DCET 2026 - KEA has announced the DCET 2026 exam dates. The authority will conduct the DCET 2026 exam on May 23, 2026. Find the exam dates on the official website cetonline.karnataka.gov.in. Further, the registration for SCET 2026 is likely to commence in April 2026. Candidates must have a valid KCET 2026 eligibility criteria, which requires a diploma or equivalent exam from a recognised institution with atleast 45% marks in the 5th and 6th semesters (combined). Candidates who have qualified for the DCET 2026 exam must participate in the counselling process for admission. The Karnataka Diploma CET exam is conducted for admission to second-year Engineering courses and for first-year Architecture courses under the Lateral Entry Scheme. Read the complete article for detailed information on the DCET exam 2026.
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| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
Examination name | Diploma Common Entrance Test |
Commonly known as | DCET |
Exam conducting body | Karnataka Examination Authority |
Level of examination | State Level Examination |
Mode of application | Online |
Mode of exam | Offline |
Purpose | Conducted for admission into the 2nd Year B.E. courses |
KEA has announced the DCET 2026 exam dates on the official website. With the help of the exam dates of DCET 2026, candidates can know the timeline of events to be conducted for admission, such as the release of the application form, the last date, the admit card release date and much more. Here are the DCET dates based on previous years dates.
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
Start date of Application | January 2026 |
Last date of Application | May 2026 |
DCET 2026 | May 23, 2026 |
Kannada Language Test (DCET) | June 2026 |
DCET result 2026 | June 2026 |
Candidates are advised to check the eligibility criteria of DCET 2026 before applying for the entrance exam. There are some conditions and requirements that candidates must meet to be considered for admission. No candidate will be eligible for the final seat allotment if he/she do not fulfil the minimum eligibility criteria. Check the eligibility criteria for DCET 2026 below based on last year's data.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
Eligibility for B.E. Courses (Day Engineering Institutions) | Candidates must have passed a diploma or equivalent exam from a recognised institution with a minimum of 45% marks in the 5th and 6th semesters combined. However, the minimum percentage marks for SC/ST candidates is 40%. |
Eligibility for B.E. Courses (Evening Engineering Institutions) | Candidates must have passed diploma or equivalent exam from a recognised institution with a minimum of 45% marks in the 5th and 6th semesters combined (40% in case of SC/ST candidates). In addition to this, candidates must have 2 years of relevant professional experience as on 1 September 2026. |
Eligibility for B.Arch First Year (Only in Day Engineering College) | Candidates must have passed a diploma or equivalent exam from a recognized institute with 50% aggregate score in all the subjects of the final year along with 40% marks in NATA 2026. |
The authority will release the application form of DCET 2026 in online mode. Candidates can refer to the procedure of both phase 1 and phase 2 mentioned below to fill the DCET application form 2026. Find below the steps to complete the application process for DCET 2026.
Visit the official website and click on “DCET-2026 UG Online Application”.
Click on “New User? Click Here to Register. '' Candidates will have to register by entering basic details like name, mobile number, email Id, gender, etc. Upon successful registration, candidates will receive the Application number and User ID on their registered mobile number and email. The same will also be displayed on the screen.
After this, a login prompt will be displayed on the screen. Candidates will have to log in with the User ID and password received by them.
On successful login, “Student information” will be displayed on the screen. Candidates will have to fill in all the required details.
After entering all the student information, candidates will have to click on “Save”.
After this, candidates will have to enter educational details and click on “Save and Continue”.
After entering all the details, candidates will have to upload a scanned image of the Photograph, signature and left-hand thumb impression as per specifications prescribed by the authorities.
After completing the first phase, candidates will have to complete the second phase of the DCET 2026 application form. In this phase, candidates will have to select the declaration, read and understand it carefully and finally click on the “Submit” button.
After all the entries are done, candidates will receive an application number and password on their registered email and the same will be displayed on the screen also.
