AIIMS PG Counselling 2026: Round 1 Allotment Out, Choice Filling and Round Wise Seat Allotment

AIIMS PG Counselling 2026 (officially known as INI-CET Counselling) is the centralised seat allocation process for PG medical admissions conducted by AIIMS New Delhi on behalf of 23 Institutes of National Importance. It covers MD, MS, MDS, DM, MCh, and Fellowship seats across 19 AIIMS campuses, JIPMER Puducherry, PGIMER Chandigarh, NIMHANS Bengaluru, and SCTIMST Trivandrum. The INI-CET July 2026 exam was held on May 16, 2026, results were declared on May 23, 2026, and 51,563 students qualified for counselling.

• Round 1 choice filling and locking closed on June 17, 2026; the Round 1 seat allotment result is expected to be published on aiimsexams.ac.in shortly.
• Counselling proceeds in four stages: Mock Round (non-binding simulation), Round 1, Round 2, and Open Round (stray vacancy).
• The entire process — registration, choice filling, seat allotment, and acceptance — is conducted fully online through aiimsexams.ac.in.
• Students must hold a completed internship certificate and a valid NMC/DCI registration certificate to be eligible for counselling.
• Seats are distributed under Central Government reservation norms — UR, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, with horizontal quotas for PwBD and Rural Area Service (RAS).
• Students allotted a seat in Round 1 can choose to Upgrade (float to Round 2 for a better preference), Freeze (accept and exit), or Withdraw (exit counselling) — each option has irreversible consequences.

Reservation of Quotas for AIIMS PG Counselling 2026

AIIMS PG (INI-CET) counselling follows Central Government reservation policy. All seats across the 23 participating institutes are distributed under the vertical and horizontal reservation categories described below. There is no home-state or domicile quota — all seats are offered on an all-India basis.

Horizontal reservations (PwBD and RAS) are carved out from within each vertical category’s seat pool — they are not additional seats on top of the vertical total. For example, 5% of OBC-NCL seats are reserved for OBC-NCL students who also qualify under PwBD. JIPMER Puducherry applies a dynamic roster allocation that may produce slightly different category-wise seat distributions; the final seat matrix is published on the official portal before each round.

OBC-NCL students must submit a non-creamy-layer certificate issued on or after April 1, 2026 — older certificates are not accepted even if otherwise valid.

How to Apply for AIIMS PG Counselling 2026?

The AIIMS PG counselling application process is entirely online. There are five sequential stages from registration to final seat acceptance. Each stage has a hard deadline — missing the window for one stage means you cannot proceed to the next in that round.

Step 1: Register on the Official Portal

Visit aiimsexams.ac.in and navigate to the INI-CET July 2026 Counselling section. Log in using your INI-CET roll number and the password you set during the exam application. Complete or update your personal and academic details as prompted. Ensure your registered mobile number and email ID are active — AIIMS sends all counselling alerts (allotment notices, deadline reminders) through these channels.

Step 2: Pay Any Required Fee

AIIMS does not levy a separate fee for counselling registration or choice filling — those stages are free. A seat acceptance fee becomes payable only after you receive a seat allotment and choose to accept it. The exact amount and payment deadline are published in the allotment notification for each round. Payment must be completed online through the portal’s payment gateway within the specified window; late payments are not accepted.

Step 3: Choice Filling

After registering, open the Choice Filling module on your counselling dashboard. Add every institute–programme–speciality combination you are willing to join, arranged in your exact order of preference. Fill at least 15–20 choices to maximise your chances across all rounds. The allotment engine assigns you the best available option from your locked preference list strictly on the basis of your INI-CET merit rank — if you receive your fifth preference, it means all four higher preferences were occupied by students with better ranks.

Step 4: Lock Your Choices

Before the choice filling window closes, you must click "Lock Choices" to submit your preference list for allotment. Saved but unlocked choices are not processed. Once locked, no changes are permitted. Review your final preference list carefully before locking — you cannot edit choices after the window closes. For Round 1, the locking window closed on June 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM.

