Odisha has released the Round 3 counselling schedule for MBBS and BDS admission, continuing from the Round 2 provisional admission schedule published earlier this cycle. Here's the complete confirmed timeline, along with one sequencing detail worth understanding before you plan around it.
The Confirmed Round 3 Schedule
Registration for state merit list preparation: September 28 (11:30 AM) to September 29, 2026 (11:59 PM)
Publication of merit list: October 1, 2026 (5:30 PM)
Choice filling and locking: October 1 (7:30 PM) to October 4, 2026 (11:59 PM)
Provisional allotment: October 6, 2026 (11:30 AM)
Withdrawal/resignation: till October 7, 2026 (9:00 AM)
Allotment and allotment letter: October 8, 2026 (11:30 AM)
A Sequencing Detail Worth Understanding Before You Decide Anything
Look closely at the order here: the withdrawal/resignation deadline (October 7, 9:00 AM) falls before the final allotment and allotment letter are published (October 8, 11:30 AM). This means any decision to withdraw has to be made based on your provisional allotment from October 6, not the final outcome. If you're weighing whether to stay in the process or withdraw, you're effectively deciding on incomplete information — the final allotment hasn't happened yet when this window closes. It's worth treating your provisional allotment as the number that actually matters for this specific decision, rather than assuming you'll get a look at the final result first.
Same-Day Merit List and Choice Filling
The merit list publishes at 5:30 PM on October 1, and choice filling opens just two hours later, at 7:30 PM the same day. That's a narrow gap — realistically, you need your college research done before the merit list even comes out, since there's no meaningful window to start researching once you see your position.
What to Do Right Now
Register for the state merit list within the September 28–29 window if you're continuing into Round 3. Use the time before October 1 to build a realistic shortlist, since understanding how your NEET score converts into an estimated rank and evaluating colleges on genuine fit rather than name recognition both need to happen before the merit list drops, not after. If you're considering withdrawal as an option, decide your threshold in advance based on what your provisional allotment would need to show, given that the final allotment letter won't be available before this window closes. Before committing to any government-seat choice, it's also worth understanding service bonds and other hidden costs tied to your eventual admission.
Documents and Preparation
This general checklist of documents required for NEET counselling is worth having ready well before the allotment letter stage, given how quickly this round moves once the merit list is out.
How This Compares to Other States' Later Rounds
Odisha isn't alone in running a Round 3 this late in the cycle. West Bengal's own revised Round 2, Round 3, and Stray Vacancy schedule is a useful comparison if you're tracking options across states, and understanding how mop-up and stray vacancy rounds generally function is worth reviewing regardless of how this specific round unfolds.
Key Things to Remember
Odisha's Round 3 MBBS/BDS counselling runs merit list registration September 28–29, publication and choice filling both on October 1, provisional allotment October 6, withdrawal deadline October 7 (9 AM), and final allotment October 8. The most important structural detail is that the withdrawal window closes before the final allotment letter is published, so any decision to exit the process has to be based on your provisional result, not a completed final outcome.
This information reflects Odisha's officially released Round 3 schedule. Always verify current dates directly through the official Odisha medical counselling portal, since schedules remain subject to official revision.
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