After this, the candidates will have to take a printout of the challan and pay the application fee in designated bank branches. The challan will be in triplicate; the bank will retain one copy with it and return to copies to the candidates.
After this, candidates have to take the printout of the application form, affix their recent photograph, and put their signature and thumb impression in the designated space. After this, the candidate will have to obtain the Principal's seal and signature from the college where they have studied final year diploma on the space provided in the printed form. It should be noted that this printed application is required at the time of verification, along with a copy of the challan.
| Category | Application Fee |
|---|---|
General and OBC Category students from the state of Karnataka | Rs 650 |
SC/ST category-1 students of Karnataka origin | Rs 500 |
KEA will release the exam centres of DCET 2026 along with the admit card. The DCET exam centres include a list of all the cities where the entrance exam will be conducted. Candidates can select their preferred DCET exam centres 2026 while filling out the application form. Find below the DCET exam centre list based on the previous year's data.
S.No | Exam Centre |
1 | Bangalore |
2 | Bellary |
3 | Bijapur |
4 | Belgaum |
5 | Davangere |
6 | Mangalore |
7 | Dharwad |
8 | Gulbarga |
9 | Mysore |
10 | Shimoga |
11 | Tumkur |
Note: Horanadu / Gadinadu Candidates must choose Bangalore as their exam centre.
Candidates preparing for the DCET 2026 exam must be aware of the exam pattern. Before commencing the preparation, candidates are advised to check the DCET 2026 exam pattern. Through the knowledge of the DCET exam pattern from the previous year, candidates will be able to know about the type of questions, number of questions, sections of the exam, etc.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
Mode of exam | Offline i.e. pen-paper-based exam |
Duration | 3 hours |
Type of Questions | Objective type (multiple choice questions) |
Total no. of questions | 180 questions |
Sections |
|
Total marks | 180 marks |
Marking scheme |
|
The syllabus of DCET 2026 broadly covers topics from the three sections- Applied Science, Applied Mathematics and Engineering. Applied Science and Applied Mathematics are common for all the candidates, and engineering subjects will depend upon the course selected by the candidate. The syllabus for DCET remains consistent throughout the year. Find below the syllabus based on previous years data.
| Topics | Sub-Topics |
|---|---|
Engineering Mathematics | Matrices and Determinants |
Straight Lines | |
Differential Calculus And Applications | |
Trigonometry | |
Integral Calculus And Applications | |
Statistics and Analytics | Statistical Data Collection And Types |
Summarization of Data | |
Measure of Location And Dispersion | |
Introduction To Python Programming | |
IT Skills | Introduction to Basics of Coding |
Design and Develop Web Pages | |
Business Process Automation / ERP | |
Introduction To Cloud And IoT Concepts | |
Cyber security And Safety | |
Fundamentals of Electricals & Electronics Engineering | Electrical Safety |
Electrical Fundamentals | |
Protective Devices And Wiring Circuits | |
Electrical Machines and Batteries and UPS | |
Introduction to Electronic Devices and Digital Electronics | |
Project Management Skills | Introduction |
Project Administration | |
Project Life cycle | |
Project Planning, Scheduling, and Monitoring | |
Project Control, Review, and Audit |
Candidates can check the detailed DCET syllabus here - Karnataka Diploma syllabus
The authority will issue the DCET hall ticket 2026 on the official website, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in. Candidates who successfully registered for the entrance exam will be able to download the admit card for DCET 2026. The DCET admit card contains details like exam date & time, exam centre, etc. of the candidate.
Visit the Karnataka DCET 2026 admit card official website.
Click on the admit card link.
Enter the login credentials.
DCET admit card 2026 will be displayed on the screen.
Download the admit card and take a printout.
Candidates must keep a copy of the DCET admit card safely till the final allotment of seats and admission.
KEA will release the DCET 2026 final answer key on its official website. The answer key of DCET 2026 will contain the correct answers to all the questions asked in the exam. The exam authority will release the provisional answer key for DCET 2026 likely in June 2026. Candidates will also be able to raise objections to the DCET answer key.
