KCET 2027 Eligibility Criteria: Age Limit, Domicile and Academic Qualifications

KCET 2027 eligibility requires Karnataka domicile, a pass or appearance in Class 12 with PCM or PCB, and a minimum of 45% aggregate in core subjects (40% for SC/ST/OBC students).

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) sets the KCET eligibility rules each year. You must satisfy all four criteria — nationality, domicile, age, and academic qualifications — simultaneously. Students currently appearing in their 2027 Class 12 exams can apply provisionally, but must submit results before document verification begins.

• Domicile: Must be a Karnataka domicile holder or qualify under Horanadu or Gadinadu Kannadiga categories.
• Academic: Must have passed or be appearing in 10+2 with PCM (Engineering) or PCB (Medical/Agriculture/AYUSH).
• Minimum Marks: 45% aggregate in core subjects for General category; 40% for SC/ST/OBC students.
• Age Limit: No upper age limit for Engineering courses; AYUSH has a cap of 25 years (General) and 30 years (SC/ST).
• Nationality: Must be an Indian national.

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KCET 2027 Eligibility Criteria Overview

KEA releases the full KCET eligibility details in the official information bulletin before the application window opens. The criteria cover four main pillars: nationality, domicile, age, and academic qualifications. You must satisfy all conditions at once — meeting only some of them results in application rejection or cancellation of rank at document verification.

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Age Limit for KCET 2027

KCET 2027 imposes no upper age restriction for Engineering, Architecture, Pharmacy, and Agriculture courses. For AYUSH courses, the age cap is enforced by the respective regulatory councils and is strictly checked at document verification.

Age is calculated as of December 31 of the year of admission. A Class 10 marksheet or birth certificate is the standard age proof accepted during document verification. Students who have taken a gap year are not penalised for Engineering or Pharmacy seats, as there is no upper age bar for these streams.

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Domicile Requirement for KCET 2027

Domicile is the most strictly verified criterion in KCET. KEA recognises three categories of Karnataka domicile. You must fall under one of these to compete for the Karnataka Government quota seats, which constitute the vast majority of available seats.

Category 1 — Karnataka Domicile (Regular Kannadiga)

• You or your parents must have been a resident of Karnataka for at least 10 consecutive years at any point.
• You must have studied in Karnataka schools for a minimum of 7 years between Class 1 and Class 12.
• Required documents include a study certificate from a Karnataka school and a parent residency or domicile certificate.

Category 2 — Horanadu Kannadiga

• Students who are Kannadigas by birth or origin but studied entirely outside Karnataka.
• Parents must be Kannadigas and must produce a valid Horanadu Kannadiga certificate issued by the competent Karnataka government authority.

Category 3 — Gadinadu Kannadiga

• Children of Central or State Government employees, or employees of government undertakings, who were transferred out of Karnataka due to official orders.
• The parent must have originally been posted in Karnataka; service records and transfer orders serve as mandatory proof.

Students who do not qualify under any of these three categories can compete only for the All India quota seats, which are a very limited share of total intake and carry open merit competition across all states.

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Academic Qualification for KCET 2027

You must have passed or be currently appearing in Class 12 or an equivalent examination from a board recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). The required subject combination in Class 12 depends entirely on the course you intend to pursue through KCET.

English is a mandatory subject across all KCET-eligible course streams. Students from CBSE, ICSE, or any other recognised board who have studied in Karnataka are eligible — the qualifying board does not need to be the Karnataka State Board (PUC). Students currently appearing in their 2027 board exams apply provisionally, and their final marksheets must be submitted during document verification to retain their rank.

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Category-wise Eligibility and Reservation Details

Karnataka follows a state-defined reservation policy for KCET seat allotment. Your category determines both the minimum marks required in Class 12 and the percentage of seats available to you in government and government-aided colleges.

Caste and category certificates must be issued by a Karnataka government-authorised officer such as a Tahsildar or Revenue Department officer. Certificates issued by authorities in other states are not accepted unless the student qualifies under the Horanadu or Gadinadu Kannadiga categories. Horizontal reservations for PwD, NCC, and Sports are applied within each vertical reservation category.