NEET UG NEET PG Colleges Blog
NEET UG 2026

Karnataka NEET UG 2026
State Counselling Guide

74 MBBS colleges · 25 govt + 37 private + 12 deemed · 48 sub-categories · OPN open to all India

4486 govt seats
6994 private seats
2424 deemed seats
48 sub-categories
Section 1

Seat Classification

Karnataka MBBS has 4 seat types. Know what you're eligible for before you start.

G
Government
50% of govt college seats + 33% of private non-minority + 20% of private minority + 40% of private university seats.
Eligibility: Karnataka domicile with valid NEET UG score. Category reservation (2A, 3B, SC, ST, etc.) applies only to G seats.
P
Private
Split into GMP (50% — Karnataka domicile) and OPN (50% — open to ALL India citizens). OPN is how non-domicile students get MBBS in Karnataka.
Eligibility: GMP = Karnataka domicile. OPN = any citizen of India. Both filled on pure merit — no category reservation.
N
NRI
15% of total seats in KPCF, KRLMPCA, AMPCK colleges + private university NRI quota.
Eligibility: NRI / NRI Ward / PIO / OCI with valid NEET UG score. Sponsor must be NRI. Family tree from Tahasildar required.
Q
Other / Management
10% of KPCF, KRLMPCA, AMPCK + 5% in private university seats. College-level selection.
Eligibility: Varies by college. Usually open to all with valid NEET UG score.

Within Government (G) Seats: Three Sub-Streams

G — General
Standard category seats. GM_GOVT, 2AG_GOVT, SCG_GOVT etc. Filled on NEET UG rank within that category.
R — Rural
Reserved for students who studied in rural areas of Karnataka. GMR_GOVT, SCR_GOVT, STR_GOVT etc. Separate seats within each category.
K — Kannada Medium
Reserved for students who studied in Kannada medium schools. GMK_GOVT, 2AK_GOVT, SCK_GOVT etc. Separate quota within each category.
What this means: BMCRI alone has 50+ unique seat categories. A GM candidate from Bangalore (urban, English medium) competes only for GM_GOVT seats. A GM candidate from a rural area with Kannada medium education has access to GM_GOVT + GMR_GOVT + GMK_GOVT — three separate chances. Same rank, more options.

HK overlay: Hyderabad-Karnataka region candidates get additional sub-quota within each stream (GMH, GMRH, GMKH, 2AH, SCH etc.). This is per Article 371(j) of the Constitution.

This G/R/K structure is unique to UG. PG Karnataka does NOT have Rural or Kannada Medium sub-categories. UG has ~50 sub-categories per college; PG has ~15.

Section 2

Eligibility Clauses

Every clause from the KEA brochure, mapped to seat types. Know exactly what you qualify for.

Clause Who G GMP OPN NRI Q
a Citizen of India + studied and passed 10+2 (qualifying exam) from a Karnataka institution ✓ ✓ ✓ — —
b 10 years schooling in KA (1st–12th) + SSLC and PUC from Karnataka ✓ ✓ ✓ — —
c 10 years schooling in KA + SSLC/PUC from KA + qualifying exam from outside Karnataka ✓ ✓ ✓ — —
d Child of All India Service Karnataka cadre (study period outside KA counted as KA) ✓ ✓ ✓ — —
e Child of Union/KA State Govt transferable employee with KA hometown ✓ ✓ ✓ — —
f Child of MP elected from Karnataka (during study period) ✓ ✓ ✓ — —
g Child of defense personnel / ex-servicemen with Karnataka hometown ✓ ✓ ✓ — —
y Any citizen of India with valid NEET UG score (non-Karnataka domicile) — — ✓ — —
z OCI / PIO / NRI / Foreign National with valid NEET UG score — — — ✓ ✓
⚠ Non-domicile = no category reservation in Karnataka
If you are OBC/SC/ST from another state, your category gives you zero advantage in Karnataka state counselling. OPN seats are filled purely on NEET UG All India Rank — general merit. No reservation applies.
What this means:
  • Karnataka reservation (2A, 3B, SC, ST, etc.) applies only to G seats — which require Karnataka domicile.
  • OPN is filled on pure AIR merit — an OBC candidate from UP competes at the same rank as a General candidate.
  • Even GMP (Karnataka domicile private) has no sub-category reservation — it's general merit among domicile candidates.
  • Your category reservation works in MCC AIQ counselling and in your home state — not in Karnataka OPN.
Section 3

