Karnataka Examinations Authority. Image: KEA / File
Bengaluru: NEET-qualified candidates who have not completed registration with the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) will get another opportunity from October 13 to 16 to apply for the UGNEET 2026 stray vacancy round for medical and dental admissions. Fresh option entry will open at 11 am on October 16 and close at 9 am on October 19.
KEA has asked applicants to complete registration, pay the required fee and download their verification slip before paying the prescribed medical course fee deposit or dental caution deposit and entering their choices. Candidates who already have a verification slip do not need to register again.
Who can participate?
For medical seat allotment, the notice permits candidates who have not been allotted a medical seat in any KEA round. Candidates who have selected a dental seat may compete for medical seats, subject to payment of the medical course fee.
Candidates who selected and reported for a seat during the first three rounds under the All-India Quota, deemed universities or other institutions or boards are ineligible for this medical stray vacancy round. Candidates allotted a seat in MCC’s fourth round, and those allotted a medical seat in any KEA round, are also excluded.
Deposits determine the choices available
| Deposit | Options permitted under the notice |
|---|---|
| ₹1,00,000 | Government (G) medical seats and all categories of dental seats |
| ₹12,00,117 | G and P medical seats, including P seats in private universities |
| ₹25,00,000 | All categories of medical seats |
The medical course fee deposit window runs from October 13 to 16. The separate dental caution deposit is ₹1,00,000 and allows options for all categories of dental seats. Any balance fee must be paid after allotment. KEA says a medical deposit will be adjusted against the fee if a seat is allotted.
Applicants whose earlier caution deposit was refunded must pay the prescribed amount again to join this round. Fees paid for other courses will not count as the medical course fee deposit.
Enter fresh choices and check the fee structure
Options submitted in the previous round will not be considered. Candidates must enter fresh choices according to the deposit paid and their order of preference, after checking the seat matrix and fee structure. KEA says seats later cancelled or forfeited may also be considered for allotment.
The notice says medical seats left vacant after the third round were published on the KEA website; no dental seats remained unallotted at that stage. Further medical or dental vacancies arising from cancellation, forfeiture or failure to take admission may enter the stray vacancy round.
A new allotment can cancel an existing seat
Eligible students already studying in another course have been asked to consult their parents before participating. If they receive a new allotment in this round, their existing seat will be cancelled automatically. They must collect original documents from their current college and report to the newly allotted college within the prescribed time.
Failure to join, cancellation or failure to report after a stray-round allotment can lead to forfeiture of the medical course fee deposit, penalties under the counselling rules and ineligibility for UG counselling for the next three years, the notice warns. Students risk losing both seats and fees if they do not report after a new allotment.
KEA Executive Director H. Prasanna urged candidates to understand the fee structure before recording choices. Applicants should check the official KEA website for vacancy updates and the next seat-allotment stages.
The stray vacancy stage follows the earlier counselling rounds. Read our report on KEA’s second-round medical and dental seat allotment for background.
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