Karnataka NEET UG 2026 —
Seats Still Vacant After Stray Vacancy Round 1

KEA's list of 23 October 2026, "Medical / Dental Remaining Seats as on 23-10-2026", shows at least 286 MBBS seats across 24 private colleges and 7 dental seats on its first page; the list runs to two pages. The largest blocks are Srinivas Institute of Medical Research Centre, Mangalore (36), PES University Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Bangalore (26) and G R Medical College and Research Centre, Mangalore (24). Almost all are category OTH, the management-quota seat type.

From your KEA candidate login at keaonline.karnataka.gov.in. Pay the fee first; KEA requires the seat confirmation slip to be taken before 4 PM on 24 October 2026, and you must report to the allotted college before 6 PM on 25 October 2026 with the originals and two sets of photocopies.

KEA has titled the list "remaining seats after Stray Vacancy Round 1", which implies a further round can follow, but as of 23 October 2026 no notice announcing one has been issued. Watch cetonline.karnataka.gov.in and kea.kar.nic.in. Under the NMC and MCC schedule, state stray rounds are time-barred, so no one can promise you a seat in a round that has not been notified.

KEA extended the continued round caution deposit and option entry up to 4 PM on 23 October 2026. Do it only on the KEA portal, and read the KEA notice for eligibility and the caution deposit amount.

It is the round KEA opened after the stray vacancy round. KEA extended the continued round caution deposit and option entry up to 4 PM on 23 October 2026, through the link on the KEA online portal. Eligibility and the amount of the caution deposit are in the KEA notice, so read it before you pay. Seats are allotted only by KEA on NEET rank.

KEA declared the stray round results on 22 October 2026. Pay the fees from 22 to 24 October, take the seat confirmation slip before 4 PM on 24 October and report to the college before 6 PM on 25 October with originals and two sets of photocopies. KEA says there will be no extension.

KEA's update of 15 October 2026 extends option entry for the Online Stray Vacancy Round for medical and dental seats to 1 PM on 19 October 2026. The Medical Course Fee Deposit must be paid by 11 AM on 19 October. Candidates who do not currently hold a medical seat can take part on paying this deposit.

KEA's list dated 8 October 2026 shows 664 medical seats that remained unfilled after the third round seat allotment. They are spread across 35 college-and-category lines (Srinivasa Institute, Mangalore, appears twice), the largest being Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, Bellur (35 seats), Navodaya Medical College, Raichur (33), M.V.J. Medical College, Channasandra, Bangalore (31) and Sri Chamundeshwari Medical College, Channapatna (31). KEA says these seats will be offered in the Stray Vacancy Round along with other seats that may be cancelled or forfeited, and advises candidates to keep visiting the KEA website for updates.

Yes. KEA published the Round 3 provisional result for Medical and Dental on 3 October 2026 and the Round 3 FINAL result on 6 October 2026 (notice No. ED/KEA/ADMN/CR-11/2026), after re-running the allotment to account for seats cancelled and seats freed by candidates opting out (Choice-4). Fee payment is 7 to 9 October 2026 (banking hours), with fee already paid or the caution deposit adjusted. The seat confirmation slip can be downloaded and candidates must report to the college with all original documents between 7 and 11 October 2026; 10 October is a public holiday. Confirm on the KEA portal.

Yes. Per KEA Notice No.ED/KEA/CR-11/UGNEET/2026, dated 23 September 2026, the medical and dental seats left after the Second Round seat allotment (published 17 September 2026), plus any seats since cancelled, forfeited or added, are offered in the Third Round of UGNEET-2026 online seat allotment. Eligible candidates, per a corrigendum of the same file number dated 25 September 2026 (which is authoritative and states there are no other changes to the 23 September publication), are: candidates not allotted any seat in Round 1 or Round 2; candidates who cancelled a medical/dental seat by paying the penalty; candidates allotted a seat in Round 1 who selected Choice-4; candidates who exercised the ‘QUIT’ option before the final result of the Second Round; and candidates who have reported to a college and wish to upgrade, per recent Hon’ble High Court orders. Not eligible: candidates allotted a seat in Round 1 or Round 2 who failed to exercise a choice. To participate, candidates must pay a caution deposit — Rs.1,00,000 for ‘G’ seats (which also unlocks all categories of Dental seats), Rs.12,00,000 for ‘P’ seats, or Rs.25,00,000 for ‘N’/‘Q’ seats, or Rs.1,00,000 for Dental seats alone. The original 23 September notice set the caution-deposit window at 24–28 September 2026; the 25 September corrigendum, issued because of a nationwide bank strike, extends the last date for payment to 1 October 2026.

