Gujarat NEET UG Counselling 2026: Seat Matrix, Merit List, 4-Round Rules & MBBS/BDS Admission Chances

Quick Answer

Gujarat NEET UG Counselling 2026 has now reached the Round 1 choice-filling stage.

ACPUGMEC has released:

• Revised Provisional MBBS/BDS Merit List 2026

• Gujarat MBBS Seat Matrix 2026-27

• Gujarat BDS Seat Matrix 2026-27

• Round 1 Choice Filling Schedule

• Choice Filling Guidelines

• Rules for all four State counselling rounds

• College fee information

• NRI merit list

• PwD merit information

• NHL Local Quota candidate list

• SMC Local Quota candidate list

Round 1 Choice Filling Schedule

The published 2026-27 seat matrices show:

This means ACPUGMEC-administered GQ + MQ + NRI seats total 7,183 for MBBS alone and 8,402 for MBBS + BDS, while AIQ seats are handled separately through MCC.

Biggest opportunity in Gujarat 2026: Government Quota is not limited to Government medical colleges. A very large number of GQ seats are also available in GMERS and Self-Financed medical colleges.

Another major rule becomes important from Round 2:

Vacant NRI seats convert to Management Quota seats with Management Quota fees. Vacant SC, ST, SEBC and EWS seats convert to Open category according to the notified conversion process, and vacant PwD seats return to their respective vertical categories.

This can materially change admission opportunities after Round 1.

Latest Gujarat NEET UG Counselling 2026 Status

Last verified: 23 August 2026

Important: Any “2026 closing cutoff” being circulated before the actual Round 1 allotment result is only an estimate. The exact 2026 college, category and quota-wise closing merit can be known only after allotment.

Who Conducts Gujarat NEET UG Counselling?

The Admission Committee for Professional Undergraduate Medical Educational Courses — ACPUGMEC, Gujarat conducts the State admission process for MBBS and BDS.

ACPUGMEC states that the entire admission process for Gujarat Medical and Dental colleges for:

• Government Quota — GQ

• Management Quota — MQ

• NRI Quota — NQ/NRI

is conducted online on a merit basis by the Admission Committee.

MCC counselling remains separate for applicable All India Quota and national seats.

Therefore, a Gujarat candidate participating in both systems should maintain:

• Separate MCC and Gujarat registrations

• Separate choice lists

• Separate allotment tracking

• One combined deadline calendar

Gujarat NEET UG 2026 Qualifying Scores

ACPUGMEC currently shows the following NEET UG 2026 qualifying scores:

These are qualifying scores, not Gujarat MBBS admission cutoffs.

A candidate qualifying NEET does not automatically get an MBBS or BDS seat.

Admission depends on:

• Gujarat merit number

• Category merit number

• Quota eligibility

• College preference

• Seat availability

• Fee affordability

• Round

• Seat conversion

• Number of higher-merit candidates actually taking the same route

Gujarat MBBS Seat Matrix 2026 — Complete Analysis

The official Gujarat Medical Seat Matrix 2026-27 contains 7,500 MBBS seats.

MBBS Seats by Quota

For Gujarat State counselling, the most important pool is:

5,891 GQ + 430 MQ + 862 NRI = 7,183 ACPUGMEC-administered MBBS seats

MBBS Seats by College Type

Important Finding #1: Self-Financed Colleges Hold the Largest GQ Pool

Many students make the mistake of thinking:

“Self-financed college means only Management or NRI seats.”

That is incorrect in Gujarat.

Self-financed medical colleges together provide:

2,599 Government Quota MBBS seats

This is actually larger than:

• 1,208 GQ seats in Government Medical Colleges

• 1,710 GQ seats in GMERS colleges

So candidates whose merit is not enough for a traditional Government Medical College should not stop their choice list there.

Self-financed GQ seats can become one of the biggest realistic MBBS opportunities.

The important difference is that the fee structure can be different, so every candidate must check the current tuition fee before locking the choice.

Important Finding #2: GMERS Is a Major Gujarat MBBS Route

GMERS colleges collectively have:

• 2,100 total MBBS seats

• 75 AIQ seats

• 1,710 Gujarat GQ seats

• 315 NRI seats

This makes GMERS one of the biggest seat pools available to Gujarat candidates.

