Karnataka NEET PG Seat Matrix: Karnataka NEET PG Seat Matrix: Admission, College-Wise Seat

Karnataka NEET PG Seat Matrix is the official list showing the number of postgraduate medical seats available in Karnataka colleges, including government, private, and deemed universities. It can be used by NEET PG qualified candidates during counselling. The process involves registration, choice filling, seat allotment, document verification, and admission after selection.

Karnataka NEET PG Admission Overview

Postgraduate medical admissions in Karnataka run through two parallel tracks. Fifty percent of seats in every government medical college go to the All India Quota (AIQ), counselled by the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC). The remaining seats – the state quota in government colleges, plus almost all seats in private, deemed, and minority PG medical colleges – are counselled by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).

KEA counselling is what most students mean when they refer to kea neet pg admissions. It covers:

• State quota (government) seats in government medical colleges

• Private/management quota seats in private medical colleges

• NRI quota seats in private and minority colleges

• Minority quota seats where applicable

To participate, you first need a valid NEET PG 2026 score and rank (NEET PG 2026 is scheduled for August 30, 2026). After results are declared, KEA opens online registration, followed by document verification, choice filling, and multiple rounds of seat allotment – typically Round 1, Round 2, a Mop-Up round, and a Stray Vacancy round.

Karnataka is one of India’s largest PG medical education hubs, with close to 65 colleges offering MD, MS, Diploma, DM, and MCh programmes. That scale is exactly why the seat matrix matters so much – a small state might have a handful of colleges to compare, but in Karnataka you’re choosing from dozens, each with its own fee structure, reservation policy, and cutoff history.

Karnataka NEET PG Seat Matrix: Total Seats

Based on the most recent KEA counselling cycle, Karnataka offers approximately 6,386 PG medical seats across roughly 65 colleges, covering MD, MS, and Diploma courses. Of these:

• Government (state quota) seats: Around 1,844

• Private seats: Around 3,851

• The rest are distributed across minority and other special-category seats

Some sources report a slightly lower base figure of around 5,267 MD/MS/Diploma seats when counting only the core state-counselled pool before all colleges and increases are added – the number moves depending on when in the cycle it’s counted (post-NEET PG results vs. post-Round 1). Either way, the direction is consistent: Karnataka has one of the highest PG seats in Karnataka counts of any state, and total seats have been rising in recent years as the National Medical Commission (NMC) works toward expanding India’s overall PG capacity.

The seat matrix isn’t static through counselling. KEA publishes it fresh before every round – Round 1, Round 2, Mop-Up, and Stray Vacancy – because seats vacated by candidates who upgrade or exit get added back into the pool. This is why checking the latest matrix before every round matters more than memorising the numbers from Round 1.

Karnataka College-Wise Seat Distribution

The Karnataka NEET PG seat matrix lists seats individually for every participating institute. A few patterns are worth knowing before you dive into the full college list on the KEA portal:

• Large government medical colleges in Bengaluru, such as Bangalore Medical College & Research Institute (BMCRI), carry some of the biggest single-college seat counts in the state – BMCRI alone offers well over 100 MD/MS seats plus dozens of diploma and super-specialty seats.

• Other major government colleges with sizeable seat pools include those in Mysuru, Hubballi, Bellary, Shivamogga, Mandya, and Kalaburagi, among others.

• Private and deemed medical colleges – including well-known names in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Manipal, Kolar, and Davangere – collectively contribute the largest share of total seats, since Karnataka has one of India’s biggest private medical education sectors.

• Minority institutions run their own reserved quota alongside the general private pool.

Because the exact per-college number changes with every counselling round, the safest approach is to download the current round’s matrix PDF directly from cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea rather than relying on last year’s figures for a specific college.

Karnataka Branch-Wise Seat Availability

Not all specialities have equal seat numbers, and this single fact shapes almost every choice-filling decision. Broadly, Karnataka’s PG seats fall into two groups:

High-availability branches (more seats, comparatively wider rank range):

• General Medicine

• General Surgery

• Anaesthesiology

• Obstetrics & Gynaecology

• Paediatrics

• Pathology

• Community Medicine

Low-availability, high-demand branches (fewer seats, sharply competitive cutoffs):

• Radiodiagnosis (Radiology)

• Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy (DVL)

• Orthopaedics (at top government colleges specifically)

Nationally, branches like General Medicine, Anaesthesia, Paediatrics, Pathology, and Radiodiagnosis carry the largest seat pools, while several para-clinical and non-clinical super-specialities have only single-digit seats per college. Karnataka mirrors this pattern. Radiology and Dermatology consistently top the demand list because of better work-life balance and strong private-practice potential, so even a good NEET PG score doesn’t guarantee these seats unless your rank is genuinely competitive.

