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The All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi (AIIMS Delhi) has commenced the registration process for the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI CET) January 2026 counselling session.
A total of 32,374 candidates who cleared the INI CET examination are eligible to take part in the counselling procedure.However, applicants from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) categories who scored below the Unreserved (UR) cut-off and have not uploaded valid category certificates will be barred from participating in the January 2026 counselling round.Admission to Postgraduate (PG) programmes of the Institutes of National Importance (INIs) – including Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Surgery (MS), six-year Doctorate of Medicine (DM) and Master of Chirurgiae (MCh) courses, and Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) – will be conducted strictly through the selection process.Last year, 160 PG seats were left unfilled across various AIIMS institutions and the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) Puducherry. A Right to Information (RTI) reply confirmed that 48 seats were officially vacant.Seat allocation at AIIMS New Delhi and all other AIIMS campuses will follow the dynamic roster point allocation system, which will be announced separately. JIPMER Puducherry will follow the same mechanism.
No seats are available under the institute preference category at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) Bengaluru, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh, and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) Trivandrum.
Upper age limit for INI CET January 2026 counselling
Certain institutes have prescribed an upper age limit for specific PG medical programmes. The applicable age limits as on 1 January 2026 are as follows:NIMHANS Bengaluru
| Course | Category | Upper Age Limit | Eligible if Born On or After |
| MD Psychiatry | General/Unreserved | 32 years | 01.01.1994 |
| OBC | 35 years | 01.01.1991 | |
| SC/ST/PwBD | 37 years | 01.01.1989 | |
| Sponsored | 45 years | 01.01.1981 | |
| DM (Neurology), MCh Neurosurgery (Post-MBBS), MD Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | All categories | 32 years | 01.01.1994 |
SCTIMST Trivandrum
| Category | Upper Age Limit | Eligible if Born On or After |
| General/Unreserved/Economically Weaker Sections/Foreign National | 40 years | 01.01.1986 |
| Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Ex-Service Personnel/Persons with Benchmark Disability | 45 years | 01.01.1981 |
| Other Backward Classes | 43 years | 01.01.1983 |
| Sponsored | 50 years | 01.01.1976 |
INI CET January 2026 counselling: Key dates
The detailed schedule for the mock round, round 1, and round 2 counselling is provided below.Mock Round and round 1
| Activity | Dates |
| Exercising of choices for Mock Round (Institute and speciality) | 6 December – 9 December (up to 5 pm) |
| Announcement of Mock Round seat allocation | 11 December |
| Exercising of choices for Round 1 | 12 December – 13 December |
| First round seat allocation result | 18 December |
| Online acceptance of allotted seat | 19 December – 24 December (up to 5 pm) |
| Reporting, document submission, and security deposit | 19 December – 24 December (up to 5 pm) |
Round 2
| Activity | Dates |
| Announcement of Round 2 seat allocation | 9 January |
| Online acceptance of allotted seat | 10 January (from 11 am) – 15 January (up to 5 pm) |
| Reporting, document submission, and security deposit | 10 January (from 11 am) – 15 January (up to 5 pm) |
INI CET January 2026 counselling: Steps to register
Candidates can follow the process below to complete their counselling participation smoothly.
- Visit the official AIIMS counselling portal and log in using your candidate credentials.
- Verify personal details and ensure all required documents, including valid category certificates, are correctly uploaded.
- Select preferred institutes and specialities in the order of priority.
- Submit and lock your choices before the deadline for each round.
- Check the seat allocation result on the scheduled dates.
- Accept the allotted seat online within the specified time.
- Report to the allotted institute with original documents and pay the security deposit.
- Wait for further instructions regarding subsequent rounds, if applicable.
Direct link here.
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