KCET Counselling 2026: Registration, Option Entry and Round-Wise Seat Allotment

KCET 2026 counselling is conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) for admission to B.E/B.Tech, B.Pharm, B.Arch, B.Sc (Nursing), Pharm.D, and other professional courses at government, aided, and private unaided colleges across Karnataka. Round 1 seat allotment was released on July 15, 2026, and Round 2 option entry is currently active with the deadline on July 28, 2026.

• Conducting body: Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), Bengaluru — official portal: cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/.
• Round 2 option entry is open right now — log in at the KEA portal and submit or revise your preferences before July 28, 2026.
• Karnataka domicile is mandatory to claim CET quota (state quota) seats; General Merit (GM) seats are open to all-India students regardless of domicile.
• Offline document verification at a KEA Help Line Centre (HLC) is compulsory before option entry in any round — no verification means no allotment.
• Three allotment rounds plus a mop-up round are conducted; Round 2 allotment is expected in August 2026 and Round 3 / Mop-up in September 2026.

Reservation of Quotas for KCET Counselling 2026

Karnataka follows a two-tier reservation framework for KCET counselling: vertical (category) reservations and horizontal (special) reservations. Vertical categories are filled first; horizontal categories are applied within each vertical category. Only Karnataka domicile students are eligible for any reservation benefit. Non-domicile students compete exclusively under the General Merit (GM) open category, where Karnataka domicile students also participate.

Horizontal (Special) Reservations — applied within each vertical category above:

Note: All caste, income, rural, and domicile certificates must carry a valid RD (Registration and Delivery) number issued by the Karnataka state government. Documents without an RD number are not accepted during HLC verification, even if they are otherwise valid and stamped by a government authority.

How to Apply for KCET Counselling 2026?

The KCET 2026 counselling process follows five sequential steps. You cannot skip any step — failing to complete HLC verification or option entry makes you ineligible for seat allotment, regardless of rank. Students who are fresh entrants to Round 2 and have not previously visited an HLC must complete verification before filling options; students who already completed HLC in Round 1 proceed directly to Round 2 option entry.

Step 1: Online Registration

Visit the KEA portal at cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/ and click on the KCET 2026 Counselling link. Log in using your KCET 2026 application number and date of birth or OTP. Fill the registration form, confirm your personal details, and pay the non-refundable counselling registration-cum-processing fee online. The fee is ₹650 for General and OBC categories (2A, 2B, 3A, 3B) and ₹500 for SC, ST, and Category 1 students. After payment, download and print your Verification Slip — this slip is mandatory at the HLC. Students who registered and paid in Round 1 need not pay again for subsequent rounds.

Step 2: Document Verification at Help Line Centre (HLC)

After online registration, you must visit a KEA Help Line Centre (HLC) in person for offline document verification. This step is mandatory — no seat will be allotted without HLC verification, even if you hold a valid KCET rank. At the HLC, a KEA officer verifies your originals, scans them, and updates your eligibility flags (category, domicile status, horizontal reservation claims) in the KEA database. These flags govern what seats you can compete for during option entry. Book your HLC slot in advance through the KEA portal — walk-ins may not be accommodated at all centres. Carry all original documents plus one self-attested photocopy set (see the Documents Required section).

Step 3: Option Entry (Choice Filling)

Once your HLC verification is recorded in the KEA database, you can log in to the KEA portal and fill your college-course preferences — this is called option entry. The portal displays all colleges and courses you are eligible for based on your verified category, domicile status, and horizontal reservation flags. Fill at least 15–20 preferences to maximise your chances across all rounds. You can add, delete, or reorder choices any number of times within the open window. On the last day of the window, lock your choices. Locked choices cannot be changed for the current round.

For Round 2 (currently active), the option entry window closes on July 28, 2026. Students with a Round 1 seat who want to upgrade should list colleges they prefer more at positions above their current allotment in the preference list — the allotment engine will only move you up if something better is available.

Step 4: Mock Allotment and Modification

Before each round’s final allotment, KEA releases a mock allotment based on preferences submitted up to that point. The mock result is not binding — it is purely for self-assessment to show which seat your current rank and choice order would yield. If the mock outcome is unsatisfactory, modify your preferences during the short modification window KEA opens immediately after the mock. In KCET 2026 Round 1, the mock allotment was released on July 6, 2026, with modifications allowed until July 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM. A similar mock-and-modification cycle is expected before Round 2’s final allotment — watch the KEA portal for the announcement date.

