KCET Reservation Criteria 2026 - KEA will provide the KCET reservation criteria 2026 PDF on the official website, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in. The authority will release the KCET reservation criteria while offering admission to the reserved category students. To claim a reservation in KCET, candidates must belong to any of the following categories: General Merit, SC, ST, or OBC. The KCET reservation categories for 2026 will include a list and the percentage of seats reserved for each category. Candidates qualifying for the KCET exam will be considered for the admission process. The authority will conduct the KCET 2026 exam from April 23 to 24, 2026, while the Kannada language exam is scheduled for April 22, 2026. Further, the KCET 2026 application form will be released on January 17, 2026.
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Find the detailed KCET reservation criteria 2026 for OBC and other candidates in this article. Candidates must meet the KCET eligibility criteria and provide the required documents to be eligible for admission to the reserved seats. The reservation criteria of KCET 2026 will vary for each category of candidates. Read the entire article to know more about the KCET 2026 reservation criteria.
KEA will release the list of KCET 2026 reservation categories on the official website. Candidates can find the KCET 2026 reservation criteria in the table below. Here we have provided the KCET seat distributions as per the Karnataka CET reserved category list. Moreover, candidates will also get to know what the special categories in KCET are. The following table is updated with the reservation criteria of KCET 2026 based on previous years:
| KEA KCET Category List | KCET Reserved Seats (%) |
|---|---|
Rural Candidates | 15% of Government Seats |
Candidates from Kannada Medium | 5% of Government Seats |
Jammu & Kashmir Migrants | 1 seat in every engineering college |
| Article 371(J) Kalyana Karnataka (Hyderabad Karnataka) |
|
Defence Personnel of Karnataka Origin | 10% seats in all engineering colleges |
OBC/SC/ST under category - 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B | N/A |
Sports Special Category | N/A |
Scouts and Guides | N/A |
Physically Disabled | N/A |
NCC Category | N/A |
Supernumerary Category | N/A |
The authority will publish the KCET 2026 reservation eligibility criteria in the official brochure. As mentioned, a certain number of seats are reserved for the special category candidates. To be eligible for the mentioned seat, candidates need to meet the KCET eligibility clause set for different categories. The following table describes the eligibility conditions to be met by candidates of different categories to avail of the reservation of KCET 2026.
| Category | KCET Reservation Eligibility Details |
|---|---|
NCC Special Category Check the order of preference for selection of a reserved seat under NCC category |
(a) NIC (b) Trekking (c) Mountaineering (d) BLC (e) ALC (f) RCTC and (g) Army, Navy, Air Force & Hospital Attachments (h) IMA /OTA, AF Stn, Naval Academy, Indian Naval or Coast Guard Ship or (i) any other attachment camp based on vacancies issued by DG, NCC (j) Mountaineering, Para Basic, SSB Screening, or any other DG NCC-organised course and adventure camps. |
Sports Special Category |
Check more details about KCET 2026 reservation criteria for Sports Special Category |
Scouts and Guide Special Category |
|
OBC/SC/ST under Category-1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B |
|
Physically Disabled Category |
|
Kannada Medium | Candidates should have studied in Kannada Medium from Class 1 to 10 standard. |
Anglo-Indian Special Category | Candidates will have to produce a certificate issued by the Registered Association of Anglo Indian Community of Karnataka and countersigned by an Anglo Indian MLA appointed by the Government of India at the time of document verification. |
Defence Special Category |
|
Ex-Defence Category |
|
Central Armed Police Force/Ex-CAPF | Candidates will have to possess a certificate issued by CAPF Unit mentioning candidate’s parent declaration that he/she was domicile of Karnataka at the time of joining CAPF service, during the document verification. |
Rural | Candidates should have completed 10 years of basic education in rural areas/small urban areas/transitional areas as mentioned by the Municipal Corporation of Karnataka under the Karnataka Municipalities Act. 1964 and the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976. |
Supernumerary Quota | All candidates (including General category) are eligible for admission under Sthe upernumerary quota. However, they need to provide an income certificate issued by the concerned Tahasildar. |
Jammu and Kashmiri Migrants | Son/Daughter of Jammu & Kashmiri migrants can claim seats under the Jammu and Kashmiri Migrants quota. |
Hyderabad Karnataka |
|
Note: Candidates belonging to Scouts & Guides, Defence, Ex-defence and Anglo-Indian, CAPF, Ex-CAPF will be considered for allotment of seats in the respective special category seats as per their merit order only in the General Round of allotment of seats along with the other general merit and reserved category candidates.
