Karnataka PGCET MCA 2026 Exam: Last Date to Apply, Dates, Eligibility, Pattern, Syllabus, Results

KEA conducts the Karnataka Post Graduate Common Entrance Test annually for admission to MBA, MCA, and MTech courses in the state. PGCET exam was established by the state government in 2005 as a common entrance test for admission to various government and private institutes. Since its inception, the Karnataka PGCET participating institutes has grown from 50 - 60 institutes to 300+ institutes in the state.

KEA conducts the Karnataka PGCET exam as well as the centralised counselling process for admissions. Candidates with a bachelor's degree course are eligible to appear for PGCET 2026 exam and participate in the admission process. More than 300 colleges accept KEA PGCET scores for MBA admissions. All the colleges accepting PGCET scores are categorised as follows:

• Unaided courses in private universities/deemed universities
• Courses in private unaided colleges and unaided courses in aided colleges
• Courses offered by engineering colleges/ public universities/ VTU constituent colleges.

Find the table below for Karnataka PGCET exam highlights:

KEA released the PGCET result 2026 online. Candidates can view the scorecards by entering their registration number at the official login portal. Karnataka PGCET 2026 scorecard hosts the qualifying status along with other relevant information. Candidates who pass the Karnataka PGCET exam will be deemed eligible to participate in the counselling process.

Direct Link for Karnataka PGCET Result 2026: https://cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/keapplns/ResultPage/pgresult.aspx

How to Check KEA PGCET Result 2026?

Candidates must follow the steps below to check the PGCET Karnataka result 2026:

1. Visit the official KEA website, that is cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea

2. Click on the 'Admissions' tab from the main menu.

3. From the drop-down menu, choose 'PGCET-2026'

4. From the appearing window, click on the link for Karnataka PGCET results

5. Enter the login credentials, including the PGCET number, followed by hitting the 'Submit' button.

Karnataka PGCET Inter-se-Merit Preparation

KEA allocates merit position or rank to each candidate based on their score in the PGCET exam. Candidates with a higher score will get a better rank in the inter-se merit list. In case two or more candidates have an equal score in the Karnataka PGCET exam, KEA will resolve the tie using Karnataka PGCET tie-breaking criteria mentioned below:

• If there's a tie in merit for Karnataka PGCET, combined aggregate marks from the qualifying exam are considered.
• If marks are still equal, older candidates are preferred when allocating a rank.

Top MBA Colleges Accepting Karnataka PGCET Scorees with Cutoffs

KEA releases the Karnataka PGCET cutoffs during the counselling process. Candidates can however, refer to previous year's cutoff to predict their admission chances. Check the table below for MBA colleges in Karnataka with KEA PGCET cutoff ranks.

Also Check:

• Karnataka PGCET Rank Wise Colleges List Under 5000
• Karnataka PGCET Rank Wise Colleges List Below 1000
• Karnataka PGCET Rank Wise Colleges List

Soon after the declaration of the Karnataka PGCET result 2026, candidates can participate in the Karnataka PGCET counselling 2026. The counselling process for admissions via PGCET ranks is hosted on the official website, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/pgcet2026.

Karnataka PGCET Counselling Process 2026

The first stage of the PGCET MBA counselling is the document verification process. After the document verification, candidates are allowed to exercise options. KEA releases PGCET seat allotment results based on the options exercised. Check the step-by-step Karnataka PGCET counselling process below:

