TANCET Counselling 2026: Registration, Choice Filling and Round Wise Seat Allotment

TANCET 2026 Counselling runs in two parallel streams: MBA and MCA admissions are managed by the Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE), Tamil Nadu through tn-mbamca.com, while ME/M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan admissions proceed through Anna University’s Common Engineering Admission Process (CEAP) at ceap.annauniv.edu. MBA/MCA counselling registration closes today, June 30, 2026 — students who have not yet registered must act immediately. The MBA/MCA rank list is expected on July 15, 2026, after which choice filling opens. For the engineering stream, CEAP Round 2 seat allotment is released today, with a joining deadline of July 2, 2026.

• MBA/MCA counselling registration closes June 30, 2026 (today) on tn-mbamca.com — last-minute applicants must complete registration before midnight.
• CEAP Round 2 allotment (ME/M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan) is released today, June 30, 2026; the joining deadline at the allotted college is July 2, 2026.
• MBA/MCA Rank List is expected on July 15, 2026; MBA choice filling opens July 30 and MCA choice filling opens July 25, 2026.
• TANCET 2026 Counselling covers admissions to government, government-aided, and self-financing institutions across Tamil Nadu for MBA, MCA, ME, M.Tech, M.Arch, and M.Plan programs.
• To claim Tamil Nadu reservation benefits, you must hold a valid Electronic Nativity Certificate and a Permanent Community Certificate — both must be obtained by June 30, 2026.
• Supplementary counselling for unfilled seats is conducted offline at Government College of Technology (GCT), Coimbatore from August 6–8, 2026.

Reservation of Quotas for TANCET Counselling 2026

Tamil Nadu follows a community-based reservation system for all postgraduate admissions under TANCET 2026 Counselling. The percentages below apply to the total seat matrix at each participating institution. Students from reserved categories may compete for both reserved seats and open-competition seats simultaneously — whichever allotment is more favourable is applied.

The following special (vertical) reservation categories are applied horizontally across all community groups and are filled in a dedicated offline round before the main online counselling:

• Differently Abled (DA): 3% of seats are reserved for students holding a disability certificate from the District Medical Board. The DA round is conducted offline before main online counselling begins.
• Ex-Servicemen: Wards of ex-servicemen are eligible for reserved seats under applicable government norms, processed in the same special pre-counselling offline round.
• Sports Quota: Students with outstanding sports achievements may claim seats under this vertical quota in the special offline round.

Students must carry original Community and Nativity Certificates to college reporting — failure to produce originals results in forfeiture of all reserved-category benefits and reversion to the open-competition rank.

How to Apply for TANCET Counselling 2026?

Registration for MBA and MCA counselling is entirely online through tn-mbamca.com, managed by DoTE Tamil Nadu. ME/M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan admissions run through ceap.annauniv.edu, managed by Anna University. The steps below cover the MBA/MCA counselling registration process — the window for which closes today, June 30, 2026. If you are seeking ME/M.Tech admission, note that CEAP registration closed on June 2, 2026; the CEAP process is now in its allotment phase.

Step 1: Register on the Official Portal

Visit tn-mbamca.com and click "New Registration." Enter your 8-digit TANCET 2026 application number, date of birth, full name, registered mobile number, and email address. The system verifies your TANCET credentials before allowing you to proceed. An OTP is sent to your registered mobile to confirm your identity. Store your login credentials carefully — the same registration number and password are used for fee payment, document upload, choice filling, and allotment confirmation throughout the counselling cycle.

Step 2: Pay the Counselling Registration Fee

After creating your account, navigate to the "Fee Payment" section and pay the registration fee online via net banking, debit/credit card, or UPI. The fee is ₹800 for OC/BC/BCM/MBC/DNC categories and ₹400 for SC/SCA/ST categories of Tamil Nadu. This registration fee is non-refundable regardless of whether you receive a seat allotment. Download and retain the payment receipt — it serves as proof of registration and may be required for helpdesk queries.

Step 3: Upload Your Documents

Navigate to the document upload section and submit scanned copies of all required certificates in PDF or JPEG format, each file within 2 MB. Ensure every document is legible and correctly oriented. After completing the upload, submit the form; a submission acknowledgement number is generated — note it down for any future grievance or helpdesk communication. The authority verifies all uploaded documents online before finalising your registration and assigning a rank.

Step 4: Certificate Verification and Random Number Allotment

The counselling authority verifies your uploaded certificates online. Students whose documents clear verification are assigned a random number by the admissions system. This number is used only as the final tie-breaker — it comes into play only when two students share an identical TANCET score, identical UG aggregate percentage, and an identical date of birth. In all other cases, rank is determined solely by your TANCET score; the random number has no bearing on your counselling outcome in the normal course.

