Karnataka KEA UGNEET 2026 New Registration: Deadline, Process and What NE Students Must Know

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has opened a fresh UGNEET-2026 registration window for admission to MBBS, BDS and AYUSH (Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Unani) courses in Karnataka for 2026-27. It runs from 2:00 pm on 17 July 2026 to 11:00 am on 24 July 2026, and it applies only to candidates who have not already registered for Karnataka's UGCET-2026. If you already hold a UGCET-2026 registration, you do not need to register again — KEA will shortly publish a separate link to add your NEET roll number to that existing application.

Who Actually Needs to Register Now

Karnataka runs two separate application tracks for its medical, dental and AYUSH seats. Candidates who registered for UGCET-2026 (Karnataka's Common Entrance Test) are already in the KEA system for other courses — for medical admission, they only need to link their NEET-UG 2026 roll number to that existing CET application once KEA activates that option, expected shortly. If you never registered for UGCET-2026 at all — which will be true for most out-of-state NEET candidates, including students from North-East India applying on their NEET score alone — you must complete a brand-new "UGNEET-2026 new registration" on the KEA portal during this window and pay the registration fee, or you will not be considered in Karnataka's counselling at all.

Registration Timeline: When You Can (and Cannot) Register

KEA's notification is explicit that this is not a rolling registration — miss the window and your options narrow sharply for the rest of the counselling cycle:

Minimum Qualifying Marks and Eligibility

KEA has confirmed that the minimum qualifying marks for Medical, Dental and AYUSH admission will be whatever the competent authority prescribes after the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination results — the same result NTA declared on 16 July 2026 (11.21 lakh candidates qualified nationally; the qualifying cutoff was 213 out of 720 for General category and 177 out of 720 for OBC-NCL, SC and ST). Meeting the national NEET-UG qualifying mark makes you eligible to register with KEA; it does not by itself guarantee a Karnataka seat. One caveat matters a great deal for North-East India applicants: Karnataka's SC/ST/OBC reservation and its associated relaxed eligibility criteria apply only to candidates holding a Karnataka-issued SC/ST/OBC certificate. A caste or tribe certificate from Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya or any other NE state is not valid for claiming reservation in Karnataka's own counselling — you would be considered under the general/open category (or NRI quota, if applicable) instead.

If You Are Applying From Outside Karnataka

KEA has laid out a simpler process for candidates who are not Karnataka residents:

• Register online on the KEA web portal if you have not already registered with KEA for any purpose

• Enter all required personal and academic details

• Pay the registration fee

• Enter your Class 12 marks and upload your Class 12 marksheet as a PDF on KEA's Marks Entry web portal

• You do not need to appear in person for document verification — unless you fall into one of the categories below

Why This Matters If You Are Targeting a Private Medical College in Karnataka

Karnataka has the largest pool of private MBBS seats in India — around 21 private medical colleges and several dental and AYUSH colleges, most of them affiliated to RGUHS. For nearly all of these colleges, the management quota and the NRI quota are not filled by applying directly to the college. They are allotted through this same centralised KEA counselling process, alongside the regular state-quota and open-merit seats. That means a NEET-qualified student from North-East India who wants a management-quota or NRI-quota MBBS, BDS or AYUSH seat in Karnataka has to go through this exact UGNEET-2026 registration step first — skipping it does not just cost you a state-quota seat, it closes off the private-college routes too until the Stray Vacancy Round, by which time most seats are gone.

All Counselling Rounds Are Online-Only Through KEA

Per instructions from the National Medical Commission (NMC letter dated 24 July 2023) and the AYUSH Department, every round of Karnataka's medical counselling — including the Stray Vacancy Round — is conducted only by KEA, only in online mode. There is no offline process and no route through which a college can admit a NEET-qualified candidate outside KEA's counselling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who needs to complete the KEA UGNEET-2026 new registration?

Only candidates who have not already registered for Karnataka's UGCET-2026 need to complete this new registration. If you already registered for UGCET-2026, you instead add your NEET-UG 2026 roll number to that existing application once KEA publishes the link for it.

What is the KEA UGNEET-2026 new registration deadline?

The registration window is open from 2:00 pm on 17 July 2026 to 11:00 am on 24 July 2026, on the KEA portal.

What happens if I miss the 24 July 2026 registration deadline?

You cannot register for Round 1, Round 2 or Round 3 seat allotment after the deadline. Your only remaining option is the Stray Vacancy Round, for which KEA will publish a separate schedule later — by that stage most seats will already be filled.

Can North-East India students claim SC/ST/OBC reservation in Karnataka's counselling?

No. Karnataka's SC/ST/OBC eligibility criteria and reservation apply only to candidates holding a Karnataka-issued SC/ST/OBC certificate. A category certificate from an NE state is not valid for claiming reservation in Karnataka — such candidates are considered under the general/open category or NRI quota, as applicable.

Do out-of-state candidates need to appear in person for document verification in Karnataka?

Most non-Karnataka candidates do not need to appear in person — they register online, enter their Class 12 marks and upload the marksheet as a PDF. The exception is OCI/PIO/NRI/Foreign National candidates and anyone claiming an NRI Ward, Religious Minority, or Category RC-2 to RC-8 seat at St. John's Medical College, Bangalore, who must book a slot and appear for verification at KEA, Bengaluru.

Does this registration cover private medical college seats in Karnataka too?

Yes. Management quota and NRI quota seats at Karnataka's private medical, dental and AYUSH colleges are allotted through this same centralised KEA counselling process, not by applying directly to the college. Completing this registration is a prerequisite for those seats as well.

Sources

• Karnataka Examinations Authority, Notification No. ED/KEA/ADMN/CR-11/2026, "New Registration for admission to MBBS and BDS and Ayurveda/Homoeopathy/Unani Courses in the state of Karnataka – 2026", 16 July 2026

• Karnataka Examinations Authority, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea