New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- The Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) has scheduled a special stray vacancy round for NEET-UG 2026 after 944 MBBS seats remained vacant following four rounds of counselling, including the regular stray round that concluded on October 26. Of these, 920 seats are in deemed universities and 24 in government medical colleges. Tamil Nadu accounts for the highest number of vacancies at 686, followed by Puducherry with 186, officials told HT. Besides Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, vacancies in deemed universities are concentrated in Karnataka (25), Maharashtra (10) and Telangana (4), among other states. Andhra Pradesh accounts for the highest number of vacant seats in government medical colleges, with five. The special round will run from November 2 to 16. Registration closes on November 4 at 3pm, with payment open until 6pm. Choice filling and locking will continue until 11am on November 5, followed by seat- allotment processing on November 5 and 6. Results will be declared on November 7, and candidates must report to their allotted colleges by November 16. MCC has held additional rounds in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025. This year's counselling follows the NEET-UG paper leak controversy, which led to cancellation of the May 3 exam and a retest on June 21. Under the Directorate General of Health Services, MCC handles 15% All India Quota seats in state government colleges, all deemed-university seats and MBBS seats at central institutions such as AIIMS, JIPMER and BHU. States handle the remaining government-college seats and counselling for private colleges affiliated with state universities. India has 140,664 MBBS seats for 2026-27, including 64,121 in government colleges and 76,543 in private institutions, according to the National Medical Commission's seat matrix. MCC's counselling pool comprised 27,292 seats, including 16,975 in deemed universities and 10,317 in other institutions. The large number of vacancies in deemed universities has renewed concerns over the cost of medical education. Annual tuition at several such institutions ranges from Rs.25 lakh to Rs.35 lakh. Students pay tuition for 4.5 years of the five-and-a-half-year MBBS programme, which includes a compulsory one-year internship. Dr Lakshya Mittal, chairperson of the United Doctors Front, said fee disparities were forcing even high-scoring NEET candidates to forgo seats. "In one state, MBBS fees are around Rs.5 lakh, while in another state like Tamil Nadu, they are around Rs.20 lakh. Why is there such a huge difference when the education is the same?" he said, calling for fee rationalisation through an effective regulatory mechanism. Private medical colleges are generally trust- or society-run, affiliated with state universities and regulated by state fee committees. Deemed universities, granted status under Section 3 of the UGC Act, can award degrees independently and have greater fee-setting flexibility, subject to regulations. The difference can be substantial. Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College in Perambalur, established in 2011, was previously affiliated with Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University. After obtaining deemed-university status for 2026-27, its annual MBBS tuition rose to Rs.24 lakh, from earlier state-regulated fees of Rs.5.4 lakh for state-quota seats and Rs.16.2 lakh for management-quota seats. Tuition for 4.5 years is estimated at Rs.1.09 crore, excluding hostel and mess charges. In March 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that fees for half the seats in private medical colleges would be at par with government colleges...