NEET Counselling: The Ultimate Guide to College Selection

After the NEET exams are over, the students get a chance to have a little relief phase. Once the exams are conducted successfully and results are out, the next step is the college selection procedure. Many a times, when the scorecard and rank of a student is very good, he/she gets confused while choosing the best college. There are certain factors that must be kept in mind while filling the seats in the NEET Counselling process. Those candidates who have passed the cut-off marks are eligible to appear for the counselling process and proceed to the next step.

Here is a complete guide to what factors must be considered while choosing your dream medical college.

NEET Counselling Procedure:

Once the NEET results are declared and the students have their respective score and rank, they can predict some of the college options that they will be given to choose during the counselling process. One of the major fear that not only the students face, but also their parents, that “how to appear and what are the rules and regulations to be followed in the counselling process?”

1. The All India Quota Seats and the seats in the deemed and central universities is under the DGHS Counselling Authority. 
2. Seats in the state government colleges and all the private medical colleges all over India falls under the State Counselling Authority.

Even after having some knowledge about the process of form filling and various seat selection and mop up rounds, students get confused regarding the eligibility criteria.

Application Process for various seats:

1. The All India Quota Counselling starts after a few days of the result declaration. It is conducted in four rounds and the students can fill the application form via online mode. All the Government Medical colleges including dental, reserve 15% of their overall seats for the AIQ scheme. 
2. Students looking out to get their MBBS/BDS admission in the central and deemed universities, need to fill out a separate application form released by the DGHS Counselling Authority. It is important to keep a look at the site as the entire form filling procedure is online. 
3. After surrendering 15% of the seats of the state government medical and dental colleges to the All India quota scheme, the remaining 85% seats are the state quota reserved seats. Aspirants thinking about getting their admission to their state government colleges, should fill up their application form and sit for the further counselling process when the official notice is released.
4. Students who are unable to get a good rank yet have cleared the cut-off marks, can apply for their admission in the private medical colleges. All the eligible candidates who have cleared the NEET exam, are allowed to apply for the seats in the private colleges despite their state of residence. Candidates must fill out the respective application forms released by their state government counselling website. There are certain private medical colleges that keep aside some seats for their candidates applying from their state.
5. Apart from these mentioned types of seats and authorities, there are some other seats such as seats in the AFMC Pune and seats for IP wards in ESIC colleges. The students wishing to apply to these seats, must apply for the counselling form released separately via the official website of DGHS. 

Counselling steps and complete guide:

The first and foremost thing for a student after the NEET results are declared, is to appear for the counselling process. It is very important to fill in the application form very minutely and carefully, as a small mistake can create a huge blunder. A student who has correctly filled the counselling form will be notified of all the next process and requirements. The candidates must be aware of the dates of various counselling process and know the minimum as a reference. 

1. Get yourself prepared: It is very important for the students to know the basics of the counselling process. Keep a note of the previous year cutoffs and ranks to predict the type of colleges that you might get allocated. Always prioritize your choice and follow the respective counselling website’s portal to fill the admission form.
2. Documents and Verification: Keep all the documents ready for the counselling process and keep the caste certificate if needed beforehand to avoid the last-minute hassle. Make sure that you have your class 10 and 12 marksheets, photographs, government ID, NEET admit card and scorecard and category certificate if you have any before the document verification begins.
3. Keep a track: Preparing for the NEET Counselling process needs proper planning. Keep updates about the counselling process dates so that you don’t miss any. Don’t miss out important deadlines and announcements and stay aware. 

NEET Counselling Conclusion:

 NEET Counselling is a crucial step that you can’t skip if you have already dreamed of becoming a doctor. By knowing all the details of the Counselling process and eligibility criteria, you can get an idea beforehand to make a proper college choice. Remember, if you have any doubt, you can always seek help from professional or experts.

FAQS: NEET Counselling

1. How many rounds of counseling are there in NEET?

There are 2-4 rounds of counselling that happens depending on the seat availability and the counselling authority.

2. What if I am not securing good marks, can I still appear for counselling?

No, to appear for the counselling process, it is important to clear the cut off marks of that year. If not, try again for the next year.

3. Can I make changes to my previously filled choices?

Once the choices are filled, you can make no changes to them. So it is very important to prioritize your choices beforehand so that you don’t have to change later.