The Deemed University Advantage

12 deemed universities in Karnataka offer GOVT seats at low fees through KEA state counselling — not MCC. Same college, vastly different fees.

MBBS at a deemed university: govt fee via KEA
Through MCC deemed counselling, you'd pay ₹18–39L per year. Through KEA state counselling, the same college offers GOVT quota MBBS seats at ₹1.54L per year. Same institution, same degree, 10–25x difference in fees.
₹1,53,571/yr via KEA GOVT vs ₹18–39L/yr via MCC deemed
Kasturba Medical College, Manipal
MCC deemed only (no KEA GOVT seats)
Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore
GOVT GM: R1 = 3,558
KS Hegde Medical Academy, Mangalore
GOVT GM: R1 = 20,155 · R2 = 29,496
35 govt seats at ₹156621/yr
JSS Medical College, Mysore
GOVT GM: R1 = 7,669
12 govt seats at ₹153571/yr
JN Medical College (KLE), Belgaum
MCC deemed only (no KEA GOVT seats)
Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar
MCC deemed only (no KEA GOVT seats)
Shri BM Patil Medical College, Vijayapura
MCC deemed only (no KEA GOVT seats)
Jagadguru Gangadhar Medical College, Hubli
GOVT GM: R1 = 60,728 · R2 = 139,672
33 govt seats at ₹609084/yr
Siddhartha Medical College, Tumkur
MCC deemed only (no KEA GOVT seats)
Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore
GOVT GM: R1 = 33,597 · R2 = 98,350
36 govt seats at ₹156621/yr
Sri Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences, T. Begur
MCC deemed only (no KEA GOVT seats)
Rajarajeswari Medical College, Bangalore
MCC deemed only (no KEA GOVT seats)

Eligibility for GOVT seats at deemed colleges: You must be a Karnataka domicile (clause a through g). Non-domicile candidates cannot access these GOVT seats — they must go through MCC deemed counselling at full fees.

Key insight: Karnataka domicile students get reservation-based access to deemed universities through KEA. Via MCC, deemed universities have NO category reservation — all seats are open merit. This is a structural advantage unique to Karnataka.

Section 4

Fee Structure

KEA-fixed fees for G and P (GMP/OPN) seats. Management and NRI fees vary by college.

Seat Type Fee Per Year Who Pays This Notes
Government (G) — Govt colleges ₹64,350 Karnataka domicile, merit-based ESI colleges: ₹1,09,350/yr
Government (G) — Private colleges ₹1,53,571 Karnataka domicile, merit-based KEA-fixed govt quota fee at private colleges
Private (OPN / GMP) ₹12,00,117 OPN: All India. GMP: KA domicile Most private colleges. Some higher (see below)
Premium Private (Ramaiah, SDM, etc.) ₹20–39L OPN / GMP / Management Ramaiah: ₹25.15L, SDM: ₹20.15L, PES: ₹39.15L
NRI (N) ₹28–45L NRI / NRI Ward / OCI / PIO College-specific from KEA PDF
Deemed (MCC) ₹18–39L All India (via MCC counselling) Not through KEA. Separate MCC process
St. John's — The Exception
St. John's Medical College charges ₹8.1L/yr for OPN/GMP — significantly lower than the standard ₹12L. Christian minority college with its own fee structure approved by KEA. OPN R1 closing: 6,250.
4.5 Years of MBBS
MBBS is 4.5 years + 1 year internship. Total fee = yearly fee x 4.5. A ₹12L/yr private seat costs ₹54L total. A ₹64,350/yr govt seat costs ₹2.9L total. The gap is ₹51L.