Step 5: Accept Seat and Report to Institute

After the allotment result is declared, log in to view your allotted seat. You must take one of three actions within the stipulated deadline: Accept and Freeze (join the seat, exit counselling), Accept and Upgrade (hold seat and compete for a better option in Round 2), or Withdraw (exit counselling entirely). If you accept, pay the seat acceptance fee online, download your allotment letter, and report physically to the allotted institute with original documents on the scheduled reporting date. Students who neither accept nor withdraw by the deadline forfeit their allotted seat.

How to Lock Choices in AIIMS PG Counselling 2026 (Step-by-Step Guide)

Use the steps below to correctly fill and lock your choices in the AIIMS PG (INI-CET) counselling portal. These steps apply to every round — Mock, Round 1, Round 2, and Open Round.

Step 1: Visit the Official Portal

• Open a browser and go to aiimsexams.ac.in.
• Click on the "INI-CET July 2026 Counselling" link from the homepage or notification section.

Step 2: Log In to Your Account

• Enter your INI-CET roll number and password.
• Complete the CAPTCHA verification and click Login.
• If you have forgotten your password, use the Forgot Password option with your registered email ID.

Step 3: Open the Choice Filling Module

• From your counselling dashboard, click "Choice Filling".
• A searchable list of all available institute–programme–speciality combinations for the current round will appear.

Step 4: Add and Rank Your Choices

• Use the search filters (institute, programme type, speciality, category) to find the combinations you want.
• Click "Add to Choices" for each combination you are willing to accept.
• Use the drag-and-drop reordering tool or the up/down arrow buttons to arrange them from most preferred (top) to least preferred (bottom).
• Include both aspirational preferences and realistic safety options in your list.

Step 5: Save and Preview

• Click "Save Choices" periodically to avoid losing progress.
• Use the "Preview" button to review the complete ordered list before finalising.
• Verify every entry — check the institute name, programme type, speciality name, and category carefully.

Step 6: Lock Choices Before the Deadline

• Once you are satisfied with your preference order, click "Lock Choices".
• A confirmation dialogue will appear summarising your locked list — read it carefully.
• Click "Confirm Lock". Your choices are now finalised and cannot be changed.

Once confirmed, your locked preferences are submitted to the allotment engine. If you do not lock before the deadline, the portal’s behaviour (auto-lock or discard) depends on the specific round’s rules as stated in the AIIMS notice — always lock manually before the cutoff time.

AIIMS PG Counselling Documents Required 2026

Prepare original documents and self-attested photocopies of each item listed below. You will need them for online upload during counselling and for physical verification when you report to the allotted institute.

• INI-CET July 2026 admit card (downloaded from aiimsexams.ac.in)
• INI-CET July 2026 rank/result letter (downloaded from the official portal)
• MBBS degree certificate or provisional MBBS certificate (for MD/MS/DM/MCh applicants)
• BDS degree certificate or provisional BDS certificate (for MDS applicants)
• MD/MS degree or provisional certificate in the qualifying speciality (for DM/MCh super-speciality seats)
• Marks sheets for all professional examinations (all years of MBBS or BDS, including supplementary attempts)
• Internship completion certificate issued by the Principal/Dean of your medical/dental college or the competent authority
• Permanent or provisional registration certificate from the National Medical Commission (NMC) / Dental Council of India (DCI), or from a State Medical Council / State Dental Council
• Class 10 certificate or birth certificate (as proof of date of birth)
• Class 12 certificate and marks sheet
• OBC-NCL certificate from a competent authority — must be dated on or after April 1, 2026 (if applicable)
• SC/ST caste certificate from the competent authority of your state of origin (if applicable)
• EWS income and asset certificate for financial year 2025–26 (if applicable)
• PwBD disability certificate (≥ 40% disability) from a Notified Medical Board (if applicable)
• Rural Area Service (RAS) certificate from the notified authority (if applicable)
• Valid government-issued photo ID proof (Aadhaar card / PAN card / Passport / Voter ID)
• Recent colour passport-size photographs (at least 6 copies)
• Valid Passport and OCI/PIO card (for Foreign Nationals / OCI / PIO applicants)

Note: Category certificates with an expired validity date will not be accepted for category benefits during document verification — ensure all category certificates are current before reporting to the institute.

How Much Money is Needed for AIIMS PG Counselling 2026?