Yes. In an official announcement on its verified X (Twitter) account on or about 19 September 2026, signed by H. Prasanna IAS, Executive Director, Karnataka Examinations Authority, KEA stated: “#UGNEET-26: Candidates allotted seats in the second round for admission to Medical and Dental courses have been given time until 5 PM on Sep. 21 to pay the fees. The time has been extended in response to candidates’ requests. After paying the fees, they must download the seat allotment confirmation letter and mandatorily complete the admission process. Last date to report to colleges is Sep. 21.” This supersedes the earlier 16–19 September 2026 fee-payment window stated in KEA's 16 September 2026 notice; the college-reporting deadline of 21 September 2026, up to 5:00 PM, is unchanged and now coincides with the extended fee-payment deadline. This is an official social-media announcement, not a separately numbered written notice — confirm the current status on cetonline.karnataka.gov.in or kea.kar.nic.in before you rely on this date.

Yes. Per KEA Notice No. ED/KEA/ADMN/CR-11/2026, dated 17 September 2026 (“Medical and Dental – Seat Allotment - NOTE on Seat Cancellation”), KEA states that candidates allotted seats in both MCC and KEA counselling, who were willing to accept their MCC-allotted seat, had earlier been given time to select Choice-4 and exit KEA counselling; the Second Round was then conducted using those cancelled seats, with the FINAL result published 16 September 2026. Since some candidates are now asking to cancel their KEA-allotted seat for other reasons — to take an MCC seat or a seat in their own state — KEA is opening an exit window from 4:00 PM, 17 September to 5:00 PM, 20 September 2026. Seats surrendered in this window go into the Third Round. Candidates not allotted an MCC seat but wishing to cancel their KEA allotment may also do so, per the information bulletin, and can take part in the Third Round of counselling if interested, subject to applicable conditions. Cancellation carries an escalating penalty: Rs.5,000/- after the First Round; Rs.5,000/- + Rs.5,000/- after the Second Round but before the last date to enter options for the 3rd Round; the same Rs.10,000/- plus Rs.1,00,000/- for Medical, Rs.50,000/- for Dental or Rs.25,000/- for AYUSH courses if cancelled after that but before the last date to enter options for the Stray Round (with no eligibility to participate in further rounds); and Rs.5,000/- + Rs.5,000/- + Rs.1,00,000/- plus one year's course fee, with a three-year bar from UG counselling, if cancelled after the Stray Vacancy Round deadline or surrendered after the Stray Round is complete.

Yes. KEA's UGNEET 2026 Vacant Seat matrix, published after the Second Round at cetonline.karnataka.gov.in, lists 459 Management Quota seats (category OTH) vacant across 22 private medical colleges in Karnataka, each with its own KEA course code and officially notified course fee — from Rs 27,11,950 at G R Medical College and Research Center, Bangalore, to Rs 45,00,000 at Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore. Management quota seats are open to out-of-state candidates, so this list is directly relevant if you are from outside Karnataka and still counselling; these seats feed into the Third Round and, if still vacant, the Stray Vacancy Round. Orchid Education Foundation offers guidance on shortlisting, eligibility and documentation for these rounds — every fee is the officially notified figure, paid only to the college against a receipt, and Indian law treats any demand above it as an illegal capitation fee.

Yes. Per KEA Notice No. ED/KEA/ADMN/CR-11/2026, dated 16 September 2026, KEA had announced the revised Second Round provisional result on 15 September 2026, after considering the Choice-4 exit seats, and invited objections till 9:00 AM on 16 September 2026. After examining the objections received within the stipulated time, the Second Round FINAL result was published on the KEA website on 16 September 2026, at 2:00 PM. Fee payment and, after payment, downloading the seat confirmation slip originally ran 16 to 19 September 2026 (banking hours); KEA has since extended this, via an official announcement on its verified X (Twitter) account on or about 19 September 2026, signed by H. Prasanna IAS, Executive Director, to 5:00 PM, 21 September 2026, in response to candidates' requests. Candidates must report to the allotted college with the seat confirmation slip by 21 September 2026 (up to 5:00 PM). Keeping in view the limited time available for conducting counselling, all participating institutes and colleges are directed to treat all holidays as working days.

