Mumbai: The Maharashtra state's Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell on Thursday released the schedule for the NEET-PG 2024 Centralised Admission Process (CAP) rounds, providing a pathway for postgraduate medical aspirants to secure seats in PG programs across Maharashtra’s government, corporation, private unaided, and minority medical institutions. The counselling will take place over three rounds, enabling candidates to lock in placements according to their preferences.

The CAP process opens on November 21, 2024, with the release of the NEET-PG 2024 seat matrix, which will detail the available seats at each institute. On November 22, the CET Cell will publish a general list of registered candidates and a provisional merit list, including those from special categories such as NRIs, PWDs, and orphans. Eligible candidates will submit their preferences online from November 23 to November 25. Based on merit and preferences, the first selection list will be announced on November 28. Selected candidates will have to confirm their seats by joining their assigned college in person, presenting original documents, and paying fees by December 3.

CAP Round 2 will begin with an opportunity for candidates to withdraw from Round 1 without forfeiting their deposit if done before 5.30 PM on December 16. The second round’s seat matrix will be available on December 18, and candidates can submit their preferences from December 19 to December 21. The CET Cell will release the Round 2 selection list on December 23, and selected candidates have until December 28 to confirm their seats. The academic session for PG courses officially begins on December 20, as per the guidelines from the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC).

In January, CAP Round 3 will provide a final opportunity for eligible candidates. Those wishing to cancel Round 2 seats must do so by 5.30 PM on January 3 to retain their security deposit. CAP Round 3 registrations open on January 4 for those who missed previous rounds or forfeited deposits. These candidates will have to register and upload required documents by January 6. The final merit list and seat matrix will be released on January 8, and eligible candidates can submit their preferences by January 11. The third and final selection list will be published on January 13, with candidates required to confirm their seats by January 18.

The CET Cell has asked all the participating institutes to treat weekends and holidays as working days to adhere to the counselling timeline. CET Cell has also encouraged candidates to review the NEET-PG 2024 brochure to confirm eligibility and document requirements for the admission process. 

For those considering private unaided colleges, the CET Cell has advised checking fees through the Fee Regulation Authority (FRA) website or individual college websites.