Candidates with merit below the most competitive Government colleges should therefore carefully compare:

• GMERS Sola

• GMERS Gandhinagar

• GMERS Gotri

• GMERS Dharpur-Patan

• GMERS Valsad

• GMERS Himmatnagar

• GMERS Junagadh

• GMERS Vadnagar

• GMERS Porbandar

• GMERS Godhra

• GMERS Rajpipla

• GMERS Morbi

• GMERS Navsari

Do not rank them only according to last year's cutoff.

Compare:

• College age

• Location

• Teaching hospital

• Patient flow

• Fees

• Hostel

• Travel

• Personal preference

Gujarat MBBS Government Quota Category-Wise Seats

The 5,891 GQ MBBS seats are distributed as follows:

This category distribution is extremely important while analysing Gujarat MBBS admission chances.

Reserved-category candidates can also secure an Open seat on merit. Therefore, SC/ST/SEBC/EWS seat counts should not be treated as the maximum number of opportunities available to candidates from those categories.

Separate PwD MBBS Seat Matrix

ACPUGMEC has also published a separate PwD seat matrix for listed Government Medical Colleges.

It shows 60 PwD earmarked MBBS seats:

These are horizontal/earmarked seats within the overall seat structure, not 60 additional MBBS seats to be added to the 7,500 total.

Gujarat BDS Seat Matrix 2026

The official BDS Seat Matrix contains 1,255 seats.

BDS Quota Distribution

Government Dental Colleges

The two Government Dental Colleges together have:

• Total intake: 250

• AIQ: 36

• Gujarat GQ: 214

These are:

• Government Dental College & Hospital, Ahmedabad

• Government Dental College & Hospital, Jamnagar

Self-Financed Dental Colleges

Self-financed dental colleges together have:

• Total intake: 1,005

• Government Quota: 770

• Management Quota: 87

• NRI: 148

This again shows that Gujarat private/self-financed colleges have a substantial Government Quota component.

Gujarat BDS Government Quota Category-Wise Seats

ACPUGMEC also shows 11 PwD earmarked BDS seats in Government Dental Colleges:

• OPEN: 4

• SEBC: 3

• ST: 2

• EWS: 1

• SC: 1

Combined Gujarat MBBS + BDS Opportunity

When MBBS and BDS are considered together:

Combined GQ Category Distribution

BDS therefore adds a meaningful second admission route for candidates whose MBBS options are limited.

However, BDS should be added only when the student genuinely wants the course.

Do not fill BDS choices only as a “backup experiment” if the student will refuse to join.

Gujarat Revised Merit List 2026 — What the Numbers Show

ACPUGMEC released the Revised Provisional MBBS/BDS Merit Lists on 23 August 2026.

General Merit List

The revised General Merit List extends to:

General Merit No. 15,651

The top candidate has:

• NEET score: 697

• AIR: 43

The General Merit List includes candidates from multiple categories, so the bottom score of this list must not be interpreted as the Open-category qualifying score.

Category Merit List Size

Now we can compare these merit-list sizes with the seat matrix to understand relative seat pressure.

Category-Wise MBBS Seat Pressure Analysis

This is not a cutoff prediction.

It is a simple mathematical indicator:

Category merit-list size ÷ reserved MBBS GQ seats

What Does This Suggest?

On this simple seat-pressure measure:

• ST currently has the widest reserved-seat availability relative to category-list size.

• SEBC also has a comparatively large seat pool.

• SC is more competitive on raw seat-to-merit-list count.

• EWS shows the tightest raw reserved-seat pressure among these four groups.

But this table must not be used as a direct admission probability.

Why?

Because:

• Reserved candidates can win Open seats on merit.

• Some candidates will take MCC/AIQ seats.

• Some will prefer another course.

• Some candidates will not choose every college.

• Fees change preference.

• Local and special eligibility matter.

• Seat conversion changes later rounds.

• College-wise demand is very different.

Use this table only to understand relative structural competition.

Combined MBBS + BDS Category Pressure

When BDS is included:

This is why BDS can materially improve admission opportunity for candidates who are genuinely open to Dentistry.

How Competitive Is Gujarat MBBS Overall?

The General Merit List contains 15,651 merit positions.

