Bhubaneswar: The counselling process for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Neet) began in the state on Wednesday.

The aspiring medical students can apply on www.ojee.nic.in for the counselling process that will be conducted from June 20 to 25.

The final list will be out for first-phase admission of registered candidates into the medical courses on June 26, according to the latest notification released by the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) board. The documents of the candidates will be verified at nodal centres between June 26 and 29. The state-level merit list will be released on June 30.

As a part of Neet counselling, the choice-filling and locking process will be held on July 1 and 2. The first round of provisional admission will be held between July 5 and 9. The classes are expected to begin from August 1.

The list to fill up the vacant seats will be released on July 24, for which choice-filling and locking will be held on that day and the next day. The second-round admission will be held from July 27 till 30. If seats still remain vacant, spot counselling sessions will be held from August 4 till 8.

This year, the admission will be held for 1,150 MBBS seats and 150 BDS seats in seven government-run medical colleges and one private medical college in the state.

The counselling will be held for 212 MBBS seats of SCB and MKCG medical colleges, 127 seats of VSS Burla and 85 seats each in medical collleges at Baripada, Koraput, Balangir and Balasore. Bhubaneswar-based Hi-Tech Medical College will be open for counselling for 100 medical seats. Counselling will be held for 42 seats of SCB Dental College and 100 seats of Hi-Tech Dental College. Out of 32,301 candidates from the state who applied for Neet, some 19,600 have qualified. Sameer Patro of Bhubaneswar has secured an all-India rank of 30. Another candidate from the state, Aarushi Kollana, has secured an all-India rank of 50.