Round 3 (Mop-Up) and the stray round: who can join and what it costs

MCC runs four rounds: Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and the stray vacancy round. Round 3 used to be called the Mop-Up round, so older closing-rank lists still use that name. The last two rounds have the strictest rules. A mistake here can cost your deposit and your chance at any more MCC seats.

Round 3 (earlier called Mop-Up)

Who can take part

• New people who did not register before.
• People who resigned from Round 2, or gave up their deposit in Round 2. They pay again.
• People who joined a Round 2 seat and said they are willing to upgrade.

Everyone makes a fresh list of choices. After the result, everyone allotted a Round 3 seat, and every Float candidate of Round 1 or Round 2 who did not get an upgrade, must report in person.

Who is left out? Anyone holding a Round 1 or Round 2 All India Quota seat who has not given willingness to upgrade in Round 3 cannot take part (bulletin, page 59, Q37). Upgrading from Round 2 to Round 3 is allowed for deemed university, central university and DNB seats as well as All India Quota (page 59, Q42). If you register freshly in Round 3 and are not allotted anything, you can still go on to the stray round (page 45).

The rules that bite

• Once you join a Round 3 seat, it is final. You cannot upgrade and you cannot resign.
• If you get a Round 3 seat and do not join it, you lose your security deposit and you are out of all further MCC rounds.
• MCC and the states share lists of who has joined. Read your state’s own notice for what holding an MCC Round 3 seat means for its Round 3.

Seats that change group in Round 3

Reserved seats nobody took are handed on in this round, by the conversion table in the bulletin (page 45 and page 55). The conversion is applied in Round 3 for All India Quota, deemed universities, central universities and institutes, and DNB, so MCC asks you to keep it in mind while filling choices for this round. Unfilled PwD seats are converted after the PwD candidates’ choices have been processed in Round 3 (page 56, Q17).

Stray vacancy round

This is the last round, for seats that are still empty after Round 3.

Who can take part

• Only people who are not holding any seat.
• People who were given a Round 3 seat and did not join it cannot take part.
• If you joined a seat in your state’s Round 3, you are removed from MCC’s stray round.

The rules

• Everyone registers and fills choices again. Your Round 3 list is not used.
• If you get a stray round seat, you must join it, or you lose your deposit.
• Registration is open at the start of Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and the stray round on the notified dates, and MCC does not entertain a request to register after it closes (page 42). People who did not register in Round 1, 2 or 3 can register freshly in the stray round, with the fee (page 60, Q50).
• MCC and the states share data after the states’ Round 3. A candidate whose name is on the state’s list is removed from MCC’s stray round before it is processed (page 46).
• Seats are allotted online by software. For deemed universities the stray round is also run by MCC, under the Supreme Court’s order of 12 December 2022 named in the bulletin (page 46).

Why there are four rounds

The bulletin explains that the Supreme Court directed four rounds of All India Quota counselling: Round 1, Round 2, then Round 3 and the stray vacancy round, all run by MCC for All India Quota, central universities and institutes, DNB and deemed universities (page 58, Q34). The rules of each round apply only in that round: once Round 2 starts, Round 1’s rules no longer apply to anyone (page 8, para 2.24).

Special stray rounds

In some past years MCC also gave out seats in a round it called a “Special Stray” round, after the stray round. Whether one happens in a year, and its rules, are announced by MCC that year. Watch NEET-PG updates and the counselling calendar.

Reading late-round closing ranks

The closing rank is the rank of the last person who got a seat. Seats given in stray rounds often go at much worse ranks than Round 1. That is luck, not something to plan on. FindMyBranch shows stray-round closing ranks on their own and never mixes them into the main “very likely / possible / hard” groups. See how to read closing ranks.

Quick checklist

• Going into Round 3? Only list seats you are happy to keep for the whole course.
• Not joining a Round 3 seat ends your MCC counselling and costs your deposit.
• Holding any seat? You cannot enter the stray round.
• Carry original documents when you report. See the documents checklist.
• More on the money: free exit and security deposit. Deciding whether to stay or upgrade before Round 3: Freeze or Float. Building the list: choice filling.