AIIMS PG (INI-CET) counselling does not charge a separate fee for registration or choice filling. Financial obligations arise only after you receive and accept a seat allotment. Costs fall into two categories: a non-refundable processing component and a refundable security deposit. The binding amounts for 2026 will be published in the official allotment notification for each round — the figures below are based on historical practice and are indicative only.

Non-Refundable Fee

The INI-CET exam registration fee (already paid at the application stage) was ₹4,000 for General/OBC/Foreign Nationals and ₹3,200 for SC/ST/EWS students — this was a one-time payment and does not affect counselling. No additional non-refundable fee is charged purely for counselling participation. However, the seat acceptance fee (payable on accepting an allotted seat) may include a processing component that is not refunded if you later withdraw.

Refundable Security Deposit

Students who accept an allotted seat must pay a refundable security deposit as part of seat confirmation. This amount is held by the institute and refunded when you join (adjusted against the first semester fee) or returned in full if you withdraw within the stipulated deadline. If you withdraw after accepting a seat, the seat acceptance fee is not fully refunded — the refund amount depends on the timing and the specific round’s refund policy published in the official notice.

Note: Always download and read the official allotment notification for each round — it carries the precise, legally binding fee amounts, payment deadlines, and refund conditions for that round.

AIIMS PG 2026 Round-Wise Seat Allotment

INI-CET July 2026 counselling runs across four allotment rounds. Each round follows the same cycle: choice filling → locking → seat allotment → acceptance and reporting. Seats left vacant after each round roll into the next. The allotment engine assigns each student the best available option from their locked preference list, ranked strictly by INI-CET merit.

The Mock Round result carries no seat allocation — it is a test run of the allotment engine. Students who found their Mock Round outcome unsatisfactory should have reviewed and reordered their choices before the Round 1 window closed on June 17, 2026. The first binding allotment is Round 1.

In the Open Round (also called Stray Vacancy Round), only seats that remain unfilled after Round 2 are offered. Allotment in the Open Round is final and binding — no further upgrades are possible.

Reporting to Institute After AIIMS PG 2026 Seat Allotment

Accepting a seat online is not the same as joining the institute — you must also physically report by the deadline specified in your allotment letter. Failure to report within the deadline results in automatic cancellation of your seat, even if you have already paid the seat acceptance fee.

Follow these steps after your seat allotment is confirmed:

• Log in to aiimsexams.ac.in and navigate to the "Seat Allotment" section of your counselling dashboard to view your allotted institute, programme, and speciality.
• Download your allotment letter — this is the official document you must carry to the institute.
• Accept the seat online by clicking "Accept Seat" within the time window specified in the allotment result notification. Choosing "Freeze" accepts the seat as final; choosing "Upgrade" accepts the seat conditionally while floating you for Round 2.
• Pay the seat acceptance fee (if applicable) through the online payment gateway before the payment deadline.
• Collect all original documents listed in the Documents Required section and prepare one set of self-attested photocopies of each.
• Report to the institute’s PG / Academic Section on the reporting date mentioned in your allotment letter, along with your allotment letter, all originals, and all photocopies.
• Complete document verification at the institute — the academic office will verify your originals against the uploaded scans from the portal.
• Submit institute joining forms — hostel application, PG registration form, anti-ragging declaration, and any other forms issued by the institute at the time of reporting.
• Pay the first-semester fee at the institute’s finance office or through the institute’s online payment system as applicable.

Students who wish to participate in Round 2 for an upgrade should not withdraw from their Round 1 seat — choose the "Upgrade" (float) option on the portal instead. This keeps your current seat intact while you compete for a higher preference in Round 2. If a better seat is allotted in Round 2, the current seat is automatically released.

Upgrade vs Freeze vs Withdraw in AIIMS PG Counselling 2026

After each allotment round, every student who has received a seat must actively choose one of three options within the response window. The default (no action) is treated as withdrawal at some institutes — always act within the deadline.

If you withdraw after accepting a seat, the seat acceptance fee is not fully refunded. The security deposit component may be returned within a specified timeline, but any processing fee paid is typically forfeited. Think carefully before withdrawing — Upgrade is almost always a safer choice than Withdraw if you are undecided.

Students who are not allotted a seat in Round 1 are automatically eligible for Round 2 with no additional action required — new seats become available as Round 1 Upgrade students shift to better allotments and Withdraw students free up their seats.