Maharashtra Scraps Institutional-Level Rounds for NEET PG 2026 Admissions

The Maharashtra state government has introduced significant reforms to the postgraduate medical admission process for the 2026 academic year. In a move designed to enhance transparency and security, authorities have officially discontinued the practice of conducting institutional-level admission rounds for private medical colleges.

Under the newly notified Maharashtra Professional Educational Institutions Rules, 2026, the responsibility for filling all seats—including those previously designated under institutional and Non-Resident Indian (NRI) quotas—has been shifted entirely to the Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell. This transition ensures that all admissions will now be processed through a centralised online counselling system, effectively ending the previous practice where individual private colleges managed their own offline admission rounds at the campus level.

Centralised Process and Eligibility Updates

Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif stated that the revised regulatory framework is intended to make the admission process more quality-based and secure for all applicants. By centralising the procedure, the state aims to eliminate inconsistencies that previously occurred during independent college-level counselling sessions. The Maharashtra State CET Cell is expected to release the full schedule and detailed counselling dates on its official portal in the near future.

In addition to the structural changes in the counselling process, the state has updated the eligibility criteria for institutional quota seats. Candidates who hold a Maharashtra domicile certificate are now eligible to apply for these seats, regardless of whether they completed their MBBS or BDS degrees from a university located outside the state. Furthermore, the updated guidelines allow candidates from other states, as well as foreign medical graduates, to register for vacant institutional quota seats within private medical institutions.

Upcoming Counselling Schedule

As the state prepares for the new admission cycle, the Maharashtra CET Cell has confirmed the timeline for the initial phase of the process. The Round 1 counselling for the Maharashtra NEET PG 2026 is scheduled to take place from October 21 to November 2, 2026. Prospective students are advised to consult the official admission brochure and the counselling website for comprehensive guidelines regarding the new centralised application procedure.