KEA and COMEDK have urged AICTE to extend the engineering admission deadline due to delays in the medical counselling schedule and seat matrix
KEA engineering admission deadline extension linked to delayed medical counselling
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) has requested the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to extend the deadline for engineering admissions after delays in the medical seat allocation process. The request follows the delayed release of the medical counselling schedule by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the pending availability of the medical seat matrix from the Karnataka government. COMEDK has also submitted a similar request to AICTE.
According to the existing AICTE academic calendar, the engineering admission process is scheduled to conclude by August 14, while first-year engineering classes are expected to commence from August 1. KEA stated that the delay in medical admissions has affected the engineering counselling timeline and may impact seat allocation across colleges.
"KEA has sought an extension of the engineering admission deadline to ensure eligible students are not affected by delays in the medical counselling process."
Delayed medical seat matrix affects KCET engineering counselling
KEA officials said the delay in receiving the medical seat matrix from the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Karnataka government has postponed the medical counselling process.
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Following the declaration of the NEET re-examination results, many candidates who have secured engineering seats through KCET are expected to participate in medical counselling. However, KEA cannot determine how many engineering seats will be surrendered until the first round of medical seat allotment is completed.
Officials explained that several candidates initially reserve engineering seats and later relinquish them after obtaining admission to medical courses. These surrendered seats are then added back to the engineering counselling process for subsequent allotment rounds.
KEA says AICTE schedule difficult to implement
According to KEA, completing all rounds of engineering counselling within the existing AICTE schedule has become difficult because of the delayed medical admission process.
The authority stated that extending the admission deadline would allow all counselling rounds to be conducted without disadvantaging eligible students seeking admission to engineering colleges across Karnataka.
"The delay in the medical counselling schedule has made it difficult to complete all engineering counselling rounds within the existing AICTE timeline," KEA officials said.
Engineering colleges raise concerns over admission timeline
College administrators pointed out that while the AICTE schedule may follow Supreme Court directions, several states have only recently announced their Class 12 examination results. They argued that admission deadlines become difficult to implement when there is no uniform national timeline for the declaration of higher secondary examination results.
Institution heads have urged regulatory authorities to align counselling schedules with the academic calendar followed by various state education boards to avoid disruptions during the admission process.
How the KEA KCET engineering counselling process works?
The KEA conducts engineering admissions through an online counselling system consisting of multiple stages.
Candidates must first complete document verification, during which KEA verifies academic certificates, reservation documents and eligibility records. After successful verification, candidates receive a verification slip and a secret key, enabling them to access the KEA counselling portal.
Applicants then participate in the option entry process by selecting their preferred engineering colleges and branches in order of priority. KEA subsequently publishes a mock allotment, allowing candidates to revise or reorder their choices before the actual seat allotment begins.
Engineering seats are allotted through multiple rounds, including Round 1, Round 2 and the Mop-up/Casual Vacancy Round. Once a seat is allotted, candidates must exercise the prescribed options, complete the online fee payment, download the admission order and report to the allotted college within the stipulated timeline.
Documents required for KCET counselling verification
Candidates appearing for document verification must carry the original documents along with at least two sets of self-attested photocopies.
The required documents include the KCET application form and admit card, SSLC (Class 10) marks card, 2nd PUC (Class 12) marks card, a study certificate countersigned by the Block Education Officer (BEO), a valid government-issued identity proof such as Aadhaar, and recent passport-size photographs.
Candidates claiming reservation benefits must also produce applicable documents, including caste and income certificates, Kannada medium or rural study certificates, and the Article 371(j) eligibility certificate for candidates seeking reservation under the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.
AICTE is yet to announce a decision on the requests submitted by KEA and COMEDK regarding the extension of the engineering admission deadline.
