NEET SS Counselling 2025: Government reduces qualifying percentile for Stray round counselling

NEET SS Counselling

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India, has reduced the qualifying percentile requirement for the stray vacancy round of NEET-SS 2024 counselling. This decision aims to fill remaining super specialty seats across medical institutions.

The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for Super Specialty Courses (NEET-SS 2024) was conducted by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) on March 29 and 30, 2025, with results declared on April 25, 2025.

Eligibility for Stray Round

As per the MoHFW’s official communication (Letter No. U.12021/09/2025-MEC dated July 10, 2025), all candidates who appeared for NEET-SS 2024 with an eligible MD/MS/DNB degree can now participate in the stray vacancy round, irrespective of their initial qualifying percentile.

The NBEMS clarified that the question paper group-specific ranks declared earlier remain unchanged. Candidates’ eligibility is provisional, subject to verification of documents, Face ID/Biometric authentication, and fulfilment of criteria specified in the NEET-SS 2024 Information Bulletin.

Direct Link: NEET SS Notice

Next Steps for Candidates

Aspiring candidates must stay updated through the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) website (www.mcc.nic.in) for stray round schedules and seat allotment details.

For assistance, candidates may contact NBEMS at 011-45593000 or raise queries via their communication portal: https://exam.natboard.edu.in/communication.php?page=main.

This decision is expected to optimize seat occupancy in super specialty programs, ensuring no seats go vacant due to restrictive eligibility norms.