Punjab MBBS counselling: round-by-round exit rules

Punjab runs on a willingness switch. After Round 1 you log in and tell the portal whether you want to be considered for an upgrade. Set it wrong and you either freeze yourself out of a better seat or stay floating when you meant to lock in. Punjab is also one of only two states that halves the government deposit for reserved categories.

This page covers the BFUHS state counselling for the 85% Punjab quota in government colleges and the seats in private colleges.

Who runs it

Baba Farid University of Health Sciences conducts counselling at bfuhs.ac.in for the state quota.

Security deposit, by category

Punjab gives a genuine reserved-category concession on the government deposit, unlike most states.

Registration fee is around ₹5,900 for general candidates including GST, and ₹2,950 for SC. The private deposit figure should be confirmed against the BFUHS prospectus, as secondary sources disagree.

How the rounds work

Round 1 allows a free exit. Once you report to a Round 1 college, you log into the BFUHS portal and set your willingness for Round 2. Yes willingness keeps you in the upgrade pool; No willingness freezes your Round 1 seat for good. How the upgrade moves: upgrades only travel up your registered preference list, never down, and if nothing higher comes you keep the seat you have. Round 2 and after: resign a joined Round 2 seat and the deposit is forfeited; non-joining in the later rounds forfeits the deposit and ends participation.

Reservation and eligibility

Domicile. Punjab domicile, or Class 11 and 12 studied in Punjab, with several residence routes including five years of schooling or a parent's qualifying residence or government employment.

Reservation. Government colleges run SC 25%, BC 10% and EWS 10%, with PwD 5% as a horizontal quota. Small horizontal quotas cover sports (around 2%), border area, backward area, freedom-fighter dependants, defence and war-widow wards (around 3%), and candidates affected by the 1984 riots or terrorism. EWS applies in government colleges only. Minority institutions reserve half their seats for the relevant community.

What this means for your choices

The willingness setting is the decision that matters most. Set Yes only if you genuinely want to move up and would accept the upgrade; set No only if you are sure the Round 1 seat is your final answer, because No is irreversible. Order your preference list strictly by desire, since the system only ever moves you upward along it. Reserved-category candidates benefit from the halved government deposit, but the one-lakh private deposit carries the usual Round 2 forfeiture risk.