Step 5: Seat Allotment and Reporting

After the option entry window closes and the modification cycle completes, KEA runs the seat allotment algorithm and publishes the final seat allotment result on the portal. Log in to check your allotted seat. If you accept the seat, report to the allotted college in person within the deadline specified in your allotment letter — carry all original documents and pay first-year college fees. Failing to report within the deadline means automatic forfeiture of your allotted seat. The vacated seat passes to eligible students in subsequent rounds.

How to Fill and Lock Choices for KCET 2026

Choice filling (option entry) is the most critical step in KCET counselling — the quality and order of your preference list directly determines your seat. Here is the step-by-step process to fill and lock your choices on the KEA portal:

Step 1: Log In to the KEA Portal

• Go to cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/ and click on the KCET 2026 Counselling link.
• Log in using your application number, date of birth, and OTP sent to your registered mobile number.

Step 2: Navigate to Option Entry

• From the dashboard, select "Option Entry / Choice Filling" for the current round.
• The portal shows all colleges and courses you are eligible for, filtered by your verified category, domicile status, and horizontal reservation flags recorded at HLC.

Step 3: Add and Order Your Preferences

• Search for colleges by name, district, course type (government / aided / unaided private), or branch name.
• Click "Add" to include a college-course combination in your preference list.
• Drag and drop (or use the rank-order field) to place options from most preferred (rank 1) to least preferred.
• Include a minimum of 15–20 options and mix government colleges (lower fees, high competition) with government-aided and private unaided colleges to build in multiple fallbacks.

Step 4: Review and Save

• Go through your complete list — verify the college type, district, branch, and category for every entry.
• Click "Save" to store your preferences. You can edit and re-save as many times as you like until the window closes.

Step 5: Lock Your Choices

• On or before July 28, 2026 (Round 2 deadline), click "Lock Choices".
• A confirmation prompt appears. Once you confirm the lock, your preferences cannot be changed for this round.
• Download and save the locked option entry printout for your records.

If you do not lock manually before the window closes, KEA auto-locks whatever preferences you have saved at that moment. An empty saved list results in no allotment for that round.

KCET 2026 Round-Wise Seat Allotment

KCET 2026 counselling runs in three main rounds plus a mop-up round. Each round fills vacancies left by the previous round and allows students to move to a better seat. In Round 1, approximately 1.22 lakh of the 1.41 lakh available seats were allotted — the highest-ranked students with the best-matched preferences filled first. Around 19,000 seats remain and are available from Round 2 onwards, drawing from vacancies due to non-reporting, rejections, and any newly added seats. The table below shows the complete round-wise schedule:

After the mop-up round, no further central allotment is made under KEA. Colleges fill any residual seats through their own management quota process, which is separate from KCET counselling.

Note: Exact dates for Round 2 allotment and Round 3 / Mop-up have not been officially confirmed by KEA as of July 25, 2026. Always verify dates on cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/ before making travel or college-fee arrangements.

KCET Counselling Documents Required 2026

Carry all original documents along with one self-attested photocopy of each to the HLC for verification. Documents with mismatched details, missing RD numbers, or unreadable seals will be rejected on the spot. Bring only documents applicable to your category — submitting irrelevant documents does not help and can sometimes raise flags in the KEA system.

• KCET 2026 Admit Card — downloaded from the KEA portal
• KCET 2026 Application Form printout — with affixed photograph, as submitted at the time of KCET registration
• KCET 2026 Rank Card — generated on the KEA portal after result declaration
• Counselling Verification Slip — generated after paying the counselling registration-cum-processing fee
• SSLC (10th Standard) Marks Card and Passing Certificate
• 2nd PUC (12th Standard) Marks Card and Passing Certificate — or provisional certificate if results were declared recently and original is pending
• Study Certificate(s) — from the school/college where you studied in Karnataka; required for domicile claims, rural reservation, and Kannada-medium reservation; must cover the prescribed number of years stated in the KEA notification
• Aadhaar Card — for identity verification at HLC
• Caste / Category Certificate — for SC, ST, and OBC categories (1 / 2A / 2B / 3A / 3B); must be in the Karnataka government prescribed format with a valid RD number
• Income Certificate — for EWS and Category 1 claims; issued by a Karnataka Tehsildar or higher authority with a valid RD number
• Rural Study Certificate — for Rural horizontal reservation; issued by the school principal confirming 10 years of study in a rural Karnataka school
• PwD Certificate — for PwD horizontal reservation; issued by a government hospital confirming ≥40% disability
• HKR Domicile Certificate — for Hyderabad-Karnataka Region (371-J) quota; applicable to students from the seven designated districts
• Kannada Medium Study Certificate — if claiming Kannada medium reservation; from the institution confirming instruction was in Kannada
• Recent Passport-Size Photographs — at least 4, identical, on a white background, taken within the last 3 months

How Much Money is Needed for KCET Counselling 2026?

