The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell (CET Cell) has released the final merit list and seat matrix for NEET UG Centralised Admission Process (CAP) Round 1, 2026. Both documents are available on the official counselling portal, medical2026.mahacet.org, where candidates can log in with their application ID and password to check their individual rank, category, and NEET UG 2026 score.

A Schedule Revised More Than Once

This final list comes after a counselling calendar that shifted more than once this cycle. The CET Cell had initially set the registration deadline for August 12, 2026, but extended it to August 15 after the Medical Counselling Committee revised its own timeline for All India Quota seats. The provisional merit list followed on August 18, and after a grievance window, a revised provisional merit list was published on August 23 to account for candidates who registered during the extended window. The CET Cell revised its calendar again on August 19, following a further MCC extension to the AIQ Round 1 schedule, before finally publishing the CAP Round 1 final merit list and seat matrix on August 25, 2026.

How to Download the Final Merit List

  • Visit the official counselling portal, medical2026.mahacet.org.
  • Log in using your application ID and password, or locate the published 'Final Merit List (Group A)' notice.
  • Open the PDF and use Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to search your NEET roll number, CET Cell application number, or name.
  • Verify your NEET UG 2026 score, category, state rank, and reservation status shown against your entry.
  • Download and save the list for reference during choice filling.

CAP Round 1 Schedule at a Glance

EventDate
Provisional merit list (Group A)August 18, 2026
Grievance window on provisional listTill August 20, 2026 (5:00 PM)
Revised provisional merit listAugust 23, 2026
Final merit list and seat matrixAugust 25, 2026
Choice filling windowAugust 26 to August 29, 2026 (till 5:30 PM)
CAP Round 1 provisional selection/allotment resultExpected August 30, 2026
Reporting at allotted instituteAugust 31 to September 4, 2026 (till 5:30 PM)

The CET Cell has explicitly cautioned that this schedule, like the earlier ones, remains subject to further change depending on directions from the Medical Counselling Committee, the Armed Forces Medical Colleges Central Counselling Committee, or the central or state government and courts. Candidates should treat the dates above as current rather than final, and keep checking the official portal for any last-minute revision.

How Choice Filling Works

Candidates whose names appear on the final merit list can log in to medical2026.mahacet.org during the choice-filling window and arrange their preferred colleges and courses in order of priority. The CET Cell has advised candidates to register preferences for as many colleges and courses as they are willing to consider, since seat allotment is based strictly on merit rank, category, and the options actually entered. No changes can be made once the choice-filling window closes on August 29 at 5:30 PM.

A merit list rank only becomes an admission once it is converted into a locked choice; candidates who skip or rush choice filling risk losing out on colleges they were otherwise eligible for, regardless of how strong their rank is.— CaderaEdu Advisory

What the Seat Matrix Covers

Alongside the final merit list, the CET Cell has released the CAP Round 1 seat matrix, showing vacant MBBS and BDS seats across government, government-aided, municipal, and private unaided medical and dental colleges in Maharashtra. This counselling process covers admission to 85 percent state quota seats, along with all-quota seats in private and minority institutions, based on a candidate's NEET UG 2026 score and All India Rank combined with category and reservation status declared at registration.

Background: How Maharashtra NEET UG Counselling Works

The CET Cell, under the Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), conducts Maharashtra's centralised admission process for state quota MBBS and BDS seats, using a candidate's NEET UG All India Rank combined with domicile, category, and reservation status to compute a state merit rank. Counselling typically runs across multiple CAP rounds, with candidates able to participate in later rounds for upgradation depending on the choices they exercise at each stage. Separate from this process, the 15 percent All India Quota seats in Maharashtra are administered centrally by the Medical Counselling Committee.

Documents to Keep Ready

  • NEET UG 2026 admit card and scorecard
  • CAP Round 1 provisional allotment letter, once issued
  • Class 10 and Class 12 mark sheets and passing certificates
  • Domicile certificate and, where applicable, category or reservation certificates
  • Recent passport-size photographs
  • Printed final merit list entry and choice-filling confirmation

Based on the current schedule, the CAP Round 1 provisional selection list is expected on August 30, 2026. Candidates allotted a seat will need to report physically at the allotted institute between August 31 and September 4, up to 5:30 PM, with original documents for verification and admission confirmation. Candidates who do not wish to accept an allotted seat, or who plan to appear in a subsequent round, will typically need to exercise a retention or resignation option that the CET Cell opens alongside the reporting window; candidates should check the specific instructions issued with the Round 1 result rather than assume the process from previous years applies unchanged.

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