The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has directed all medical, dental and nursing institutes participating in NEET-UG 2026 counselling to treat Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days. The instruction was issued on August 19, 2026, through a letter from the Additional Director General (Medical Education), citing the limited time available to complete the counselling schedule. The directive is aimed at ensuring that verification of joined candidates’ data is completed on time before Round 3 seat processing begins.
Key Highlights
- DGHS issued the directive on August 19, 2026, under file number U-11011/07/2026-MEC, signed by Dr Praveen Kumar Dass, Additional Director General (Medical Education).
- All participating institutes and colleges must treat Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days to keep the counselling schedule on track.
- The order cites the “limited time available for conducting counselling” as the reason for the directive.
- Round 1 of NEET-UG 2026 counselling ran from August 4 to August 21, 2026, with seat allotment results declared on August 19.
- Allotted candidates must report to their colleges for document verification and admission by August 25, 2026, and the last date of joining for Round 1 overall is August 31, 2026.
- State DMEs and State Counselling Authorities have been asked to verify joined candidates’ data between August 13 and August 27, 2026.
- The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) will separately verify joined candidates’ data in the first week of September 2026.
- Verified data will be shared with MCC to weed out duplicate or ineligible candidates during Round 3 seat processing.
Why DGHS Issued the Order
NEET-UG counselling for MBBS, BDS and BSc Nursing admissions runs on a tight, multi-round calendar involving the 15% All India Quota, state quota seats, and seats in deemed and central universities. Each round has fixed windows for choice filling, seat allotment, reporting and verification, with very little slack before the next round opens.
In its letter, DGHS said the directive is meant “for ensuring faithful obedience of schedule and also keeping in view the limited time available for conducting counselling.” Colleges have therefore been told not to treat weekly offs or gazetted holidays as a reason to pause verification work during this period.
What the Notice Covers
The DGHS letter links the working-days order to the verification of candidates who have joined their allotted seats after Round 1. State DMEs and State Counselling Authorities are required to verify this data and forward it to MCC, which will conduct its own verification before Round 3 begins.
According to the notice, this data will be used specifically to identify and remove duplicate or ineligible candidates during Round 3 seat processing, a step meant to prevent seats from being blocked by candidates who are no longer eligible or who have already secured admission elsewhere.
Verification Timeline
| Activity | Schedule |
|---|---|
| Round 1 of Counselling (State/AIQ) | August 4 – August 21, 2026 |
| Verification of joined candidates’ data by state DMEs/State Counselling Authorities | August 13 – August 27, 2026 |
| Reporting and admission for Round 1 allotted candidates | August 20 – August 25, 2026 |
| Last date of joining for Round 1 | August 31, 2026 |
| Verification of joined candidates’ data by MCC | September 1 – September 5, 2026 |
| Data reconciliation ahead of Round 3 processing | By September 6, 2026 |
What It Means for Candidates and Colleges
For candidates, the order does not change any counselling dates or eligibility conditions. It is an internal administrative instruction to colleges and state authorities to complete verification without delay so that the overall NEET-UG 2026 schedule, including Round 2 and Round 3, is not pushed back.
For colleges, it means admission and verification cells must remain functional through weekends and holidays until the verification window closes. Candidates awaiting seat allotment in later rounds should continue to track updates on the MCC and their respective state counselling websites, since any delay in this verification stage can have a knock-on effect on subsequent rounds.
Official Website / Important Links
- Medical Counselling Committee (MCC): mcc.nic.in
- Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS): dghs.gov.in
- DGHS Notice (August 19, 2026): View PDF