The authority will likely announce the DCET 2026 result in June 2026. Candidates who appeared in the exam will be able to check the result of DCET 2026 in online mode by logging in to the result portal. DCET 2026 results will contain the marks secured by the candidates - individual subjects, and overall scores. Candidates can refer to the given steps to check the results of DCET 2026.
Visit the official website.
Click on the result link.
Login with the DCET number.
The result will be displayed on the screen.
Download the result.
All the candidates who qualify for the DCET exam will be eligible to participate in the counselling of DCET 2026. Candidates will first have to complete the document verification process. The detailed DCET counselling process is mentioned below.
Document Verification- Firstly, candidates will have to visit the designated helpline centres for document verification according to the schedule. Candidates must report to the centre with all the original documents. Also, candidates should note that they must obtain a “Verification Slip” after the verification process and ensure that the “Unique Keyword” is mentioned on the verification slip.
Option Entry- After document verification, candidates will next have to visit the official website and click on “Diploma CET-2026–OPTION ENTRY”. Enter the Diploma CET Admission Ticket Number and click on submit. On the next page, candidates will have to enter their Application Number and unique Keyword and create a new password. Once the account is created, candidates will have to log in to the account and select their choices of colleges and courses. Candidates can enter as many choices as they want but only before the last date. It should be noted that candidates will not be allowed to add more options afterwards so they are advised to enter the maximum choices.
Seat Allotment- Based on the merit list and options locked by the candidates, the authorities will release the result of the seat allotment. Candidates who will be satisfied with their seats will have to report to the allotted college and pay the fee. While the candidates who are not satisfied with their seats will have to wait for the next round of counselling.
| Date (tentative) | Morning Session - 1 | Morning Session-2 | Afternoon Session-1 | Afternoon Session -2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
From | Up to | From | Up to | From | Up to | Up to | ||
July 2026 | 1 | 1200 | 1201 | 2400 | 2401 | 3200 | 3201 | 4000 |
July 2026 | 4001 | 6000 | 6001 | 8000 | 8001 | 10000 | 10001 | 12000 |
July 2026 | 12001 | 14000 | 14001 | 17000 | 17001 | The last rank | ||
Final Printout of the DCET-2026 Downloaded Application Form
Original copy of the Challan ( application fee payment)
DCET-2026 Admission Ticket
SSLC / 10th Standard / Equivalent Examination Marks Card
Diploma or Equivalent Examination Marks Card for all the Years / Semesters
Study Certificate countersigned by the concerned BEO / DDPI (Only for Karnataka Candidates)
TWO recent passport-size Colour Photographs.
SSLC / 10th standard Marks Card
Diploma scorecard of all the semesters.
Study Certificate of the Candidate
Rural Study Certificate (students claiming rural category reservation)
Kannada Medium Study Certificate (for candidates claiming Kannada Medium quota)
Caste and Income certificates (if applicable)
The authority will release the DCET 2026 mock cutoff on the official website. Candidates can check the cutoff of Karnataka DCET 2026 to know the closing rank for admission. DCET cutoff will vary for each category of participating colleges. Below is the Karnataka DCET cutoff of the previous year.
Rounds | Cutoff |
KCET round 2 provisional cutoff | |
Provisional cutoff | |
Mock Cutoff |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) is responsible for conducting the DCET 2026 exam.
For candidates belonging to the OBC category, the DCET 2026 application fee will be Rs. 600.
DCET 2026 will be conducted as a pen and paper based exam (offline mode).
Yes, candidates could raise objections against the DCET answer key. Candidates have to send their objections through post or email within the stipulated time.
DCET 2026 exam date is May 23, 2026.
Karnataka DCET 2026 result date is not out yet
Candidates can check the Karnataka DCET 2026 result on the official website, cetonline.karntaka.gov.in
The DCET 2026 seat allotment is not out yet.
Yes, the authority is holding a DCET 2025 third and final round of counselling.