Step 5: Pay the Initial Deposit and Enter Choice Filling

After the rank list is published (expected July 15, 2026), log in to your account and pay the initial deposit before accessing the choice-filling module: ₹5,000 for OC/BC/BCM/MBC/DNC categories and ₹1,000 for SC/SCA/ST categories of Tamil Nadu. This deposit is credited toward your first-semester tuition fee when you join the allotted college — it is not an additional payment on top of college fees. Once the deposit is paid, you may enter the choice-filling interface, add your preferred college-programme combinations, arrange them by priority, and lock your list before the deadline.

How to Lock Choices in TANCET 2026 Counselling

Choice filling for MBA opens from July 30 to August 2, 2026; for MCA it runs from July 25 to July 27, 2026, both on tn-mbamca.com. The allotment engine processes only choices you have locked — preferences left in your list without locking are completely ignored. Fill at least 15–20 choices to maximise your chances of receiving an allotment across all rounds.

Step 1: Log In to Your Counselling Account

• Visit tn-mbamca.com and log in with your registration number and password.
• Navigate to the "Choice Filling" section from your dashboard — this section becomes active only after you have paid the initial deposit.

Step 2: Search and Add College-Programme Pairs

• Use the available filters — district, management type (government/aided/self-financing), and specialisation — to browse programs with available seats.
• Click "Add to Preference List" for every college-programme combination you wish to consider.
• Add as many combinations as possible; more choices reduce the risk of going unallotted.

Step 3: Arrange Your Preferences in Order

• Rank your choices from most preferred (1) to least preferred (last).
• Place your most desired college and specialisation at the top, and reliable backup options at the bottom.
• You can rearrange preferences any number of times before the locking deadline.

Step 4: Lock Your Choices

• Once satisfied with your preference order, click "Lock Choices" or "Submit Final Preference."
• An OTP is sent to your registered mobile number and email — enter it to confirm locking.
• After OTP confirmation, choices are finalised and cannot be modified for this round.
• Download the locked-preference confirmation receipt and save it as proof of submission.

Step 5: View Your Allotment Result

• Log in after the allotment date — MBA: August 3, 2026; MCA: July 29, 2026 — to view your allotted college and programme.
• The engine assigns you the highest-ranked locked preference for which your TANCET rank and category qualify; you will never receive a lower-ranked choice when a higher one is within reach.

TANCET Counselling Documents Required 2026

Upload the following documents during online registration on tn-mbamca.com (for MBA/MCA) or ceap.annauniv.edu (for ME/M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan). All files must be in PDF or JPEG format; each file must not exceed 2 MB. Originals of every uploaded document must be carried to the allotted college at the time of physical reporting.

• SSLC (Class 10) Mark Sheet — used as primary date-of-birth proof
• HSC (Class 12) or Diploma Certificate and Mark Sheet
• All Semester Mark Sheets of UG Degree (both sides if double-sided)
• Provisional or Degree Certificate of the qualifying undergraduate programme
• TANCET 2026 Hall Ticket
• TANCET 2026 Mark Sheet / Score Card
• Permanent Community Certificate (mandatory for BC, MBC/DNC, BCM, SC, SCA, and ST categories)
• Electronic Nativity Certificate — required by all students claiming Tamil Nadu community reservation or domicile benefits
• Passport-Size Photographs (recent, white background; carry 6–8 copies for college reporting)
• Scanned Signature
• District Medical Board Certificate (Differently Abled students only)
• Sri Lankan Tamil Refugee Certificate (applicable to Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees domiciled in Tamil Nadu only)

Note: Aadhaar Card, Transfer Certificate, and Conduct Certificate are NOT required during online registration on tn-mbamca.com. Produce them in original at the college reporting stage only.

Students allotted ME/M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan seats through CEAP must additionally carry their CEAP Allotment Order and CEETA PG Rank Card (or GATE Score Card for GATE-admitted students) at the time of college reporting.

How Much Money is Needed for TANCET Counselling 2026?

TANCET 2026 Counselling involves two distinct payment categories: a non-refundable registration fee collected at application, and an initial deposit paid before choice filling that is credited toward first-semester tuition if you join. Students must budget for both payments and understand the different refund rules that apply to each.

Non-Refundable Fees

The MBA/MCA registration fee (₹800 or ₹400) is non-refundable in all circumstances, including cases where no seat is allotted. The CEAP registration fee (₹5,000 or ₹1,000) is equally non-refundable for the engineering stream. Both fees were collected separately at the respective registration stages.

