Tamil Nadu’s 2026 NEET counselling is open: what has changed since last year

Tamil Nadu started its 2026 MBBS and BDS counselling on 29 June 2026. The Selection Committee (DME) put out two booklets the same day: one for government-quota seats (application fee ₹500) and one for management-quota seats, which also cover minority and NRI seats (₹1,000). Between them they fill seats in government colleges, the government-quota seats in private (self-financing) colleges, and the management, minority and NRI seats.

Most of the process is the same as last year. But a few rules have changed, and some of them change what you should do. Here is the plain list, taken from the 2026 booklets.

Before you apply: each round now runs on its own rules, and some deadlines are tied to the application form itself. Read the booklet for your quota before you fill choices.

1. Management-quota students can now leave in Round 2 without losing money

Last year you could give up a management seat for free only in Round 1. If you left in a later round, it counted as discontinuation, so you lost your security deposit and had to pay a discontinuation fee. This year you can leave for free in Round 1 and Round 2, as long as you leave before the last date. Government-quota counselling already worked this way, so this just brings the management side in line.

2. You can now register before Round 2 (government quota)

Last year, new candidates could register before Round 1, Round 3 and the stray round, but not before Round 2. This year you can register before Round 2 as well. If you missed the first window, you can still join at Round 2.

3. Minority-quota seats now need a Tamil Nadu nativity certificate (management quota)

To take a management minority seat (Christian or language minority), you must now be a native of Tamil Nadu and upload a nativity certificate from the government. A certificate sent after the last date is rejected. Students from other states can no longer use this route.

4. More sports seats, and disability certificates closer to home

Sports seats in government colleges go up from 7 to 13 in MBBS and from 1 to 2 in BDS. And the state disability (PwD) certificate, given last year only by the medical board at RGGGH in Chennai, can now also be got at Madurai, Coimbatore and Thanjavur medical colleges. Students outside Chennai no longer have to travel to the city for it.

5. Your category and documents are fixed when you apply (management quota)

Two things are now locked to the form:

• You cannot add a category (NRI, religious or language minority) after you apply, and you cannot change your category later.
• You must upload every document with the form. Documents sent later, by post, courier or in person, will not be taken.

There is one relief here: SC, SCA and ST students (including Scheduled Caste converts to Christianity) whose family income is below ₹2.5 lakh do not have to pay the security deposit for management seats.

6. MBBS fees to be charged for four and a half years only

The government-quota booklet adds a new line. This follows a National Medical Commission notice dated 7 April 2026: MBBS tuition should be charged for four and a half years only, which is the length of the academic course, and not for the internship year that follows.

One more change worth noting: the counselling now also covers MBBS seats in state private university medical colleges. Their government, management and NRI seats are filled through the same Tamil Nadu counselling this year.

What has not changed

The fees and the reservation are mostly the same. Government college fees are about ₹18,073 a year for MBBS and ₹16,073 for BDS. Government-quota fees in private colleges are about ₹4.35 to ₹4.50 lakh a year. The discontinuation fee is still ₹10 lakh. The reservation stays at 69% (OC, BC, BCM, MBC & DNC, SC, SCA, ST), with the 7.5% government-school quota on top. Application fees are the same: ₹500 for government quota and ₹1,000 for management quota, with SC, SCA and ST students exempt.

Quick tip: apply only on the official Selection Committee website, upload every certificate you want to claim along with the form, and use the same mobile number throughout, because every OTP goes to that number.

Applications are open now. Read the booklet for your quota fully before you fill choices, because once you lock your choices they cannot be changed, even by the Committee.

Source: Tamil Nadu Selection Committee (DME) — government-quota prospectus 2026 and management-quota prospectus 2026.