Understanding this branch-wise skew – not just the college name – is what separates a realistic choice list from a wishful one.

Karnataka Government/Private/Management/NRI Seats

KEA classifies every seat in the matrix into distinct categories. Knowing what each one means before you start choice-filling will save you from costly mistakes:

• Government (G) seats: State quota seats in government medical colleges. These carry the lowest fees and are reserved for candidates who meet Karnataka’s domicile/eligibility clauses. Naturally the most competitive.

• Private (P) seats: Merit-based seats in private colleges, filled through KEA counselling at private-college fee rates. Open to a broader pool of eligible candidates.

• Management/GMP seats: Seats filled through the management quota of private colleges, at higher fees, typically open to candidates from across India (not limited to Karnataka domicile).

• NRI (N) seats: Reserved for NRI, OCI, and PIO candidates and their sponsored wards. These usually make up around 15% of seats in participating private colleges and come with significantly higher fees, often payable in foreign currency. NRI seats are not offered in government colleges.

• Others (Q): Seats filled as per specific seat-sharing agreements between the state and individual colleges (common in minority and deemed institutions).

A quick eligibility distinction worth remembering: only Karnataka-domicile candidates can compete for government (state quota) PG seats. Non-domicile Indian candidates and NRI candidates can still apply through KEA, but only for private, management, or NRI-category seats – not the government quota.

Karnataka NEET PG Seat Matrix Eligibility

Before you can even see your name on the seat matrix eligible list, KEA checks you against a set of baseline and category-specific rules.

Baseline eligibility for all candidates:

• A valid, qualifying NEET PG 2026 score/rank (NBE-conducted exam)
• A recognised MBBS degree from an NMC-approved institute
• Completion of the mandatory one-year rotatory internship (usually by the prescribed cut-off date)
• Valid registration with the State Medical Council or National Medical Commission

Karnataka NEET PG eligibility for state quota (government) seats additionally requires meeting one of KEA’s domicile clauses, such as:

• Studied in a government or government-recognised school in Karnataka for a minimum of 7 years between Class 1–12

• Passed Class 11 and 12 from a Karnataka institution, with a parent having studied in Karnataka for at least 7 years

• Candidate or parent’s mother tongue is Kannada, Tulu, or Kodava, with the parent domiciled in Karnataka

• Studied a full 10 years in Kannada medium (exempts the candidate from KEA’s Kannada language test)

• Special provisions exist for children of Karnataka-cadre government employees posted outside the state, and for candidates from Jammu & Kashmir migrant families

Candidates who don’t meet any domicile clause can still register with KEA and compete for private, management, or NRI seats – they simply aren’t eligible for the government quota.

Reservation structure: Karnataka applies category-wise reservation on top of domicile eligibility – broadly SC (15%), ST (3–7% depending on the source table), and OBC categories (2A, 2B, 3A, 3B) along with EWS (10%) and a special Hyderabad-Karnataka (Article 371J) reservation for candidates from that region. In practice, not every reserved seat gets filled by an eligible reserved-category candidate every year, so a meaningful share of “reserved” seats can revert to the General Merit pool in later rounds.

Karnataka Cutoff Trends

Cutoffs in Karnataka NEET PG counselling move every year based on exam difficulty, the number of qualified candidates, and seat availability – but a few consistent patterns have held for several cycles:

• Radiodiagnosis and Dermatology close at the toughest ranks across almost every government college, often within the top few hundred to low thousands at premier institutes.

• General Medicine typically requires a strong score (historically in the 500+ marks range at top colleges) but opens up considerably at lower-tier government and private colleges.

• Orthopaedics and Paediatrics sit in a mid-competitive band – accessible with a solid but not top-tier score.

• Anaesthesiology, Psychiatry, and ENT tend to have a wider, more forgiving rank spread, making them realistic options for candidates outside the very top percentile.

• Non-clinical and para-clinical branches (Pathology, Community Medicine, Pharmacology) generally close at much lower cutoffs, and are often the most reliable route to a government-college seat for candidates with moderate ranks.