Candidates who wish to apply for the KCET entrance exam have to meet the minimum eligibility conditions. The eligibility criteria comprise of qualifying marks. Students belonging to the reserved category will be given a relaxation of 10%. Below are the KCET marks for relaxation based on previous years:
| University/Institution | KCET Seat Reservation (in percentage) |
|---|---|
Any regional University or educational institution in the Hyderabad-Karnataka Districts | 70% of seats in every program |
State University/Engineering College/Institution | 8% of seats in every program |
Only candidates with a Karnataka domicile will also be eligible to apply for KCET. Applicants must be permanent residents of Karnataka with the intention of making it their permanent home.
Reserved seats under the Sports Quota will be available for candidates who have notable achievements in sports at the state, national, or international levels. Applicants must provide valid certificates as proof of their participation or awards in recognized sporting events.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
As per the KCET reservation criteria, 15% of government seats will be reserved for rural candidates.
As per the KCET reservation criteria, 5% of government seats are reserved for candidates from Kannada Medium.
As per the KCET reservation criteria, 10% seats are reserved for Defence Personnel of Karnataka Origin in all participating engineering colleges.
Candidates can check the Karnataka CET reservation category list in the KCET information brochure or on this page.
Candidates will be able to check the KEA CET category list in the information bulletin. Moreover, candidates will get to know the category definitions through the official KCET 2026 notification.
The special categories in KCET are CAPF / CRPF / CISF / BSF / ITBP, Ex-Defence, Ex-CAPF, Defence, N.C.C., Sports / Anglo-Indian, Scouts, and Guides.
The category-wise KCET reservation pdf is updated online on the official website.
To claim reservation in KCET, candidates must belong to any of the following categories: General Merit, SC, ST, or OBC.
KCET reserves 15% of the total seats for candidates from the Scheduled Castes (SC) category.
Candidates who have studied in Kannada medium from class 1 to class 10 for a continuous period of 10 years are eligible to claim the Kannada Medium Reservation.
On Question asked by student community
Hello,
Yes, you likely can apply for KCET, as you studied 7 years in Karnataka, fulfilling the core study requirement, but you'll need a Karnataka-issued 7-year Study Certificate and your AP Aadhaar for identity, proving you meet domicile/eligibility for Karnataka seats.
I hope it will clear your query!!
Hello,
KCET for (https://cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/kset2025) 2025. To verify the payment confirmation, click the link; it will direct you.
Enter the allotted CET number and other given details, such as DOB, as such.
After the verification of details, it will direct you to the fee payment section or confirmation slip; just search
Hello,
Quitting the pharmacy college after joining the academic session will highly affect the career, and risks will be imposed from both KEA and the side of the college.
You may be imposed to pay penalties and also forced to face the ineligibility for future exams and post deadlines.
KEA
Hello,
Yes, you can appear for the 2nd PUC exam 2 in 2026 to improve your marks, as Karnataka allows multiple attempts for the PUC exams, and the Karnataka Examination Authority considers your best scores for KCET ranking. Since you passed in 2025, you can apply for the repeater/improvement exam
HELLO,
UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS YEAR, THE ADMISSION OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2026 WILL BE BASED ON THE RANK OF NEET. HIGHER RANK ON NEET, 40% TO 50% ON HIGHER SECONDARY WITH ENGLISH AS AN AMANDATORY SUBJECT IS REQUIRED.
THANK YOU