All fees from KEA 2025 official fee structure PDF. All seats — including GMP, NRI, OTH — are filled through KEA centralized counselling.

🎉 NRI Seats in Government Colleges — First Time in Karnataka (R2 2025)

For the first time ever, Karnataka added NRI seats in government medical colleges in Round 2
Zero NRI seats in R1. In R2, 5 government colleges opened 18 NRI seats at ₹25,09,350/yr (vs ₹64,350 govt fee — 39x more). Closing ranks went up to 10,25,216 — candidates who would never get govt MBBS on merit are now in govt colleges through NRI quota.
Government CollegeNRI SeatsOpening RankClosing RankFee/yr
SABV MC, Bangalore71,90,1366,78,473₹25.09L
Mysore MC71,95,2728,28,744₹25.09L
Hassan IMS29,70,56010,25,216₹25.09L
Vijayanagar IMS, Bellary14,45,2224,45,222₹25.09L
Chikkaballapura IMS18,83,3488,83,348₹25.09L
What this means: An NRI ward with rank 10,25,216 got MBBS at Hassan Govt Medical College. Through the regular govt quota, the GM closing at Hassan was 40,505 (R2). That's a 25x rank gap. The trade-off: ₹25L/yr vs ₹64K/yr — but you're in a government institution with govt infrastructure and clinical exposure.
Section 5

OPN — Non-Domicile Access

50% of private quota seats are OPN — open to any citizen of India. No domicile required. This is how non-Karnataka students get MBBS in Karnataka.

⚠ OPN = pure All India Rank merit
An OBC from UP with AIR 30,000 competes at the same rank as a General merit candidate. Your reservation only works in MCC AIQ and in your home state. Karnataka OPN is pure merit — no sub-categories, no reservation. OPN seats are available in ALL rounds (R1, R2, R3, Stray) — unlike some states that restrict non-domicile to later rounds.

OPN Closing Rank Ranges at Private Colleges

These seats are open to all India candidates. No domicile needed. Sorted by competitiveness.

College OPN R1 OPN R2 GMP R1 GMP R2
St. John's Medical College, Bangalore 6,250 13,706 13,121 16,608
Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore 28,402 39,887 66,108 75,782
Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore 30,249 48,896 69,182 78,764
Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore 31,746 48,544 68,829 87,314
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Medical College, Bangalore 35,757 60,284 80,450 94,573
BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore 39,887 58,647 75,992 85,836
A J Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Mangalore 43,370 65,810 84,406 93,249
JJM Medical College, Davangere 43,640 64,695 80,687 89,905
MVJ Medical College, Bangalore 44,997 69,920 89,313 99,030
Akash Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Devanhalli, Bangalore, Karnataka Bengaluru 48,622 84,555 98,226 115,206
The Oxford Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Bangalore 51,088 85,712 93,445 109,560
S S Institute of Medical Sciences& Research Centre, Davangere 52,360 75,388 90,244 98,366
Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College, Kalaburagi, Gulbarga 53,903 86,635 90,022 98,453
East Point College of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Bangalore Bengaluru 54,788 92,210 98,967 115,621
Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalore 62,440 105,141 103,581 123,624
Al-Ameen Medical College, Bijapur 64,047 95,868 106,130 128,199
Siddaganga Medical College and Research Institute, Tumakuru 64,658 91,032 91,535 102,786
MS Ramaiah Medical College, Bangalore 65,546 109,603 116,185 168,859
S. Nijalingappa Medical College & HSK Hospital & Research Centre, Bagalkot 68,105 91,013 102,596 113,628
Sri Basaveshwara Medical College and Hospital, Chitradurga 70,112 97,622 105,242 120,787
Subbaiah Institute of Medical Sciences, Shimoga 70,410 99,719 96,143 113,892
Shridevi Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Hospital, Tumkur 70,581 102,320 104,421 119,750
Navodaya Medical College, Raichur 71,717 103,797 108,500 125,930
Sri Chamundeshwari Medical College Hospital & Research Institute Ramanagara 72,344 104,008 102,138 116,338
K V G Medical College, Sullia 72,558 107,163 108,240 125,266
SR Patil Medical College and Hospital Distt Bagalkot 73,213 106,113 109,465 129,260
Srinivas Institute of Medical Research Centre, Srinivasnagar, Mangalore 81,293 411,057 138,350 479,986
Khaja Bandanawaz 85,302 157,512 121,385 209,004
SDM College of Medical Sciences & Hospital, Sattur, Dharwad 97,220 144,853 125,248 199,443
Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Chikballapur 119,687 230,080 176,049 387,455
PES University Institute of Medical Sciences and Reseach Bangalore Bangalore PES University 127,838 243,417 155,221 329,680
Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore 150,111 350,149 198,584 436,420
BGS Medical College and Hospital Bengaluru, Karnataka Bengaluru 150,336 406,521 198,258 449,182
Dr. Chandramma Dayananda Sagar Instt. of Medical Education & Research, Harohalli, Hubli 153,416 301,666 189,719 390,742
Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, BG Nagar 153,800 311,795 186,650 425,709