Refundable Initial Deposit

The initial deposit is applied in full against first-semester tuition when you report and join the allotted college — it is not an extra payment on top of institutional fees. If you withdraw after accepting a seat and physically joining the college, the initial deposit is not fully refunded. The 80% refund rule applies strictly when you decline the allotment and submit a formal withdrawal request through the portal by December 31, 2026 without having joined.

Note: The initial deposit (₹5,000 / ₹1,000) and the registration fee (₹800 / ₹400) are paid at different stages — registration fee at the time of applying, initial deposit before choice filling. Pay them separately when prompted. Failure to pay the initial deposit before the choice-filling window opens disqualifies you from participating in choice filling for that round.

TANCET 2026 Round-Wise Seat Allotment

TANCET 2026 Counselling proceeds through multiple allotment rounds across both streams. CEAP rounds for ME/M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan are underway right now; MBA/MCA rounds begin after the rank list is published on July 15, 2026. Each round fills vacant seats in rank order based on locked preferences and category-wise availability. Seats not confirmed within the joining window are released back into the pool for the next round.

The SCA-to-SC conversion on July 3 (CEAP) and August 10 (MBA/MCA) ensures that seats reserved for Scheduled Caste Arunthathiyars that remain unfilled are redistributed to the broader SC pool rather than going vacant, maximising seat utilisation. The supplementary counselling round at GCT Coimbatore absorbs remaining seats after all online rounds are exhausted.

Reporting to the Allotted College

After accepting your allotment and downloading the provisional allotment letter, you must report in person to the allotted college within the window specified in the letter. For ME/M.Tech students allotted in CEAP Round 2, the joining deadline at the allotted college is July 2, 2026 — two days from today. For MBA students, the provisional allotment letter is released on August 5, 2026, and the reporting window is typically three to five working days from that date as specified in the letter.

At the time of reporting, carry originals and two sets of self-attested photocopies of all the following documents:

• Provisional Allotment Letter (printed from the counselling portal — tn-mbamca.com or ceap.annauniv.edu)
• TANCET 2026 Hall Ticket and Score Card
• SSLC (Class 10) Mark Sheet and Certificate
• HSC (Class 12) or Diploma Mark Sheet and Certificate
• All Semester Mark Sheets of UG Degree (originals)
• Provisional or Degree Certificate of UG Programme
• Transfer Certificate and Conduct Certificate (issued by your UG institution)
• Permanent Community Certificate (if claiming any reserved category)
• Electronic Nativity Certificate
• Valid Photo Identity Proof (Aadhaar Card, Voter ID, or Passport)
• District Medical Board Certificate (Differently Abled students only)
• 6–8 recent passport-size photographs (white background)
• CEAP Allotment Order and CEETA PG Rank Card or GATE Score Card (ME/M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan students only)

Students admitted to Anna University departments or government-aided colleges through CEAP may be eligible for a government-funded stipend of ₹60,000 per semester, substantially reducing the effective tuition cost. Confirm stipend eligibility and the application procedure directly with the admissions office of the allotted college at the time of reporting.

Failure to report within the stipulated window causes automatic seat cancellation — the seat is immediately re-allotted to the next eligible student. There is no reinstatement after a missed reporting deadline. Students who miss the main-round reporting window must appear for supplementary counselling (if still eligible) or forfeit their admission for the year.

Upgrade, Freeze, or Withdraw? Your Options After Allotment

After each allotment result is published, you must choose one of four options within the confirmation window. For MBA students, this window closes on August 4, 2026 at 5:00 PM. For CEAP (ME/M.Tech) students allotted in Round 2, the joining deadline is July 2, 2026. Choose carefully — your selection directly determines your fee-refund eligibility and your seat security.

If you withdraw after accepting a seat and physically joining the college, the initial deposit is not fully refunded. The 80% portal refund applies only when you decline before joining and file a withdrawal request on tn-mbamca.com by December 31, 2026. Missing the allotment confirmation window entirely (without selecting any option) causes automatic cancellation of your allotment — your seat is lost and the registration fee is forfeited.

Students who were not allotted a seat in the main online rounds, or who selected "Decline and Upward" without receiving a better option, may attend supplementary counselling conducted offline at GCT Coimbatore — MCA on August 6, 2026 and MBA on August 7–8, 2026. In supplementary counselling, seats are allotted on the spot based on remaining vacancy and TANCET rank; there is no pre-allotment before the day. Students attending supplementary counselling must carry all original documents for on-the-spot verification and immediate joining if allotted.