ACPUGMEC-administered MBBS seats are:

5,891 GQ + 430 MQ + 862 NRI = 7,183 MBBS seats

Raw arithmetic gives approximately:

2.18 General Merit List candidates for every Gujarat-administered MBBS seat

When MBBS + BDS are included, ACPUGMEC administers 8,402 non-AIQ seats, giving roughly:

1.86 merit-list candidates per Gujarat-administered MBBS/BDS seat

Again, these are not admission probabilities.

The actual competition changes because many higher-merit candidates may:

• Take AIQ seats

• Take AIIMS

• Choose another State

• Prefer only particular colleges

• Avoid high-fee seats

• Choose MBBS but not BDS

• Leave seats through upgrade

This is why later-round cutoff movement can be significant.

NRI Quota 2026 — One of the Biggest Opportunities

The current revised Gujarat NRI Merit List has 114 candidates.

The published matrices show:

• 862 NRI MBBS seats

• 148 NRI BDS seats

• 1,010 total NRI-designated MBBS+BDS seats

The current NRI list ranges from:

• NRI Merit 1 — NEET 532

• to NRI Merit 114 — NEET 213

Important Structural Finding

There are roughly:

1,010 NRI-designated seats for only 114 candidates currently appearing in the NRI merit list.

That is around:

8.9 NRI seats per listed NRI candidate

Even MBBS alone has:

862 NRI seats for 114 listed candidates

This does not mean every NRI candidate is guaranteed their first-choice college.

Top NRI colleges can still be competitive because candidates may prefer the same institutions.

But structurally, the current NRI seat supply is far larger than the published NRI merit-list size.

What This Means Practically

Eligible NRI candidates should:

• Fill a broad MBBS choice list.

• Include every affordable and acceptable college.

• Check complete NRI tuition.

• Do not assume only low-demand colleges are possible.

• Rank choices in genuine preference order.

The larger strategic impact may come in Round 2.

Why Round 2 Could Become Very Important for Management Quota

ACPUGMEC has clearly stated:

Vacant NRI seats will be converted to Management Quota seats and filled with Management Quota fees.

This means the 430 MBBS MQ seats shown in the initial matrix are not necessarily the final number of Management opportunities available later.

If NRI seats remain vacant, the MQ pool can expand.

This is especially important because:

• MBBS has 862 NRI seats

• The current NRI merit list contains only 114 candidates

Not every vacant NRI seat will necessarily convert immediately or be attractive in the same way, but the structural gap strongly suggests that candidates seeking MQ seats should monitor the Round 2 converted-seat matrix very carefully.

Special Opportunity: GMERS and Gujarat Adani Bhuj

This is one of the most important rules many students may miss.

The initial seat matrix shows no Management Quota seats in GMERS Medical Colleges.

However, GMERS colleges have 315 NRI seats.

ACPUGMEC specifically states that when these NRI seats remain vacant:

They will be filled as Management Quota seats with Management Quota fees.

The same rule applies to Gujarat Adani Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhuj, which has NRI seats but no base Management seats in the published matrix.

Why This Matters

A candidate looking only at the Round 1 MQ column may think:

“GMERS has no Management seats, so I can never get GMERS through MQ.”

That can become incorrect in Round 2.

Vacant NRI seats may create new Management-fee opportunities.

Therefore, MQ candidates should not stop tracking GMERS after Round 1.

Reserved Seats Also Convert in Round 2

ACPUGMEC states that after eligible reserved-category candidates are considered, remaining vacant reserved seats may be converted during Round 2:

• SC → Open

• ST → Open

• SEBC → Open

• EWS → Open

• PwD → respective vertical category

• NRI → Management

This makes Round 2 much more than a simple “leftover seat” round.

The seat structure itself can change.

OPEN Candidates

Open-category candidates should closely monitor Round 2 because converted reserved seats may increase Open availability.

MQ Candidates

Monitor NRI → MQ conversion.

Category Candidates

Do not assume that Round 1 is your only opportunity. Upgrades and candidate movement can create vacancies.

Gujarat Local Quota Analysis — NHL Medical College

ACPUGMEC has published an NHL Local Quota candidate list containing 719 candidates.

The MBBS seat matrix contains a separate 68-seat NHL Local Quota row.

Raw seat pressure:

719 candidates ÷ 68 local seats ≈ 10.6 candidates per local seat

This indicates that NHL Local Quota can be highly competitive.

However:

• Local candidates can also compete in other eligible GQ seats.

