Counselling begins once NEET UG results are declared and the national authority releases the data required by the states. The state committee publishes an information brochure, opens online registration, verifies eligibility and residence documents, and prepares a state merit list from NEET UG scores. Candidates then fill choices and are allotted seats across a series of rounds, ending with mop-up and stray-vacancy rounds to fill any seats still empty. Allotment covers state-quota seats in government medical and dental colleges in Odisha and in private and self-financing institutions notified as participating, and in some years also covers allied courses such as BAMS, BHMS and nursing through a related process. Rules on seat leaving, security deposit, bond and reporting deadlines apply as published. The number of participating colleges, the reservation matrix and the schedule change each year, so only the current brochure should be relied on.

Candidates must have qualified NEET UG for the relevant year by scoring at or above the cut-off percentile notified for their category, and must have passed class 12 or an equivalent examination with physics, chemistry, biology or biotechnology and English as subjects. Participation in the state quota additionally requires the candidate to satisfy the Odisha domicile, residence or category conditions laid down by the state, supported by the documents listed in the brochure. The minimum marks needed in the qualifying examination, the applicable age requirement and the exact residence rules are stated in the NEET UG information bulletin and the state counselling brochure, which candidates should treat as the authoritative sources.