All ranks are NEET UG All India Ranks. OPN = open to all India. GMP = Karnataka domicile only. GMP closing ranks are always higher (lower merit) than OPN because the candidate pool is restricted to domicile students. Detailed college-wise data available for Formity Complete users.

Section 6

Government College Rank Ranges

GM (General Merit) closing ranks for GOVT seats. R1 is the competitive closing; R2/R3 show how ranks relax as students move to MCC AIQ or other states.

BMCRI Bangalore — The Benchmark
R1 GM closing: 1,299 — the most competitive government MBBS seat in Karnataka. By R2, the closing relaxed to 13,602 as top-rank students took MCC AIQ seats at AIIMS/JIPMER. That's a 10x window opening between rounds.
Government College GM R1 GM R2 GM R3 Fee/yr
Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute 1,299 13,602 3,478 ₹64350
Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College & Research Institute Bengaluru 3,487 29,565 48,594 ₹64350
Mysore Medical College and Research Institute 4,053 25,844 30,129 ₹64350
ESI Medical College, Bangalore 6,404 70,108 -- ₹109350
Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli 8,343 23,043 -- ₹64350
Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, Mandya 11,478 35,580 54,305 ₹64350
Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Bellary 15,845 46,554 -- ₹64350
Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan 16,221 40,505 -- ₹64350
Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) 16,260 23,365 -- ₹64350
Shimoga Institute of Medical Sciences, Shimoga 16,967 37,273 -- ₹64350
Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, Gulbarga 17,229 63,027 -- ₹64350
Employees State Insurance Corporation Medical College, Gulbarga 18,637 28,962 -- ₹64350
Chamrajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences, Karnataka Chamarajanagar 23,743 -- -- ₹64350
Gadag Institute of Medical Sciences, Mallasamudra, Mulgund Road, Gadag 27,154 45,956 -- ₹64350
Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences, Raichur 27,935 83,153 -- ₹64350
Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences, Bidar 28,765 72,522 53,782 ₹64350
Koppal Institute of Medical Sciences, Koppal 29,397 83,994 -- ₹64350
Chikkaballapura Institute of Medical Sciences Chikkaballa pura 29,432 73,602 -- ₹64350
Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences, Kodagu 31,234 69,577 58,767 ₹64350
Karwar Institute of Medical Sciences, Karwar 34,382 80,237 -- ₹64350
Chikkamagaluru Institute of Medical Sciences, Chikkamagaluru 36,665 86,725 62,389 ₹64350
Haveri Institute of Medical Sciences, Haveri 41,063 90,175 -- ₹64350
Yadgiri Institute of Medical Sciences, Yadgiri 43,839 85,357 -- ₹64350
Chitradurga Medical College and Research Institute, Chitradurga 44,690 90,763 -- ₹64350