• Not every candidate will rank NHL first.

• Higher-merit candidates may take other colleges.

So 10.6 is not an admission probability.

It is simply a demand indicator.

SMC / SMIMER Local Quota Analysis

The SMC Local Quota candidate list contains 533 candidates.

The MBBS matrix shows 70 SMIMER Local Quota seats.

Raw pressure:

533 ÷ 70 ≈ 7.6 candidates per local seat

This is somewhat lower than the NHL raw ratio but still competitive.

Candidates eligible for SMC Local Quota should include it according to genuine preference rather than relying only on overall Gujarat merit.

How to Understand Your Gujarat MBBS Admission Chances

Do not look at only one number.

Your realistic chance is determined by six main factors:

1. General Merit Number

This shows your overall position in the Gujarat merit list.

2. Category Merit Number

For SC, ST, SEBC and EWS candidates, category merit is extremely important.

3. Eligible Quota

You may be eligible for:

• GQ only

• GQ + MQ

• NRI only

• GQ + MQ + NRI

• Local quota

• PwD

• Other notified seat eligibility

4. Budget

A candidate with financial flexibility may have access to:

• SFI GQ

• MQ

• NRI

while another candidate may prefer only Government/GMERS options.

5. Choice Order

ACPUGMEC allotment works on merit-cum-choice.

The system cannot know which college you prefer unless you put it in the correct order.

6. Round Movement

Round 2 conversion, upgrades, non-reporting and vacancy movement can push opportunities beyond the Round 1 position.

A Better Way to Read Category Merit

Consider the available reserved MBBS GQ seats:

If your category merit is very high relative to the number of available reserved seats, your structural position is stronger.

But do not treat these numbers as exact cutoffs because:

• Some reserved candidates will take Open seats.

• Some seats include institution-specific conditions.

• Choices differ.

• Higher candidates may leave through MCC.

• Later-round conversion changes the matrix.

The correct method is:

Category Merit + General Merit + Current Seat Matrix + Previous Same-Quota Cutoff + Choice Order

Use the Hire Guide Education Cutoff Explorer to compare historical college-wise closing ranks.

Admission Chance Guidance by Candidate Profile

OPEN / General Candidates

Your major State MBBS pool is the 2,415 OPEN GQ seats, but these Open seats are available by merit and are not restricted only to candidates without reservation.

Therefore, competition is strong.

Do not build a list containing only:

• BJ Medical College

• GMC Surat

• GMC Vadodara

• GMC Jamnagar

• PDU Rajkot

A safer list should extend through:

• Government colleges

• GMERS

• SFI Government Quota

• MQ if budget allows

• BDS if genuinely interested

EWS Candidates

EWS has:

• ~2,998 merit positions

• 589 reserved MBBS GQ seats

The raw pressure ratio is the highest among the four major reserved categories analysed.

Therefore, EWS candidates should avoid a very short preference list.

Include:

• Government colleges

• GMERS

• SFI GQ

• MQ where affordable

• BDS where acceptable

Also remember that high-merit EWS candidates can win Open seats.

SEBC Candidates

SEBC has:

• 4,768 merit-list candidates

• 1,591 reserved MBBS GQ seats

This is the largest reserved MBBS seat pool.

Raw pressure is approximately 3 candidates per reserved MBBS seat.

SEBC candidates therefore have a meaningful structural seat pool, but top Government colleges remain highly competitive.

A broad GMERS + SFI GQ list can significantly improve the possibility of MBBS admission.

ST Candidates

ST has:

• 2,282 candidates

• 884 reserved MBBS GQ seats

At roughly 2.58 candidates per reserved MBBS seat, ST currently has the most favourable raw seat-to-list ratio among SC/ST/SEBC/EWS.

This does not guarantee a seat, but structurally the seat availability is comparatively strong.

Candidates should still fill every acceptable choice rather than trying to predict one cutoff.

SC Candidates

SC has:

• 1,800 candidates

• 412 reserved MBBS GQ seats

Raw pressure is around 4.37 candidates per reserved MBBS seat.

SC candidates should therefore maintain a broad list across:

• Government colleges

• GMERS

• SFI GQ

• Later-round choices

Higher-merit SC candidates can also receive Open seats.

Management Quota Candidates

The initial MBBS matrix contains 430 MQ seats.

