Uttar Pradesh NEET counselling process

UP NEET counselling: how admissions work in Uttar Pradesh

The Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET), Lucknow, conducts NEET UG counselling for admission to medical colleges across Uttar Pradesh. The process runs through the official portal at upneet.gov.in and covers 85% of seats in government medical colleges under the state quota. The remaining 15% fall under the All India Quota managed by MCC.

UP has 88 medical colleges in total: 47 government and 41 private, with the oldest being KGMU Lucknow (established 1911) and the newest added as recently as 2025. Note: the initial DMET counselling brochure listed 80 colleges (44 government and 36 private MBBS colleges). Additional colleges were added during the counselling process through supplementary notifications on the same portal, bringing the total to 88 colleges that participated in NEET 2025 allotment.

Eligibility and domicile

Candidates must hold a valid NEET UG scorecard with a qualifying percentile for their respective category. A domicile certificate is mandatory for state quota seats. Only candidates who are domiciled in Uttar Pradesh can participate in state counselling for government college seats. Private colleges admit through the same DMET process, but domicile requirements may differ for management quota seats where applicable.

UP follows vertical reservation of SC 21%, ST 2%, OBC 27%, and EWS 10%. Horizontal reservations of 5% for PwD candidates and 20% for women apply across all vertical categories. Candidates claiming reservation must produce valid category certificates issued by competent authorities in Uttar Pradesh.

Step-by-step process

Online registration

Registration opens on upneet.gov.in after NEET UG results are declared. Candidates create an account, fill in personal and academic details, upload scanned documents, and pay the registration fee of ₹2,000 (non-refundable). The security deposit amount depends on whether the candidate opts for government-only counselling or includes private colleges in their preferences.

Document verification at nodal centres

Although the counselling process is largely online, document verification happens at designated nodal centres across the state. Candidates must visit their allotted centre with original documents for physical verification. This is the only offline step before final college reporting.

Choice filling and locking

After successful verification, candidates log in to fill their college and course preferences. The portal allows candidates to add, remove, and reorder choices until the deadline. Choices must be locked before the closing date; unlocked choices are automatically locked by the system in their last saved order. Given that UP has 88 medical colleges spread from Agra to Gorakhpur, candidates should research seat matrices and location preferences thoroughly before filling choices.

Seat allotment

DMET publishes allotment results on the portal after each round. Allotment follows merit (NEET rank), preferences submitted, and seat availability. Candidates who receive an allotment can accept the seat, upgrade in subsequent rounds (if eligible), or exit counselling.

Reporting to college

Candidates allotted a seat must report to the designated college within the specified window. Physical reporting with all original documents and fee payment completes the admission process. Failure to report within the deadline results in cancellation of the allotted seat and forfeiture of the security deposit.

Counselling rounds and timeline

UP NEET counselling proceeds through four distinct rounds:

Round 1: The first allotment based on NEET merit and filled choices. Candidates allotted a seat may accept it or float for upgradation in Round 2.

Round 2: Vacant and surrendered seats from Round 1 are redistributed. Candidates who floated may receive an upgraded allotment. Fresh candidates on the waitlist may also receive seats.

Mop-up round: Seats remaining after two rounds are offered to eligible candidates who either did not participate earlier or did not receive any allotment.

Stray vacancy round: The final round fills any leftover seats. This round typically has limited seat availability and a compressed timeline.

Sub-quota conversion in later rounds

DMET applies a conversion algorithm from the mop-up round onwards. If seats reserved under sub-quota categories (PwD, Ex-serviceman, Freedom Fighter, NCC) within a vertical category remain unfilled after Round 2, those seats convert to the parent vertical category. For example, an unfilled OBC-PwD seat converts to a general OBC seat in the mop-up round. This conversion is applied category-wise within each vertical reservation group (SC, ST, OBC, EWS, and unreserved) as specified in Chapter 5 of the DMET brochure.

The exact schedule depends on when NEET UG results are declared and the MCC AIQ counselling timeline. DMET publishes detailed dates for each round on upneet.gov.in once the counselling schedule is finalised.

Security deposit, fees, and service bond

Registration fee and security deposit

All candidates must pay a non-refundable registration fee of ₹2,000 at the time of online registration.

Candidates opting for government college counselling only must pay a security deposit of ₹30,000. Those who wish to include private colleges in their preference list pay a higher security deposit of ₹2,00,000. The deposit is refundable if the candidate does not receive any allotment or exits counselling according to the rules specified for each round.

Forfeiture rules apply if a candidate is allotted a seat and fails to report, or if they withdraw after a specified deadline. The exact refund and forfeiture conditions are published in the counselling information bulletin each year on the DMET portal.

Compulsory government service bond

Candidates admitted to government medical colleges and PPP (Public-Private Partnership) colleges must sign a compulsory government service bond. The bond amount is ₹10 lakh, and the candidate commits to serving in a government posting for 2 years after completing their degree. This requirement is specified in Chapter 8 of the DMET counselling brochure. Candidates who do not fulfil the service obligation are liable to pay the bond amount to the state government.

Key documents required

• NEET UG scorecard
• NEET UG admit card
• Class 10 mark sheet and certificate (for date of birth proof)
• Class 12 mark sheet and certificate
• Domicile certificate of Uttar Pradesh
• Category certificate (SC/ST/OBC/EWS, if applicable)
• PwD certificate (if applicable)
• Passport-size photographs
• Government-issued photo ID (Aadhaar card or equivalent)
• Registration fee payment receipt (₹2,000)
• Security deposit payment receipt

All documents must be originals at the time of verification. Candidates should also carry one set of self-attested photocopies for submission at the nodal centre and at the time of college reporting.

For a complete breakdown of reservation categories and how seat allocation works across different quota types, read our UP NEET categories and reservations guide. To explore individual colleges, cutoff trends, and seat counts across Uttar Pradesh, see our UP medical colleges guide.