Sports Quota candidates cannot do optional entry in CET mock rounds with final list not yet submitted

This time a total of 2,273 candidates in the state have applied for KEA under sports quota seat. | Photo credit: File photo

Sports quota candidates cannot make optional entries in the mock seat allotment process for admission to professional courses, including engineering, as the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYEP) is yet to submit the final list of eligible candidates to the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).

KEA is going to announce the mock seat allotment results on 6th July.

More letters

KEA authorities said they have sent several letters to DYEP asking it to submit the final list of eligible candidates. KEA’s latest communication was sent to the union commissioner on Monday (June 29, 2026), with Tuesday (June 30, 2026) as the deadline for submitting the list.

Speaking to The Hindu, Prasanna H., Executive Director, KEA, said, “The merit list of candidates who have applied for the special category of 2026 has been received from the respective departments/institutions and published on the KEA website. However, the final list from DYEP is still pending to be compiled due to which students cannot enter the options for seats under the respective sports department, hence this response has not been processed several times. A letter has been sent to DYEP which is looking for list, with the submission deadline set for June 30.

When contacted, MN Anucheth, Commissioner, DYEP, who took charge after the reorganization last week, said he would look into the issue and resolve it as soon as possible.

Aspirants were worried

Meanwhile, aspirants under sports quota remain worried. “I participated in the national volleyball and applied for the engineering seat. Although KEA has already started the process, I can’t do any elective. When I approached KEA, they blamed DYEP. I appealed to DYEP in this regard, but to no avail. I am afraid I may lose my seat,” the anonymous said on condition.

This year, 754 seats are reserved in various special categories including NCC, Sports, Defense and others. Of these, 158 places are set aside for the sports quota. This time a total of 2,273 candidates in the state have applied for KEA under sports quota seat.

While other concerned departments have completed the process, DYEP is yet to submit the list of candidates eligible for sports quota.

Searched documents

KEA authorities said that DYEP staff visited their office on May 5 and received the sports quota documents of the candidates. It was expected to submit the final list of eligible candidates by May 30. However, this has not yet been done. In fact, DYEP has again asked KEA to provide documents related to 70 candidates, which is another reason for the delay.

“It is not our duty to collect and submit the documents again, even after 40 days. KEA is only an advisory body and allocates seats based on the seat matrix provided by various departments for professional courses,” said Mr. Prasanna.

The final seating matrix has been announced

The government has approved the final matrix of seats for engineering and this year a total of 1,60,281 seats are available in technical colleges across the state. Out of this, there are a total of 75,468 government quota seats, 32,670 COMEDK seats and 52,143 management quota seats.

Published – 29 Jun 2026 19:54 IST