1. Document Verification: Candidates need to upload scanned original copies of their documents for verification purposes. Some category candidates may be required to attend a physical counselling process.
2. Issuance of Verification Slip: KEA issues a verification slip to all candidates who got their documents verified. This verification slip is important for the next step of the KEA PGCET counselling process. 
3. Option Entry: Candidates need to log into the portal using their registration number to participate in the PGCET 2026 option entry. Candidates must input their college and course preferences in order of priority.
4. Mock Allotment: KEA releases a trial seat allotment result to provide an idea to all participants about their admission chances.
5. Option Modification: Candidates are allowed to edit, reorder, add, or delete their college preferences based on mock results.
6. Seat Allotment: KEA publishes the final seat allotment results online for each round. 
7. Choice Filling: All candidates who are allotted a seat have to exercise choices. Candidates have four choices among them:
   • Choice 1: Candidates who are satisfied with the seat and want to accept the same, can proceed with choice 1 and pay the fee, followed by reporting at allotted college.
   • Choice 2: Candidates who want to accept the seat, however, still wish for a better allotment in the next round can go for choice 2.
   • Choice 3: Candidates who are not satisfied with the allotment and are not willing to accept the offer, however, wish to test the chances in next round can go for Choice 3.
   • Choice 4: Those who wish to quit from the Karnataka PGCET counselling process can go for Choice 4.
8. Payment & Reporting: Download the admission challan/order post-payment and physically report to your assigned institute before the deadline.

Karnataka PGCET MBA Cutoffs

KEA releases Karnataka PGCET cutoffs with the seat allotment results. Candidates find the PGCET seat allotment results for all counselling rounds separately. Candidates find the course-wise cutoff PDFs on the official website, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea. Check previous years Karnataka PGCET cutoff below:

Candidates filling the KEA PGCET application form must meet the eligibility conditions. All candidates have to update their relevant documents during registration or the form correction process. Ineligible candidates are disqualified, irrespective of the PGCET scores.  

Karnataka PGCET 2026 Eligibility Criteria

MBA admission based Karnataka PGCET exam is done for full-time and part-time programmes. Karnataka PGCET eligibility criteria for MBA admission is as follows.

Karnataka PGCET Eligibility Criteria for Full-Time MBA

• Candidates must pass a three-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a recognised institute.
• Qualifying marks in the bachelor’s degree examination is specified below based on the social category of the candidate
• Unreserved Candidates: 50 per cent aggregate marks
• SC, ST and Category-I of Karnataka Candidates: 45 per cent aggregate marks

Karnataka PGCET Eligibility Criteria for Part-Time MBA

• In addition to the Karnataka PGCET eligibility for a full-time MBA course, candidates must have a work experience of not less than three years as on July 31, 2026.
• The establishment or the workplace of the candidate must be within 40 KM radial distance from the institution he/she is seeking admission in.

Karnataka PGCET Eligibility Criteria for Government Seats

Candidates should have studied and passed from a government-recognised educational institution located in Karnataka for a minimum period of seven academic years commencing from 1st standard continuously or in broken period and must have passed class 10th or class 12th from a government-recognised institution located in Karnataka.

OR

The candidate should have passed the qualifying examination from Karnataka. In addition, either of the parents must have studied for a period of seven years in Karnataka

OR

Children of ex-servicemen who had declared a place in Karnataka as their home town at the time of joining the defence services. In addition, such candidates should have passed the qualifying exam from a University or Board located anywhere in India.

NOTE: Candidates are not permitted to round off the aggregate score.

Also Read: Karnataka PGCET 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Candidates need to fill Karnataka PGCET application form 2026 before KEA closes the online registration window. Candidates have to provide some important details, like personal, academic and communication information while filling Karnataka PGCET 2026 application form. After filling the form, all the candidates who pay the Karnataka PGCET application fee will be considered for the further admission process.

The application fee for Karnataka PGCET is payable through a Credit/Debit Card or Net Banking. Details for the PGCET application fee for different categories are as follows.

1. Unreserved category: INR 650
2. Reserved category: INR 500

NOTE: The application fee can vary with the new exam session. KEA notifies the exam fees with the release of information brochure.

The table below mentions the exam pattern for Karnataka PGCET MBA exam:

Also Read: Karnataka PGCET Exam Pattern 2026

Karnataka PGCET Exam Pattern 2026

KEA conducts the exam in an offline mode for admission into several PG level courses, including MBA and MCA. The Karnataka PGCET exam for MBA will have as many as 100 MCQs from five different sections. Check details on PGCET exam syllabus below: