The Selection Committee, Directorate of Medical Education & Research (DME), Chennai, has released the tentative stray vacancy round counselling schedule for MBBS and BDS admissions for the 2026-27 session. The round covers Tamil Nadu Government Medical and Dental Colleges, Government and Management Quota seats in self-financing medical and dental colleges, and State Private Universities. A separate schedule and vacancy position have also been released for the 7.5% reservation for Tamil Nadu government school students.

Tamil Nadu Stray Round 2026: Schedule

• Registration, choice filling and locking: 18 October 2026 (12:01 PM) to 21 October 2026 (5:00 PM)
• Processing of seat allotment: 22 October 2026
• Declaration of result: 22 October 2026 (afternoon session)
• Downloading the provisional allotment order: 22 October 2026 to 26 October 2026 (12:00 noon)
• Last date of reporting: 26 October 2026 (5:00 PM)

Rank and NEET Mark Range Called

• Government Quota (GQ): General Rank (GR) 001 to GR 35926, NEET marks 705 to 177
• Management Quota (MQ): GR 001 to GR 26956, NEET marks 693 to 177

Who Can Participate

• Candidates who do not hold any MBBS or BDS seat in the All India Quota or State Quota are eligible.
• Candidates who have already joined an MBBS or BDS seat in the All India Quota or State Quota (Government, Management or NRI quota) are not eligible.
• Candidates who did not join the seat allotted in Tamil Nadu State Counselling Round 3 are not eligible.

Fees and Security Deposit

• Additional security deposit: Rs 5 lakh for MBBS and Rs 2 lakh for BDS, payable through the online bank payment portal. It is not refundable if the candidate does not join after allotment.
• Exemption: SC/SCA/ST/SCC candidates whose parents’ or guardian’s annual income is below Rs 2.5 lakh, and who submitted the income certificate with the application, are exempt from the additional security deposit.
• Registration fee for candidates not registered earlier: Rs 500 for Government Quota and Rs 1,000 for Management Quota. These candidates must already have applied to the Selection Committee and be in the published merit list.
• Penalty: Allotted candidates who fail to join or discontinue forfeit the security deposit, additional security deposit and tuition fee, and must pay the discontinuation fee. They are also barred from TN UG medical counselling for one academic year.

Choice Filling and Allotment Rules

• Candidates can fill choices only for the categories they applied for, such as Government and Management quota.
• Choices can be edited any number of times before locking. Choices not locked by 5:00 PM on 21 October 2026 will be locked automatically.
• Allotment will be based on rank, applying the rule of reservation. Vacancy positions will be shown on the official website.
• There is no re-allotment in the stray round. Downloading the provisional allotment order is treated as joining, and candidates must report to the college before the deadline.
• Allotted candidates must pay the tuition fee online to download the allotment order. SC/SCA/ST/SCC candidates meeting the income criteria in Government Quota and in Management Quota seats in self-financing medical colleges are exempt from the upfront payment.
• BDS candidates in self-financing dental colleges pay the tuition fee directly to the college at admission, as per G.O.(D) No. 868 dated 18 July 2023.
• Failure to report is treated as discontinuation, and the discontinuation fee applies.
• Certificate verification will be done at the allotted college. Candidates must bring original certificates and scanned copies.

7.5% Reservation for Government School Students: BDS Stray Round

The 7.5% special reservation for Tamil Nadu government school students covers BDS seats in Government Dental Colleges and Government Quota seats in self-financing dental colleges.

• Schedule: the same as the main round, with registration, choice filling and locking from 18 to 21 October 2026, result on 22 October, allotment order download until 26 October (12:00 noon) and reporting by 26 October (5:00 PM)
• Rank and NEET marks: GR 001 to GR 3625, NEET marks 599 to 177
• Fees: no processing fee, security deposit or tuition fee for this reservation
• Eligibility: candidates who do not hold any MBBS/BDS seat. Candidates who have joined any MBBS/BDS seat, or who did not join their Round 3 seat, are not eligible.

Tentative vacancy position (as on 18 October 2026):

• Government dental college: Tamil Nadu Government Dental College & Hospital, Chennai
• Self-financing dental colleges: Best Dental Science College, Madurai; K.S.R. Institute of Dental Science & Research, Tiruchengode; Rajas Dental College & Hospital, Tirunelveli; Sri Ramakrishna Dental College & Hospital, Coimbatore; Madha Dental College & Hospital, Kundrathur

Candidates should check www.tnmedicalselection.net regularly for updates, as the Selection Committee will not contact candidates individually. The schedule is tentative, and candidates should read the prospectus carefully before choice filling.