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If you are about to register for NEET-UG counselling, the payment screen asks for two amounts: a registration fee you never get back, and a security deposit you do get back if you follow the rules. Here is how it works in the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) process for All India Quota (AIQ), central and deemed seats, and what to check before you pay.
Why does MCC take a security deposit?
The deposit is a promise that you will take the seat you are given. A seat that is allotted but not taken sits empty until a later round, and the student who would have joined it loses that chance. This is called seat blocking.
In a May 2025 NEET-PG judgment, the Supreme Court directed authorities to "enforce strict penalties for seat blocking including forfeiture of security deposit" (Verdictum's report of State of U.P. v. Bhavna Tiwari, 2025 INSC 747). That case was about postgraduate counselling, but NEET-UG uses the same idea: join, and the deposit costs you nothing.
How much is the NEET counselling security deposit?
The MCC NEET-UG Counselling Information Bulletin 2026 sets two scales:
AIQ, central universities, AIIMS, JIPMER and B.Sc. Nursing: a non-refundable registration fee of ₹1,000 and a refundable deposit of ₹10,000 for UR/EWS candidates, or ₹500 and ₹5,000 for SC/ST/OBC/PwD candidates.
Deemed universities: a non-refundable registration fee of ₹5,000 and a refundable deposit of ₹2,00,000 for every category.
The same bulletin says payment is online only, by net banking, credit card or debit card. State counselling bodies set their own fees and deposits, so read your state's bulletin separately.
When is the security deposit forfeited?
Under the 2026 MCC bulletin, the rule tightens round by round:
Round 1 is a free exit. If you do not want the allotted seat, you can exit without losing the deposit and still take part in Round 2.
Round 2: if you are allotted a seat and do not join, the deposit is forfeited. You may resign after joining, but that also forfeits the deposit, and you need a fresh deposit to take part in Round 3.
Round 3: if you do not report, you lose the deposit and drop out of further rounds. Once you join a Round 3 seat, you cannot vacate it.
Stray vacancy round: you must join the allotted seat or lose the deposit.
Two more rules apply at any stage. The deposit is forfeited if your admission is cancelled for any reason, or if you are found to have given incorrect information about your eligibility.
How do security deposit refunds work?
Refunds wait until counselling is over. The 2026 bulletin says MCC publishes the list of eligible candidates once all rounds are complete. The Financial Custodian then starts refunds within 15 working days of that list and finishes within 30 days, and the money can take another 2 to 15 days to reach your account.
The refund goes back to the same account or card the deposit was paid from, so keep it active. In June 2026, MCC issued a notice to 696 NEET-UG 2025 candidates whose refunds kept bouncing because of closed accounts, wrong account numbers or invalid IFSC codes (Medical Dialogues). They had to send a notarised affidavit with new bank details.
For refund queries, the bulletin lists financemcc@lifecarehll.com. For other counselling problems, it lists callcentremcc@lifecarehll.com and 1800-102-7637.
What is at stake in a real round? A worked example
Take a UR-category student applying for AIQ and central seats. Using the 2026 bulletin's fees, they pay ₹11,000: ₹1,000 that is gone for good and ₹10,000 on deposit.
Round 1 offers a seat far from home. They don't join; the ₹10,000 is safe and they stay in for Round 2.
Before Round 2, they leave a college they would never attend at the bottom of their choice list. Round 2 allots exactly that seat. If they skip it, the ₹10,000 is forfeited, and Round 3 needs a fresh deposit.
Had they deleted that choice before locking, they would have lost nothing.
For a deemed-university candidate, the same slip costs ₹2,00,000. So before every choice-locking deadline, read the list aloud as a family and delete every college you would not pack your bags for.
What should you check before you pay?
Pay from an account that will stay open for months after counselling, and save the receipt.
Read the round rules in the current bulletin on mcc.nic.in, because they can change from year to year.
Before deemed choices, read our guide to deemed university MBBS counselling through MCC, with fees and deposit.
If you are also in state counselling, plan with our guide to managing multiple counselling rounds without losing fees.
If you want to leave a seat after joining, read how to withdraw your admission seat and get a refund first.
If counselling ends with you planning another year of study, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what you already know and build a plan for the session, so you restart with a clear next step.
