Maharashtra NEET PG Counselling 2026: There is good news for NEET PG 2026 students in Maharashtra. According to a notice issued by the Maharashtra government, the previous method of selecting students for MD (Doctor of Medicine), MS (Master of Surgery), and MDS (Master of Dental Surgery) postgraduate admissions has been discontinued. It was announced that the Maharashtra government implemented the 'Maharashtra Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission) Rules, 2026' on October 5, 2026. Consequently, private colleges could no longer conduct their own admission processes.
It has been decided that seat filling will happen through the system, so there is no chance of doing it by hand. The new system will handle the allocation of seats. This will include management seats and institutional seats. It will also include NRIs. It will be important to use the website cetcell.mahacet.org for any open seats since the whole process will be done online.
Maharashtra NEET PG Counselling 2026: Key Changes
The new rules overhaul how PG medical and dental admissions work in the state. The main provisions are summarised below.
Feature | New Policy & Rules (2026 Onward) |
Conducting Authority | State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, Maharashtra |
Official Portal | cetcell.mahacet.org / mahacet.org |
Institutional Round Status | Completely scrapped (no offline campus-level rounds) |
Quota Coverage | State Quota, Management/Institutional Quota and NRI Quota |
Stray Vacancy Round | Conducted 100% online by CET Cell |
Notified Legislation | Maharashtra Professional Educational Institutions Rules, 2026 (notified Oct 5, 2026) |
Candidates should note that the CET Cell portal will now be the single point of contact for all rounds, from the first allotment to the last vacancy round.
End of Campus-Level Allotments and Opaque Seat Allocation
Private medical and dental colleges will no longer conduct their own manual, offline rounds. Authorities say the move is meant to prevent seat trading and other opaque allocation practices that have long been a concern in institutional and management quota admissions. By bringing even the stray vacancy rounds online, the state aims to ensure that every seat, at every stage, is filled through a traceable, centralised system.
Broader Eligibility for Institutional Quota Seats
The rules also widen who can compete for institutional quota seats. Eligible candidates now include non-Maharashtra domicile holders, state domicile holders who completed their MBBS outside Maharashtra, and those holding medical degrees from abroad. This opens up seats that were previously harder to access for a larger pool of NEET PG candidates.
Strict Compliance and Penalties for Candidates
Before the registration period expires, candidates must turn in all necessary paperwork. If they do not accomplish this or don't show up for their online allotments, they will be barred from state-level admissions for two years. It is recommended that candidates have all of their certificates ready and checked well in advance of the registration deadline.
Push for Transparency and Merit
Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif has said the process is being introduced to make sure the admission system is fair and based on merit. By putting all quotas under one system, the government expects to increase openness and reduce the power that institutions have. This change is expected to change how PG medical students plan their counselling approach from 2026-27 onwards.