But Round 2 can create additional Management opportunities through:

NRI → MQ conversion

This is why candidates who can afford MQ should:

• Participate from Round 1.

• Fill all acceptable MQ choices.

• Monitor NRI vacancy.

• Recheck GMERS and GAIMS Bhuj after Round 1.

• Do fresh choice analysis before Round 2.

Do not compare an MQ cutoff with a GQ cutoff.

Fees and candidate pool are different.

NRI Candidates

With 862 MBBS NRI seats against 114 current NRI merit-list entries, NRI candidates currently have one of the strongest structural opportunities in Gujarat.

But admission still depends on:

• Valid NRI eligibility

• Correct documents

• Merit

• Choice order

• College preference

• Fee affordability

Top Ahmedabad/Surat or highly preferred institutions can still close much earlier than lower-demand colleges.

Therefore, fill a broad NRI list rather than trying to guess the last rank.

Candidates With Lower General Merit

A lower State General Merit number does not automatically mean “no MBBS”.

Your chance may still change through:

• Reserved-category merit

• SFI Government Quota

• Management Quota

• NRI eligibility

• Local quota

• Round 2 seat conversion

• Higher candidates joining AIQ

• Upgradation movement

• New vacancy

• Later-round choice behaviour

However, candidates near the lower end of the merit list should be realistic.

Do not depend only on Government MBBS.

Keep backup routes ready.

BDS as a Real Admission Route

Gujarat has 1,255 BDS seats, including 984 Government Quota seats.

For candidates genuinely interested in Dentistry, this is a substantial opportunity.

A sensible MBBS + BDS preference list may improve the chance of securing a professional healthcare seat.

But course preference must be decided beforehand.

Do not place BDS above an MBBS college you genuinely prefer.

And do not add BDS if you are certain you will not join.

Gujarat Round 1 Rules 2026

Round 1 is the most flexible State round.

Registration

Candidates complete:

• Registration

• Non-refundable registration PIN fee

• Refundable security deposit

• Help Centre document verification

Choice Filling

Candidates fill and lock choices within the notified period.

After Allotment

To confirm the allotted MBBS/BDS seat, the candidate must:

1. Pay the prescribed tuition fee.

2. Deposit original certificates at the designated Help Centre.

3. Complete reporting.

4. Obtain the Admission Order.

Round 1 Free Exit

ACPUGMEC provides free-exit flexibility for Round 1.

Candidates who are:

• Not allotted

• Allotted but not reported

• Allotted and reported

can participate in Round 2 using their existing registration according to the notified rules, without Round 1 security-deposit forfeiture.

Gujarat Round 2 Rules 2026

Already Registered in Round 1?

If you:

• Registered in Round 1, and

• Completed document verification

you do not need to register again for Round 2.

Did Not Register in Round 1?

Fresh registration is allowed in Round 2.

The candidate must complete document verification at the Help Centre.

If Round 2 Seat Is Allotted but Not Confirmed

This is where the rules become strict.

If a Round 2 candidate:

• Receives a seat

• Does not pay the tuition fee

• Does not deposit original certificates

• Does not confirm admission

then the refundable security deposit is forfeited.

To participate in Round 3, such a candidate must:

• Pay a new non-refundable registration PIN fee

• Pay a new refundable security deposit

• Complete fresh registration

• Complete document verification

Can a Round 2 Confirmed Candidate Upgrade?

Yes.

Candidates who confirm a Round 2 seat can participate in Round 3.

If upgraded:

The candidate has no claim on the earlier Round 1/2 confirmed seat.

Why Round 2 Is Strategically Important

Round 2 is likely to be especially important in 2026 because of:

• NRI → MQ conversion

• SC/ST/SEBC/EWS → Open conversion where applicable

• PwD conversion

• Round 1 non-reporting

• MCC/AIQ movement

• Candidate upgrades

Therefore:

Do not simply reuse the Round 1 strategy. Reanalyse the fresh Round 2 vacancy and converted-seat matrix.

Gujarat Round 3 Rules 2026

Round 3 was earlier commonly known as the Mop-Up Round.

Fresh Registration

Candidates who did not register in Round 1 or Round 2 may register fresh for Round 3.

Previously Registered but No Round 2 Seat

If you had already registered and verified documents and received no Round 2 seat, fresh registration is generally not required.

