Overview

Karnataka Examination Authority “KEA” is the Governing body which is responsible for conducting neet counseling process for MBBS and BDS Counseling will be conducted for the 85% Government & 100% Private Medical & Dental seats. It’s an open State, which means students from other State can apply for seats under management quota in Private Medical Colleges in Karnataka
There are 21 Government, 30 Private and 12 Deemed Medical colleges in Karnataka.. Seat Allotment for Deemed will be done through centralized Medical Counseling Committee (MCC)
There are 3 rounds of counseling process which includes “Round 1”, “Round 2” and “Mop up” rounds will be conducted online. If seats are vacant after mop up then college round will be conducted, also known as “Stray round or College level Spot Round”

Quick Facts – MBBS in Karnataka 2026

Particulars	Details
Total Colleges	72
Total MBBS Seats	13,944
Government Colleges	24 (4,249 seats)
Private Colleges	48 (9,695 seats)
Government Fees	₹64,350 per year
ESIC Fees	₹1,09,350 per year
Total PG Seats	5,874
NEET Applicants 2025	1,42,369
Government Seat Chance	2.98%

PG & Super-Specialty Scope – Karnataka 2026

Particulars	Details
Colleges Offering MD/MS/Diploma	55 Colleges
Total PG Seats	5,000+ Seats
Government Colleges (PG)	20 Colleges – 1,171 Seats
Private Colleges (PG)	35 Colleges – 3,800+ Seats
Colleges Offering DM/MCh	23 Colleges – Approx. 370 Seats
Career Scope	Karnataka provides excellent long-term career prospects

Government & ESIC Fee Structure – Karnataka 2026

College Type	Annual Fee (₹)
Government Medical Colleges	₹64,350 per year
ESIC Medical Colleges	₹1,09,350 per year

Minority & Linguistic Minority Colleges – Complete Fees (Karnataka 2026)

College	Government Fee (₹)	Private Fee (₹)	NRI Fee (₹)
MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹40,11,950
Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹44,11,950
A J Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹40,11,950
Al-Ameen Medical College	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹27,11,950
Navodaya Medical College	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹27,36,950
Father Muller Medical College	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹35,11,950
Subbaiah Institute of Medical Sciences	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹29,11,950
The Oxford Medical College Hospital and Research Centre	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹36,11,950
Akash Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹36,11,950
Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹32,11,950
Sri Chamundeshwari Medical College Hospital and Research Institute	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹30,01,950

Private Un-Aided Medical Colleges – Complete Fees (Karnataka 2026)

(All figures in ₹ per year)

College	Government Fee (₹)	Private Fee (₹)	NRI Fee (₹)
Dr B R Ambedkar Medical College	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹35,11,950
Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹43,11,950
Basaveswara Medical College Hospital and Research Centre	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹35,11,950
S Nijalingappa Medical College	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹40,11,950
Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹39,11,950
K V G Medical College	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹35,12,650
JJM Medical College	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹39,11,950
S S Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹36,11,950
BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹42,86,950
Shridevi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Hospital	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹38,61,950
East Point College of Medical Sciences and Research Centre	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹36,11,950
Siddaganga Medical College and Research Institute	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹28,61,950
SR Patil Medical College Hospital	₹1,53,571	₹12,00,117	₹30,11,950
M S Ramaiah Medical College	₹1,53,571	₹25,15,000	₹45,15,000
SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital	₹1,53,571	₹20,15,000	₹35,15,000
Khaja Bandanawaz University Faculty of Medical Sciences	₹1,53,571	₹16,29,965	₹32,15,000
Dr Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Institute of Medical Education and Research	₹1,53,571	₹22,15,000	₹38,15,000
PES University Institute of Medical Sciences and Research	₹1,53,571	₹22,15,000	₹39,15,000
St. John's Medical College, Bangalore	₹6,75,000	—	—
Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital	₹1,53,571	₹24,50,000	₹45,15,000

Category Code Index – KEA Seat Matrix (Karnataka MBBS 2026)

Karnataka follows a detailed reservation system including the following categories. Students must carefully choose the correct category during KEA registration.

Category Type	Codes / Notes
OBC Categories	1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B
SC / ST Categories	SC, ST (as per KEA)
General & Others	GM, GMP, OPN
Defence	DEF, XD
NCC / Sports	SPO, NCC
Minority	MU, MC, MM, ME, MK, MA
Rural & Kannada Medium	Special reservation for rural / Kannada-medium students

Private Colleges in Karnataka

Private College	Location	Cut-Off	Seats	Fee
Akash Inst. of Med. Sci.	Bangalore	564	150	10.93 Lakh
A.J. Institute of Med. Sci.	Mangalore	566	150	10.93 Lakh
BGS Global Inst. of Med. Sci.	Bangalore	586	150	10.93 Lakh
East Point College of Med. Sci.	Bangalore	550	150	10.93 Lakh
Kempegowda Inst. of Med. Sci.	Bangalore	602	150	10.93 Lakh
M.S. Ramaiah Med. College	Bangalore	410	150	22.15 Lakh
Sapthagiri Inst. of Med. Sci.	Bangalore	350	250	22.12 Lakh
Subbaiah Inst. of Med. Sci.	Shimoga	520	200	10.93 Lakh
The Oxford Med. College	Bangalore	562	150	10.93 Lakh
Vydehi Inst. of Med. Sci.	Bangalore	592	250	10.93 Lakh

