58,000 Seats, 11% More: NEET PG 2026 Counselling Seat Matrix Out, PwD Portal Opens Today

The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) and the National Medical Commission (NMC) have released the NEET PG 2026 counselling seat matrix, and this year it carries good news: about 58,000 MD, MS, DNB and PG diploma seats are on offer for the 2026-27 academic year, roughly 11% more than the 52,173 seats available last year. Along with this, MCC opens the Round 1 registration portal for PwD candidates today, October 1.

If you cleared NEET PG 2026, this is the document that decides where you can study. The seat matrix lists every postgraduate medical seat in the country, college by college and branch by branch. Candidates appearing through the NEET PG 2026 counselling process should read it before filling their choices.

58,000 seats: where the growth is

The big jump this year comes mostly from private and deemed universities. Seats in these institutions have gone up by about 32%, while government medical college seats have risen by around 10%. For students, that means more options in the choice list, but it also means watching the fee column carefully, because private and deemed seats cost much more than government ones.

A few branches have seen a clear increase in seats this year. Anaesthesia, ophthalmology, ENT, pathology, psychiatry and respiratory medicine all have more seats than last year. These are the branches where cut-offs could move in your favour, so keep them in mind when you lock your choices.

PwD Round 1 portal opens October 1

MCC will open the NEET PG 2026 Round 1 registration portal for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) candidates on October 1. Candidates can access the registration through the MCC’s official website. This is the first step of counselling for PwD candidates, and everything that follows depends on it.

Before a PwD candidate can claim a reserved seat, they must complete a medical assessment at a designated centre. The Primary Medical Assessment Board will function from October 1 at 5 pm to October 9. Candidates have been advised to visit their allotted assessment centre within this period and finish the assessment before the deadline.

If a candidate disagrees with the primary board’s decision, there is a second chance. The Appellate Medical Assessment Board will conduct reassessments from 10 am on October 5 to 5 pm on October 12. After that, the PwD eligibility process closes for Round 1.

The 11% rise in seats is the biggest positive for this year’s counselling. More seats do not guarantee a lower cut-off, but they do widen the options for candidates in the borderline ranks.

What to do after the seat matrix is out

A seat matrix is not just a list. Used well, it becomes your counselling plan. Here is how to read it:

• Download the PDF from the NMC website and search for your preferred states and colleges.
• Note the seat count, category-wise breakup, and the fee for each option you like.
• Compare branches where seats grew this year, like anaesthesia, psychiatry and pathology, with your rank range.
• Keep your NEET PG result, scorecard and documents ready before registration opens. The individual scorecards are available from October 1 on the NBEMS website, and the answer key also releases on or after October 1.
• If you appeared under the PwD category, do not miss the October 1 to October 9 assessment window. The rest of Round 1 waits for no one.

Students who have already downloaded their NEET PG 2026 scorecard can match their rank against the seat numbers for their target colleges. Those following the NEET UG Round 3 seat allotment will know the pattern: reporting windows are short, so keep documents and fee payments ready in advance.

Answer key and scorecards also arrive October 1

Alongside counselling, NBEMS is issuing the NEET PG 2026 question ID numbers, correct answer keys and each candidate’s marked responses on or after October 1 through the applicant login on the NBEMS website. Individual scorecards are also available for download from October 1 and will remain available for six months from the date of issue.

These documents matter because the scorecard shows your exact marks, percentile and All India Rank, which is what you will use to make sense of the seat matrix. The qualifying cut-off stands at 262 marks for General and EWS candidates (50th percentile), 244 for General PwBD (45th percentile), and 226 for SC, ST and OBC candidates including PwBD (40th percentile).

Why this matters for you

NEET PG counselling is a race against dates. The seat matrix sets the map, the PwD assessment dates set the first deadline, and Round 1 registration for everyone else follows soon. Students who start planning their choice list now, with real seat numbers in hand, make better choices than those who rush at the last minute. The numbers are on your side this year. Use them.