Round 2 Allotted but Not Confirmed

If your Round 2 security deposit was forfeited because you did not confirm the seat, fresh registration and a fresh security deposit are required for Round 3.

If You Confirm a Round 3 Seat

This is a major commitment.

After:

• Paying tuition

• Depositing originals

• Reporting

• Receiving the Admission Order

you will not be allowed to participate in further AIQ/State counselling rounds, and the confirmed admission cannot normally be cancelled under the notified Round 3 rule.

If Round 3 Seat Is Allotted but Not Confirmed

• Security deposit is forfeited.

• Candidate becomes ineligible for further rounds.

If You Hold a Round 2 Seat and Are Not Upgraded

The Round 2 confirmed seat continues.

You cannot cancel it merely because Round 3 did not give you an upgrade, and you cannot enter later rounds.

Gujarat Round 4 — Final Stray Vacancy Round

Round 4 is the Final Stray Vacancy Round.

Fresh Registration Is Allowed

Candidates who never registered in Rounds 1, 2 or 3 may register fresh by paying:

• Non-refundable PIN fee

• Refundable security deposit

and completing document verification.

Who Is NOT Eligible?

A candidate is not eligible for Round 4 when:

• A Round 3 seat was allotted but not confirmed.

• The candidate has a confirmed AIQ or State seat from Rounds 1–3 that remains active after completion of Round 3.

Who Can Be Eligible?

Candidates who:

• Do not hold a confirmed earlier AIQ/State seat, and

• Were not allotted a Round 3 seat

may participate subject to the official eligibility rules.

Fresh Consent and Choices

Eligible candidates must:

• Give online consent.

• Fill fresh choices.

If Round 4 Seat Is Confirmed

Admission becomes final.

There is no later AIQ/State counselling opportunity under the notified process.

If Round 4 Seat Is Allotted but Not Confirmed

The security deposit is forfeited and the candidate cannot participate in a further round.

Gujarat 4-Round Rules — Easy Comparison

Very Important: Do Not Apply MCC Freeze-Float Rules Directly to Gujarat

MCC has introduced Freeze and Float terminology for its own counselling.

Gujarat ACPUGMEC has separately published its own State four-round instructions.

Students should therefore not assume:

“The MCC Freeze/Float button works exactly the same in Gujarat.”

For Gujarat, follow:

• ACPUGMEC allotment

• Fee payment

• Original-document submission

• Admission confirmation

• Round-wise upgrade/free-exit rules

MCC and Gujarat are separate counselling systems.

Gujarat Round 1 Choice Filling — Important Rules

The current ACPUGMEC Choice Filling Guidelines state that allotment is done on:

Merit-cum-Choice

When deciding a choice, candidates should consider:

• Course

• College

• Place/location

• Government or Self-Financed institute

• Tuition fee

Unlimited Choices Are Allowed

ACPUGMEC's choice-filling guidelines allow candidates to add an unlimited number of choices.

This is a major advantage.

Do not restrict yourself to:

• 10 colleges

• 20 colleges

• Only last year's cutoff range

Fill every eligible, affordable and genuinely acceptable option.

A longer, well-researched list is usually safer than a short, over-optimistic list.

Choice Filling Filters

Candidates can filter choices by:

Branch

• MBBS

• BDS

Institute Type

• GOV — Government

• SFI — Self-Financed

• GIA — Grant-in-Aid

Seat Type

• GQ — Government Quota

• MQ — Management Quota

• NQ — NRI Quota

Always verify the exact seat type.

The same college can have different:

• Fees

• Eligibility

• Competition

under GQ, MQ and NRI.

How to Lock Gujarat Choices

After saving and reviewing the preference list:

1. Select Modify Choices if any change is needed.

2. Review the complete order.

3. Enter the 14-digit PIN.

4. Click Lock Choices.

5. Take a printout of the locked choices.

ACPUGMEC specifically advises candidates to retain the printout because the locked-choice printout will be considered in case of a query.

Choices can be unlocked and modified using the 14-digit PIN until the deadline fixed by ACPUGMEC.

The current guideline also states that if a candidate fails to lock the choices, the saved choices will be automatically locked on the last day.

HGE recommendation: Do not depend on auto-locking. Manually lock the final list and keep the printed/PDF proof.