One structural trend to note: qualifying cutoff percentiles for NEET PG have been revised downward in recent cycles due to high seat vacancy, meaning more candidates technically qualify even if their score is well below historical norms – but qualifying doesn’t guarantee a seat, only eligibility to participate in counselling. Government-college seats in Karnataka continue to draw stronger competition than private seats at a comparable rank, simply because of the fee difference.

Because exact cutoffs shift every year, treat historical numbers as a directional guide, not a guarantee – always cross-check the previous 2–3 years of Karnataka-specific closing ranks (available on the KEA portal after each round) for the exact college and branch you’re targeting.

Karnataka Admission Chances

A realistic way to gauge your admission chances is to map your NEET PG score and rank against three factors together – not just one:

1. Branch demand: High-demand branches (Radiology, Dermatology) need a rank far ahead of what the same college’s General Medicine or Anaesthesia seat would need.

2. College tier: A rank that’s out of range for a premier Bengaluru government college may comfortably secure the same branch at a district-level government college or a reputed private college.

3. Category and quota: Reserved-category candidates and Hyderabad-Karnataka region candidates often have meaningfully different (typically more favourable) cutoffs than General Merit candidates for the same seat.

A candidate ranking outside the top few thousand nationally can still realistically expect a government-college seat in Karnataka in a moderate-demand branch, or a wider set of choices in private colleges. Candidates with ranks beyond the general-category cutoff range are advised to broaden their college and branch list rather than fixating on 2–3 preferred options, since Karnataka’s large number of participating colleges (about 65) means there’s usually a workable seat available if the choice list is built wide enough.

Karnataka Counselling Dates

KEA’s PG counselling timeline generally follows this sequence each year, though exact dates shift with the NEET PG exam schedule:

1. Registration on the KEA portal (cetonline.karnataka.gov.in) – opens shortly after NEET PG results

2. Document verification – often conducted offline in Bengaluru

3. Seat matrix release for Round 1

4. Choice filling / option entry

5. Round 1 seat allotment

6. Round 2 (with rearrangement/upgradation options for allotted candidates and fresh entrants)

7. Mop-Up round

8. Stray Vacancy round for any seats remaining after all regular rounds

For reference, the previous cycle’s registration opened in early October and closed within about a week, with the Round 1 seat matrix released in mid-November. NEET PG 2026 is scheduled for August 30, 2026, so KEA’s registration and counselling notification for the 2026–27 cycle is expected in the months following the result declaration. KEA has not released the official PGET-2026 notification as of this writing – always confirm the live schedule on cetonline.karnataka.gov.in rather than relying on projected dates.

Karnataka Choice-Filling Strategy

Choice filling is where the seat matrix actually gets put to use. A few practical rules make the process far less stressful:

• Study the matrix before you open the choice-filling screen. Note the exact seat count per college, per branch, and per category you’re eligible for – don’t rely on memory or assumptions from a previous year.

• Fill more choices than you think you need. KEA allows unlimited rearrangement within the choice-filling window, and a longer list reduces the risk of a “no allotment” outcome in Round 1.

• Order by genuine preference, not just prestige. Rank a strong branch at a slightly less famous college above a weak-fit branch at a top-name college if the branch matters more to your career plans.

• Use realistic anchors. Include a mix of “aspirational” choices (branches/colleges near your rank ceiling), “realistic” choices (comfortably within range), and “safe” choices (well below your expected cutoff) so you have a workable seat even if the counselling result is less favourable than expected.

• Track your category-specific cutoff, not the General Merit one. SC/ST/OBC/EWS/Hyderabad-Karnataka candidates should compare against the correct category column in the seat matrix and previous-round cutoff data.

• Don’t skip Mop-Up and Stray Vacancy rounds. A meaningful number of seats open up in these later rounds as allotted candidates upgrade or withdraw – useful if Round 1 or Round 2 didn’t go as planned.

• Keep documents ready in advance. Domicile and study certificates, MBBS marksheets, internship completion certificate, NEET PG scorecard, and category certificates (where applicable) should be sorted before document verification opens, so you’re not scrambling during a short verification window.

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Conclusion

The Karnataka NEET PG seat matrix is more than a reference table – it’s the single most useful tool for building a realistic, well-ordered choice list. Knowing the total seat count, how seats split across government, private, management, and NRI quotas, which branches are genuinely competitive, and how eligibility and domicile rules apply to your specific category will shape almost every decision you make during KEA counselling.