Category	Fees
Government Seats	100% seats in govt college
	40% govt aided seats in private college
	25% seats in private minority college
Private Seats	40% seats in private colleges and 34% in minority colleges
	a) Gmp(general merit private) 50% out of 40% seats filed by karnataka domicile
	a) b) 50% out of 40% open to everyone across india

NRI SEATS: 15% seats in private colleges
OTHERS SEATS: 5% in private colleges

COUNSELLING PROCESS (KEA UG COUNSELING)

• Firstly, candidates will have to register themselves with KEA.
• Such candidates will have to visit the document verification center to get their documents verified to prove their eligibility.
• After the successful document verification, candidates will receive a secret key to activate their account for the NEET UG counseling for the state quota seats.
• Candidates can then login to their account as per the schedule and check the seat matrix for the choice filling
• Candidates can fill the choices as per their preference. First, there will be a mock allotment for the students to have an idea regarding the seat allotment process.
• After the mock seat allotment, the window for modifying the choices will be enabled. Candidates can now change or modify their choices if they wish to do so for the actual round 1 seat allotment.
• Based on the candidate’s rank, institute cutoff ranks, candidate’s preference, priority, etc., a seat may be allocated to the candidate
• Candidates can now exercise their choice to proceed for the next round. Candidates can accept the seat allotted and report to the respective college for admissions.
• Subsequent rounds of seat allotment will be conducted as per schedule and candidates can proceed to participate in the further counseling rounds

Important KEA Strategy Points (Must Read)

The “Clause” System – Who is a Local?

To qualify for 85% State Quota (lower fees), you must fit into KEA eligibility clauses:

• Clause A: Studied in Karnataka for at least 7 years (1st–12th).
• Clause B: Passed 11th & 12th in Karnataka, and parent studied in the state for 7 years.
• Linguistic Minority: Kannada, Tulu, or Kodava mother tongue (may require language test).

Open to All India – Private Seats

• Karnataka is an Open State.
• Even if you are not from Karnataka, you can apply for private medical colleges.
• Non-locals eligible under Open (OPN) Quota
• Fees are higher than Govt quota seats

The Four Seat Categories

Understanding this is crucial:

• G (Government Seats): Lowest fees; only Karnataka locals.
• P (Private Seats): Moderate-to-high fees; GMP (locals) & OPN (All India).
• N (NRI Seats): High fees; for NRI candidates.
• Q (Others): Highest fee category; open to all.

Unique Reservations (Lower Cutoff Advantage)

If you are a Karnataka resident, check these:

• Rural Reservation (15%): Studied 1st–10th in rural area.
• Kannada Medium (5%): Studied 1st–10th in Kannada medium.
• Article 371(J): Special reservation for Hyderabad-Karnataka region (Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir, etc.).

The “Secret Key” & Document Verification

• After KEA registration: You must undergo Document Verification
• You receive an Acknowledgement Slip
• The slip contains a Secret Key
• Without this key, you cannot log in for Option Entry

Note: Do NOT lose this key

Post-Allotment – Four Choices (Very Important)

After Round 1 allotment, KEA gives four options:

• Choice 1: Accept seat, pay fee, join.
• Choice 2: Accept seat but upgrade in Round 2 (pay to hold seat).
• Choice 3: Reject seat, move to Round 2.
• Choice 4: Exit counseling completely.

Note: Choosing the wrong option may remove you from further rounds.

What To Do After 1st Round Of Counseling

After the first round of the counseling session, the aspirants are required to submit their choice if they wish to accept the allotted seat or not. In case if a candidate is allotted a seat then there are four options before them which are listed below.

Choice 1 – If the candidate is satisfied with the choices filled and are willing to report at the allotted college must opt for choice 1. The aspirant will be required to download the admission order and make the admission fee payment. After this the candidate will not be eligible to participate in further rounds of Karnataka MBBS counseling. If the candidate fails to report at the said college then the paid fee will be fortified and the admission will stand canceled.
Choice 2 – Those candidates who are satisfied with the seat allotted yet want to participate in further rounds of counseling must opt for choice 2. The candidates, in such a situation, will pay the admission fee but will be considered for the next round of counseling for Karnataka MBBS . If a higher option is allotted in the next round then the earlier allotted seat will be canceled automatically. If a higher option is not allotted then the earlier allotted seat remains in favor of the candidate.
Choice 3 – Candidates who are not satisfied with the allotted seat but are willing to participate in the next round of Karnataka MBBS counseling . To opt for Choice 3, candidates will be required to cancel the allotted seat and re-order the already entered options.
Choice 4 – Candidates who are not satisfied and are not willing to continue with the counseling process.

Compulsory Rural Service for one year:

All candidates who take admission to Medical course shall undergo one year compulsory rural
service in Government hospital as per Karnataka Compulsory Service Training by CandidatesCompleted Medical Courses, Act 2012 as amended in 27/09/2017 and Karnataka CompulsoryService by Candidates Completed Medical courses (Counseling, Allotment and Certification)
(Amendment) Rules, 2017. Please note that candidates will be entitled to only temporary registration till completion of such service. Until they complete the same, they will not be entitled for permanent registration.
All the candidates who will be allotted Medical Seats Through KEA both in Government and Private Medical colleges should compulsorily submit sworn affidavit to the Principal of the respective college at the time of admission (on a hundredRupees e-stamp paper signed by the candidate and the parent as per the format hosted on theKEA Website) regarding one year rural service after completion of the course.