Round 1 Choice Filling Strategy

Use this order:

Step 1 — Check Your Merit Numbers

Note:

• General Merit

• Category Merit

• NRI Merit if applicable

• Local Merit if applicable

Step 2 — Check Eligible Seat Types

Identify whether you can compete for:

• GQ

• MQ

• NRI

• Local quota

• PwD

Step 3 — Fix the Family Budget

Separate your list into:

• Low-fee Government/GMERS options

• SFI GQ options

• MQ options

• NRI options

Step 4 — Check Previous Cutoffs

Compare the same:

• College

• Course

• Quota

• Category

• Round

• Merit/rank type

Use the Hire Guide Education Cutoff Explorer.

Step 5 — Create Dream, Possible and Safer Groups

Use these groups only for analysis.

Do not lock them mechanically in that order.

Step 6 — Merge into Genuine Preference

Final order should answer:

If both colleges were available to me today, which one would I actually join?

Put that college higher.

Best Strategy for Higher-Merit Candidates

Candidates with strong merit should still fill more than only the top five colleges.

Use a ladder:

1. Highest preferred Government colleges

2. Other Government colleges

3. Preferred GMERS

4. Remaining acceptable GMERS

5. Preferred SFI GQ

6. Other acceptable SFI GQ

7. MQ where desired

8. BDS where genuinely wanted

Unexpected seat movement happens.

A broad list costs nothing extra but can protect your admission options.

Strategy for Borderline MBBS Candidates

Do not depend on one historical cutoff.

Include:

• All acceptable Government colleges

• All acceptable GMERS

• Broad SFI GQ

• MQ if budget allows

• NRI if eligible

• BDS if genuinely acceptable

Round 2 can be particularly important because converted seats may appear.

Strategy for Lower-Merit Candidates

If your Gujarat merit is far below the most competitive MBBS ranges:

• Do not fill only famous Government colleges.

• Explore SFI GQ.

• Check MQ budget.

• Check NRI if eligible.

• Track Round 2 conversions.

• Keep BDS as a genuine alternative where appropriate.

A long list should still contain only colleges you would actually join.

How Parents Should Use the Seat Matrix

Parents should not ask only:

“What was last year's cutoff?”

Also ask:

1. How many seats are there this year?

2. Which quota are we eligible for?

3. What is our category merit?

4. What is the complete fee?

5. Can this seat convert in Round 2?

6. Is this college genuinely acceptable?

7. What happens if we get upgraded?

This approach is much safer than chasing a single cutoff number.

Most Important 2026 Admission-Chance Insights

1. Gujarat Has a Large MBBS Seat Pool

There are 7,500 MBBS seats, with 7,183 GQ/MQ/NRI seats under the State seat structure.

2. SFI GQ Is a Major Opportunity

2,599 MBBS Government Quota seats are in Self-Financed colleges.

Do not ignore them.

3. GMERS Provides 1,710 GQ Seats

GMERS should be a major part of most Gujarat MBBS choice lists.

4. ST Has the Best Raw Reserved-Seat Ratio

ST currently shows lower raw category-seat pressure than SC, SEBC and EWS.

5. EWS Looks Relatively Tighter

EWS shows the highest raw candidates-per-reserved-MBBS-seat ratio in this simple analysis.

6. NRI Supply Is Much Larger Than the Current NRI Merit List

This gives eligible NRI candidates strong structural opportunity and creates possible Round 2 MQ conversions.

7. Round 2 May Be the Most Important Conversion Round

NRI, reserved and PwD conversions can materially reshape available seats.

8. BDS Adds 1,255 Seats

Candidates genuinely interested in Dentistry have a substantial second route.

What We Cannot Predict Yet

Before the official Round 1 allotment result, nobody can responsibly state the exact:

• BJ Medical College 2026 closing merit

• GMERS 2026 closing merit

• SFI GQ last rank

• MQ last rank

• NRI last rank

• Category-wise final Round 1 cutoff

Those numbers will become available only after actual allotment.

After Round 1 result, this article should be updated with:

• College-wise last merit

• GQ/MQ/NRI closing merit

• OPEN/SC/ST/SEBC/EWS closing positions

• Top Government cutoff

• GMERS cutoff ranges

• SFI GQ cutoff ranges

• MQ cutoff ranges

• NRI cutoff ranges

• Round 2 upgrade possibilities

Until then, use the seat matrix and merit list for structural planning, not fake exact prediction.

