KCET 2026 Registration Begins from January 17 - Check Exam Date, Eligibility, Application Process, Fees & Important Details

On 17 January 2026, KEA will issue KCET 2026 application form on its official website. Candidates willing to get admission into Top Engineering Colleges in Karnataka, must appear for the KCET Exam. Prior to proceeding with KCET 2026 registration, it is recommended that candidates must have all necessary documents and satisfy the minimum eligibility requirements.

The KCET 2026 application procedure include Online Registration, filling up the application form, Uploading documents, payment of KCET 2026 application fee. After the conclusion of application process, KEA will allow candidates who have submitted their applications to modify errors in their applications by using a KCET application correction window. However, it is important for candidates to submit the form within deadline. The authority will soon update the KCET 2026 Registration last date.

KCET 2026 Important Dates

KEA have updated the KCET 2026 Exam Date. As per the schedule, the exam will be held on 23^rd and 24^th of April. Whereas, Kannada Examination will take place on 22^nd of April. Candidates who are preparing for the KCET Exam in 2026 must be aware of all the important dates.

Events	Date
KCET 2026 Registration Start Date	17 January 2026
KCET 2026 Registration Last date	3 Week of February 2026
KCET 2026 application form correction window	February/March 2026
KCET 2026 Admit Card Release Date	April 2026
KCET 2026 Exam Date	23 and 24 April 2026
KCET 2026  Result Date	May 2026
KCET 2026 Result Release Date	May/June 2026

KCET 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Before proceeding to KCET 2026 Online Registration, applicants must satisfy the eligibility requirement.

• The applicant must have passed Class 12/ 2 PUC or equivalent from a recognized board.
• Physics and Mathematics are considered compulsory subjects.
• An applicant has to take one optional subject (either Chemistry, Biotechnology, Biology, Electronics or Computer Science).
• An applicant belonging to general category must achieve minimum 45% in 12^th. Whereas Reserved Candidates must score minimum 40% aggregate marks.
• If Chemistry marks are low, marks from the optional subject can be considered only for eligibility, not ranking.
• The KCET engineering rank for each applicant is based on the grades received in the qualifying exam for Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, along with the KCET exams.

Eligibility Criteria for Horanadu & Gadinadu Candidates

As evidence proving that a candidate has sufficient knowledge to read and write in the Kannada Language, candidates who have studied in Horanadu and Gadinadu will be required to take a Kannada Language Test conducted by KEA.

Candidates will be required to score at least 12 of a possible 50 on the exam in order to qualify for government seats. Candidates who have completed 10 years of their education in the Kannada language (Classes 1 to 10) at a school located outside of the State of Karnataka are exempted from taking the test. An applicant should also have Kannada, Kodava, or Tulu as their primary language.

How to apply for KCET 2026?

In order to apply for KCET 2026, candidates must follow these steps given below:

• Visit the authorized website of KEA/KCET. On the home page, Click on the option “New User”? Register Here.
• Once you complete registration for KCET 2026 with your basic information, you will receive via email and SMS an application number along with a unique user ID. Create a password.
• Login with a credentials and start filling the KCET 2026 application form.
• You must enter all of the necessary personal details as well as the required academic information. If applicable, mention the category and then choose the preferred KCET Exam Centre
• After filling up the form, upload the images of photo, thumb impression, one of your parent's or guardian's signature and your signature. You are mandated to upload as per the mentioned specifications.
• Before you finalize your application, read through each of the details entered on the form to ensure they are accurate and make corrections to them if they are not.
• Then, make the payment of KCET 2026 Registration fee via online mode.
• Lastly, print and retain a copy of your completed KCET 2026 application and attach your photograph to the application and then keep that for use during document verification and for your allocated seat on the exam day.

KCET 2026 Application Fees

Application fee for KCET 2026 will vary based on the applicant's category. However, there will be an additional bank charge of INR 10 for all the categories. If an applicant pays their application fee via an e-post office, there will be an additional charge of INR 12. The breakdown of each category of fees is as follows:

Category	Application Fee
Karnataka Domicile (General/OBC-Male)	INR 500
Karnataka Domicile (ST/SC-Male)	INR 250
Karnataka Domicile (All Category Female Students)	INR 250
Non-Karnataka Applicants	INR 750
Outside India (Overseas)	INR 5000

Is there any changes in KCET 2026 Exam Pattern?

As of now, KEA have not updated any changes in the KCET 2026 Exam pattern, it is likely follow the same pattern as previous year. The exam will continue to be administered through an offline (pen-and-paper) format and will consist of 180 multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Candidates required to solve the questions within 80 minutes (1 hour 20 Minutes for each paper)

Students will appear for three examinations, Physics and Chemistry and Mathematics or Biology, with 60 questions per subject. Each question carries 1 mark. Therefore, it is possible for each student to potentially score a total of 180 marks. There is no negative marking for incorrect answers. The KCET 2026 syllabus is the basis of Class 11 and Class 12 topics. The examinations will be available in both English and Kannada Medium.

Exam Parameter	Pattern Details
Mode of Exam	Offline (Pen-Paper Based Test)
Type of Questions	MCQ
Duration of Exam	80 minutes for each subject paper
Subjects Covered	Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (Engineering) / Biology (Pharmacy & Agriculture)
Total Number of Questions	60 questions in each subject
Total  Marks	60 marks per paper (1 mark for each question)
Marking Scheme	+1 for correct answers, No negative marking
Question Language	English and Kannada