GM = General Merit, GOVT seats, Karnataka domicile only. All ranks are NEET UG All India Ranks. R2/R3 closing ranks are higher because seats vacate when students move to MCC AIQ. Not all colleges had R3 vacancies. Detailed category-wise data (2A, 3B, SC, ST, HK) available for Formity Complete users.

Section 7

Seat Cancellation Penalty

Exact penalty amounts from KEA 2025 brochure. Know the cost before you hold a seat.

When Govt Seat (G) Private Seat (P/N/Q)
After R1 allotment, before joining ₹25,000 ₹25,000
After joining R1, before R2 deadline ₹50,000 ₹1,00,000
After joining R2, before R3 ₹2,00,000 ₹5,00,000
After R3 / Mop-up Full forfeiture + 2-year debarment Full forfeiture + 2-year debarment
After Stray round Full forfeiture + 3-year debarment Full forfeiture + 3-year debarment

Forfeiture = entire deposit + fee paid. Debarment = cannot participate in KEA counselling for the specified years. Unlike PG where penalties differ by clinical/pre-clinical, UG MBBS has a single penalty structure. Amounts from KEA 2025 information brochure.

Section 8

Bond & Service

Compulsory service obligations for all Karnataka MBBS graduates.

1 year
Compulsory Rural Service
Applies to ALL categories, ALL seat types (G, P, N, Q). Every MBBS graduate from a Karnataka institution must serve 1 year in a designated rural area after completing internship.
₹25 Lakhs
Government Service Bond Penalty
For government seat holders (G quota) who break the service bond. This is in addition to the 1-year rural service. Private seat holders are NOT subject to this bond.

The 1-year rural service bond applies to ALL seat types including private and deemed. The government service bond applies only to G (government quota) seat holders.

2025 DATA — Deposit Forfeiture in R2
39.1% of R1 allottees switched colleges in R2 — forfeiting their deposit.
3,952
R1→R2 college changes
out of 10,100 tracked
52%
Govt seat R1 holders
switched in R2
25%
Private seat R1 holders
switched in R2
Why govt seat holders exit more: The KEA security deposit for govt seats is ₹10,000 (R1) escalating to ₹1L (R2+). When a better govt college opens in R2, paying ₹10K to move is rational — especially into BMCRI or Mysore Medical College. Private seat holders face ₹1L forfeiture, making exit more expensive. Govt-Rural seats had a 50% exit rate — the highest of any category.
Source: Per-candidate R1+R2+R3 allotment PDFs, KEA Karnataka UG counselling 2025. 10,100 candidate journeys tracked.
Every Rank is a Story

What actually happened in Karnataka UG 2025

These aren't projections — this is what students actually did between rounds. The data tells the story.