Use These Hire Guide Education Tools Before Locking Choices

NEET UG College Predictor

Use your rank and eligibility to identify realistic routes:

Run NEET UG College Predictor

Cutoff Explorer

Compare previous college, quota and category-wise closing ranks:

Open NEET Cutoff Explorer

Medical College Directory

Check college details, location and available information:

Explore Medical Colleges

Choice Filling Tool

Build and review your preference order before submitting it on ACPUGMEC:

Open Choice Filling Tool

Gujarat / NEET UG Counselling Hub

Track current counselling stages:

NEET UG Counselling Updates

Common Gujarat NEET Counselling Mistakes

• Looking only at Government Medical Colleges

• Ignoring 2,599 SFI Government Quota MBBS seats

• Thinking Self-Financed means only MQ

• Comparing MQ cutoff with GQ cutoff

• Comparing NRI cutoff with regular merit

• Comparing AIR directly with Gujarat State Merit without checking the source

• Using only last year's cutoff

• Ignoring the 2026 seat matrix

• Ignoring Round 2 NRI-to-MQ conversion

• Assuming GMERS has no future MQ opportunity because Round 1 matrix shows zero MQ

• Keeping an unaffordable MQ/NRI choice

• Filling only 10–20 colleges despite unlimited choices

• Ranking colleges according to expected cutoff rather than genuine preference

• Forgetting the 14-digit PIN

• Not printing locked choices

• Depending on auto-locking instead of manually locking

• Confusing Gujarat State rules with MCC Freeze/Float rules

• Missing Round 2 forfeiture consequences

• Treating Round 3 as another free-exit round

• Trying Stray Vacancy while holding an active confirmed seat

• Filling BDS without genuinely wanting BDS

• Believing qualifying score equals admission cutoff

Gujarat Round 1 Action Checklist

• Check your revised General Merit number.

• Check category merit.

• Check NRI/local merit where applicable.

• Download the 2026 MBBS seat matrix.

• Download the 2026 BDS seat matrix.

• Check GQ/MQ/NRI eligibility.

• Check complete college fees.

• Compare previous same-category and same-quota cutoffs.

• Prepare your list offline first.

• Include all acceptable realistic colleges.

• Arrange choices in true preference order.

• Save choices regularly.

• Recheck the final order.

• Manually lock with the 14-digit PIN.

• Print/download locked choices.

• Keep PIN and login details secure.

• Monitor ACPUGMEC after 27 August for allotment/reporting information.

Official Sources

• ACPUGMEC Gujarat UG Medical/Dental Admission Portal

• Round 1 Choice Filling Advertisement

• Gujarat MBBS Seat Matrix 2026-27

• Gujarat BDS Seat Matrix 2026-27

• State Four-Round Counselling Instructions

• Choice Filling Guidelines

• Revised General Merit List

• SC Merit List

• ST Merit List

• SEBC Merit List

• EWS Merit List

• NRI Merit List

• NHL Local Quota List

• SMC Local Quota List

Stay Updated with Hire Guide Education

• Join the NEET UG WhatsApp Channel

• Follow Hire Guide Education on Instagram

• Subscribe on YouTube

• Visit Hire Guide Education

Final Takeaway

Gujarat NEET UG Counselling 2026 now has enough official data to move from guesswork to real strategy.

The key numbers are:

For most candidates, the biggest practical lessons are:

Do not ignore SFI GQ. Do not ignore GMERS. Do not judge chances only from last year's cutoff. Do not miss Round 2 conversion. And do not keep any MQ/NRI seat in your list unless the family can genuinely afford it.

For Gujarat Round 1, build the list using:

Merit + Category + Quota + 2026 Seat Matrix + Fees + Previous Cutoff + Genuine Preference

—not rumours or one guessed closing rank.

Round 1 choice filling is scheduled from 24 August to 27 August 2026 at 1:00 PM. Prepare and review the complete list before the deadline.

Disclaimer: Seat-pressure ratios and admission-chance observations in this article are analytical indicators based on the official 2026 merit lists and published seat matrices. They are not guaranteed cutoffs or seat predictions. Exact Gujarat NEET UG 2026 Round 1 closing merit will be known only after ACPUGMEC declares the allotment result. The latest ACPUGMEC notice, seat matrix, merit list, fee order and allotment instruction will remain final.