KCET 2026 SC/ST Cutoff – Category-wise Rank Trends

KCET (Karnataka Common Entrance Test) counselling, conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), follows Karnataka's state reservation policy across multiple categories. Understanding these categories is essential to correctly interpret cutoff ranks published after each counselling round.

KCET Reservation Categories

Category groupings shown above are indicative and based on how KEA has historically classified communities; always refer to the official KCET information bulletin for the current year's exact classification and reservation percentages, as government policy can be revised.

How SC/ST Cutoffs Compare to General Category

Because SC and ST candidates compete for a reserved pool of seats within their own category, their qualifying cutoff rank is typically much higher (numerically) — meaning far less competitive — than the General Merit cutoff for the same college and branch. For example, a branch that closes at a low rank (say, a few hundred) under General Merit at a top college might close at a considerably higher rank number under SC or ST category, reflecting the relaxed competition within the reserved pool. The exact gap depends on the number of applicants and available reserved seats each year, and can vary significantly by branch popularity and college tier.

Branches and Colleges Where SC/ST Candidates Have Had Good Options

• Government and aided engineering colleges in Karnataka (such as UVCE Bangalore) have historically offered relatively accessible SC/ST cutoffs across several branches.
• Reputed private-aided institutions like RVCE, BMSCE, and MSRIT have had more competitive SC/ST cutoffs for popular branches like CSE and ISE, but relatively more accessible cutoffs for branches like Civil, Mechanical, or Chemical Engineering.
• Newer or emerging branches (Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Data Science) tend to see rising demand across all categories, including SC/ST, so cutoffs for these have been getting tighter year over year.
• Regional and district-level engineering colleges generally offer wider SC/ST cutoff margins compared to Bangalore-based flagship institutions.

Because rank cutoffs shift with each year's applicant pool, candidates should treat any specific past cutoff numbers as directional only, and rely on the official KEA cutoff list — or a reliable college predictor tool — for planning their KCET 2026 choices.