THE R2 WINDOW — WHEN SEATS OPEN UP
BMCRI Bangalore R1 → R2
R1 GM closing: 1,299 — only the top 1,300 ranks got in.
R2 GM closing: 13,602 — rank 13,602 got BMCRI in R2.
When top-rank students left for MCC AIQ (AIIMS, JIPMER, central institutions), seats opened up massively at BMCRI. A student at rank 10,000 who held through R1 got into the best government college in Karnataka by R2. This is why round strategy matters.
OPN at St. John's Non-domicile
R1 OPN closing: 6,250 — the most competitive OPN seat in Karnataka.
R2 OPN closing: 13,706 — relaxed 2x by R2.
St. John's is a Christian minority college with lower fees (₹8.1L/yr vs ₹12L standard). Non-domicile students from across India target this college. The R2 window at 13,706 means a student at rank 12,000 from any state could get MBBS here.
OPN ACCESSIBILITY — WHERE NON-DOMICILE STUDENTS ACTUALLY GOT IN
Rank 30,000–50,000
R1: KIMS, Vydehi, Father Muller, BR Ambedkar, BGS
5+ Bangalore colleges available via OPN
A non-domicile student at rank 35,000 had realistic OPN options at top-tier private colleges in Bangalore in R1 itself.
Rank 50,000–80,000
R1: 10+ colleges available
R2: Almost all private colleges open up
Fee: ₹12L/yr standard
The sweet spot for OPN. Enough rank to get a decent college, and the fee is the standard KEA-fixed ₹12L. By R2, nearly all private colleges become accessible.
Rank 1,00,000–1,50,000
R2: Premium private colleges (Ramaiah, SDM, PES)
Fee: ₹20–39L/yr
Higher-fee colleges have wider rank acceptance. A rank 1,20,000 student got into MS Ramaiah (₹25L/yr) or PES (₹39L/yr) via OPN in R2.
Rank 1,50,000+
R2: Sapthagiri, BGS, Adichunchanagiri, Dr. Chandramma DS
Fee: ₹22–39L/yr
Even at rank 1.5L+, MBBS seats are available in Karnataka through OPN. These are real seats that students actually took in 2025.
THE DEEMED ADVANTAGE IN ACTION
A Karnataka domicile student at rank 3,558 got MBBS at KMC Mangalore (Manipal group) through KEA at ₹1.54L/yr govt quota fee. The same seat via MCC deemed counselling would cost ₹18–23L/yr.

Over 4.5 years of MBBS: ₹6.9L total via KEA vs ₹81–103L total via MCC. That's a ₹74–96L difference for the same degree from the same institution.
Every round changes the game.
R1 closing of 1,299 at BMCRI became 13,602 by R2. St. John's OPN went from 6,250 to 13,706. Deemed GOVT seats saved families ₹74L+. The students who made the right call had data — not just instinct. That's what Formity builds for you.
Section 10

Minority Colleges

Religious and linguistic minority colleges have separate seat allocations. Know which colleges have minority status.

Religious Minority

Muslim Minority
Al-Ameen Medical College, Bijapur — Muslim minority college. Has minority quota seats filled from Muslim candidates first, then other Karnataka candidates, then non-Karnataka minorities.
Yenepoya Medical College, Mangalore — Deemed + Muslim minority. Has MCC Muslim Minority quota seats.
Christian Minority
St. John's Medical College, Bangalore — RC (Roman Catholic) categories in KEA data. Lower fees at ₹8.1L/yr. Has specific RC category seats.
Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore — Christian minority with designated minority seats.

Linguistic Minority

Only Tamil, Telugu, Kodava, and Tulu languages qualify for linguistic minority status in Karnataka.
Requirements: Karnataka domicile + 10 years of study in KA + SSLC/PUC from KA. Mother tongue must be certified.

Hyderabad-Karnataka (Article 371J)

Separate HK reservation applies for candidates from Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur, Koppal, Bellary, and Yadgir districts.
Requires Annexure-8 certificate issued by the Assistant Commissioner of the respective district. Without this certificate, HK reservation cannot be claimed even if you are from these districts.

HK sub-categories: GMH, 2AH, 2BH, 3AH, 3BH, SCH, STH, GMRH, GMKH etc. These are separate from the standard G/R/K categories and have their own quota.
Detailed data for Formity Complete users
Category-wise closing ranks (2A, 3B, SC, ST, HK), college-wise fee breakdowns, NRI quota analysis, round-wise movement patterns, and personalized rank-based recommendations are available with Formity Complete.
Ready to plan your Karnataka MBBS seat?
Use Formity's UG tools to find your best options based on your NEET rank.
Rank Intelligence → Counselling Support