years as a Short Service Commission officer in AFMS |
| Unwilling to join AFMS when offered the commission | ₹59,00,000 (Rupees Fifty Nine Lakhs) |
| Release within 5 years of commission, if sanctioned | ₹11.8 lakh per completed year or part of unfulfilled liability, up to the bond amount |
| Leaving the course after the NMC or university's last date of admission | ₹19,66,667 per year or part year of education at the institution |
| Declared non-service-liability on medical grounds | 50% of the bond money for the further period of study before continuing, and the other 50% on completing the course |
A simple way to think about the rounds
Our reading of the rules, not MCC advice: Round 1 is for keeping options open, because leaving costs nothing and reporting keeps an upgrade possible. Round 2 is where you should fill only choices you would actually join, because an unjoined Round 2 seat costs the deposit. Round 3 is where you should be sure, because the seat you join is final and not joining ends your MCC counselling. The stray round is for candidates without a seat and, going by 2024, may carry consequences beyond the deposit.
Two rules make the joint planning of MCC and state counselling tighter. The states and MCC share lists of joined candidates after their Round 3s, so a seat you join on one side removes you from the other side's later rounds. And the refund of any deposit you did not forfeit waits until every round is over, which in 2025 meant a refund process still running in July 2026.
Nothing here is legal or admission advice. For your own case, write to NBEMS through its communication portal or call its helpline (011-45593000, as printed in the 24 September 2026 result notice), and for counselling read the MCC bulletin for your round.
How much is the NEET PG MCC security deposit?
In the 2025 MCC PG bulletin: ₹25,000 for UR and EWS candidates and ₹10,000 for SC, ST, OBC and PwD candidates for AIQ and central seats; ₹2,00,000 for deemed universities. Registration fees are ₹1,000, ₹500 and ₹5,000 respectively.
Is there a free exit in MCC PG counselling?
Yes, in Round 1. A candidate allotted a Round 1 seat who does not report takes a free exit and can join Round 2 without registering again.
What happens if I do not join a Round 2 seat?
The security deposit is forfeited. Under the 2025 rules you can still take part in Round 3 after paying the fees again.
Can I resign a Round 3 seat in MCC PG counselling?
No. Once you join a Round 3 seat you cannot upgrade or resign, and you cannot take part in any further round.
When is the MCC security deposit refunded?
Only after all rounds of counselling end, to the account it was paid from. For PG counselling 2025, refund annexures were still being issued in July 2026.
Can you be debarred for not joining a stray-round seat?
In 2024 MCC debarred PG 2023 stray and special-stray allottees who did not join from PG counselling 2024, under an undertaking they had signed. Check the 2026 bulletin for any such undertaking.
What is the AFMS PG bond amount?
The 2025 MCC bulletin prints ₹59,00,000 for declining the AFMS commission after the course, ₹11.8 lakh per unserved year on early release, and ₹19,66,667 per year of study for leaving mid-course after the last date of admission.
Sources
- official — MCC — PG Information Bulletin 2025, revised 27.11.2025 (the latest MCC PG bulletin on 30 Sep 2026): counselling flow chart, round rules, fees and deposits, forfeiture, refunds, vacancies, conversion algorithm, AFMS bond
- official — MCC — Notice for resignation of Round 1 seats, PG Counselling 2025, 08.12.2025 (window 08.12.2025 4 PM to 10.12.2025 6 PM)
- official — MCC — Annexure A for refund of security deposit, PG Counselling 2025, 08.07.2026
- official — MCC — Notice, 20.09.2024: PG 2023 candidates allotted in the stray / special stray round who did not join debarred from PG counselling 2024
- official — MCC — Final result, Round 2, PG Counselling 2025, 17.12.2025
- official — MCC — Final result, Round 3, PG Counselling 2025, 06.02.2026
- official — MCC — Final result, stray vacancy round, PG Counselling 2025 (file dated 23.02.2026)
- official — MCC notice No. 1, 28.09.2026 (Ref. U-12021/09/2026-MEC) — PwD portal for Round 1 of PG Counselling 2026 active from 1 Oct 2026; primary board to 5 PM on 9 Oct; appellate board 5-12 Oct 2026
- official — NBEMS — Information Bulletin, NEET-PG 2026, linked from the NEET-PG exam page: scope of admission, pattern (180 questions, five time-bound sections), +4/-1 marking, percentile formula, tie-breaks, eligibility (internship by 30-09-2026), fee, OCI and NRI rules
- official — MCC — PG Medical Counselling pages (current events, news and events, archive), read 30 Sep 2026
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.