The financial outflow in KCET 2026 counselling happens in two stages: a non-refundable processing fee paid to KEA at registration, and regulated college tuition fees paid when you report after getting a seat. Unlike centralised counselling systems such as JoSAA or MCC, KEA does not charge a separate "seat acceptance fee" at the time of allotment — your seat is confirmed when you physically report to the allotted college and pay the first-year tuition fee.

Non-Refundable Fees

The following fee is paid to KEA during counselling registration and is not refunded under any circumstance — whether or not you receive a seat, and whether or not you ultimately join a college:

This fee is paid once and covers all rounds of KCET 2026 counselling. Students who registered and paid during Round 1 do not need to pay again for Round 2 or Round 3. Fresh entrants joining in Round 2 or Round 3 for the first time pay the registration fee once at the time of their first registration.

Refundable Fees

College tuition fees for Karnataka CET quota seats are regulated by the Karnataka Examinations Authority and the Fee Fixation Committee. If you join a college after allotment and later decide to leave, you may claim a refund of tuition fees paid, subject to the following conditions:

• A full or near-full refund of tuition fees is available only if you withdraw before the college-level and KEA-notified cutoff date — typically within 15 days of the start of the academic year, or as specified in the KEA joining circular for your round.
• Government and government-aided college CET quota fees are significantly lower than private unaided college fees; the refund amount is proportionally smaller for government seats simply because less was collected.
• If you withdraw after the notified refund deadline, tuition fees already paid are typically not refunded — only a nominal amount may be returned after statutory deductions.
• The KEA counselling processing fee of ₹650 / ₹500 is non-refundable under all circumstances, irrespective of withdrawal timing.
• Confirm the exact refund deadline and deduction policy in the KEA circular for your specific round, as these terms can vary year to year.

Reporting to College After KCET 2026 Seat Allotment

After each round’s final allotment result, you must physically report to your allotted college within the deadline stated in your allotment order. Online-only confirmation is not sufficient — KEA requires in-person reporting with original documents. Here is the step-by-step process:

Step 1: Download Your Allotment Order

• Log in to the KEA portal and download your Seat Allotment Order from the "Allotment" section.
• The order specifies the allotted college, branch, the category under which you were allotted, and the reporting deadline.
• Print the allotment order — you need to submit a copy to the college at the time of reporting.

Step 2: Gather All Original Documents and Fees

• Collect all documents listed in the Documents Required section (originals plus one photocopy set).
• Estimate the first-year tuition fee for your allotted college — check the KEA fee fixation circular for your college type and category, or contact the college admission office directly.
• If any original document is unavailable, contact the college in advance — most colleges allow a short time to submit missing documents, but this is at the institution’s discretion.

Step 3: Report to the Allotted College Within the Deadline

• Visit the allotted college’s admission office on or before the reporting deadline stated in your allotment order.
• Submit originals for college-level verification and pay the prescribed first-year tuition and other fees.
• Collect your provisional admission letter from the college confirming your seat.

Step 4: Online Reporting Confirmation on KEA Portal (if required)

• After physical reporting, some rounds require you to complete an online "Reported" confirmation on the KEA portal. Follow the instructions in the KEA notification for your specific round.
• Skipping this online step (where required) may cause discrepancies in your admission status in the KEA database.

Note: If you reported to your Round 1 college but also intend to participate in Round 2 for an upgrade, inform the college at the time of reporting. The college will retain your documents during the Round 2 allotment period. You are not required to vacate the Round 1 seat until the Round 2 allotment result is released — if Round 2 allots a better seat, the college will release your documents for the new institution.

Upgrade, Freeze, or Withdraw — What to Do After KCET Allotment?

After each round’s allotment, you have three strategic options. Understanding each before you act is critical — a wrong choice can cost you a seat you already have.

If you choose "Accept and Upgrade," list only colleges you genuinely prefer more than your current seat — rank them above your current allotment in the Round 2 option entry. The KEA algorithm assigns the best available option from your list. If nothing better than your current seat is available, you automatically retain it — no action needed.

If you withdraw after reporting and fail to participate in Round 2, you forfeit your seat permanently — KEA does not re-allot the same seat to the same student in a later round. Once forfeited, you can only compete for new vacancies in subsequent rounds, and there is no guarantee a comparable seat will be available.