Yes. Per a further Note carrying the same file number, ED/KEA/ADMN/CR-11/2026, dated 10 September 2026, KEA states: (i) the Provisional Results of the Second Round seat allotment for Medical and Dental courses, based on merit and the options entered by candidates, will be published on the KEA website on 11 September 2026, after 2:00 PM; (ii) candidates who have been allotted seats through both MCC and KEA counselling, and who wish to take admission to their MCC-allotted seat, may exit the KEA seat allotment process by selecting Choice-4 through the link on the KEA website, available from 3:00 PM on 11 September to 5:00 PM on 14 September 2026; and (iii) to make the UG medical seats vacated through Choice-4 available to eligible Second Round candidates, per recent orders of the Hon’ble High Court, KEA will re-run the Second Round seat allotment for Medical and Dental courses on the options already entered by candidates — no changes to existing options will be permitted — and thereafter publish the revised Final Results, with candidates considered for possible upgradation to higher-order options, subject to seat availability and applicable allotment rules.

Yes, and the option-entry window has since been extended. Per Note No. ED/KEA/ADMN/CR-11/2026, dated 6 September 2026, KEA opened option entry for the UGNEET-2026 Second Round Seat Allotment from 2:00 PM, 7 September 2026. A further Note of the same file number, dated 9 September 2026, extended this window up to 9:30 AM, 10 September 2026, for candidates to modify, alter or delete their options. Eligible candidates are: (a) those who, after the Round 1 result, selected Choice-2 or Choice-3; (b) those not allotted any seat in Round 1; and (c) candidates who opted Choice-4 in the UGCET 2nd Round Seat Allotment, subject to Medical or Dental options being available in their entered list. The 9 September notice also issued the seat matrix for a new government college, Bagalkote Medical College and Research, Bagalkote, hosted on the KEA website on 7 September 2026 — eligible candidates can now add options for this college. Candidates must compulsorily log in on or before the extended last date to enter, save or submit options; cancelled, forfeited or newly-added seats will be published from time to time, so keep checking the KEA website; and candidates should preserve the printout of their finally submitted options. As with Round 1, any seat held by a Round 1 Choice-2 candidate shows as a virtual vacancy, and a candidate who upgrades in Round 2 releases their Round 1 seat to the next eligible candidate; seats are also considered for allotment as a result of any consequential vacancy that may arise during seat allotment, so retain every option you are interested in, irrespective of the seats shown in the current matrix. KEA has not yet announced the Provisional Results date or the Choice-4 window for this round — both are stated as ‘to be informed later’.

Yes. Per Note No. ED/KEA/ADMN/CR-11/2026, dated 3 September 2026, KEA extended these deadlines for candidates who had not yet taken any action since the 28 August Round 1 final result: choice selection is now open to 2:00 PM, 4 September 2026; Choice-1 fee payment and Seat Confirmation Slip download (during banking hours) is open to 4:00 PM, 4 September 2026; and Choice-1 candidates must report at the allotted college with that slip by 6:00 PM, 5 September 2026. KEA's notice states plainly that a candidate who fails to select the appropriate choice will be treated as CHOICE-4 — not interested in the Round 1 seat — and will not be able to participate in subsequent rounds.

KEA's Round 1 re-run objection window closed 8:00 PM, 27 August 2026. Per Note No. ED/KEA/UGCET-UGNEET/2026, dated 28 August 2026, KEA then declared the Round 1 Medical/Dental final result on 28 August 2026 and opened the CHOICES selection portal (Choice-1 to Choice-4) the same day at 4:00 PM, open until 11:59 PM, 2 September 2026. Choice-1 candidates pay fees and download their Seat Confirmation Slip from 11:00 AM, 29 August to 3 September 2026, and must report at the allotted college with that slip by 6:00 PM, 4 September 2026. KEA has directed all colleges to treat Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays as working days for this schedule. Keep checking cetonline.karnataka.gov.in and kea.kar.nic.in for each step.

Per KEA Note No. ED/KEA/UGCET-UGNEET/2026, dated 28 August 2026: the Round 1 Medical/Dental final result was declared 28 August 2026, and the CHOICES selection portal (Choice-1, Choice-2, Choice-3, Choice-4) opened the same day at 4:00 PM, running until 11:59 PM, 2 September 2026. Candidates selecting Choice-1 must pay fees online, during banking hours, and download their Seat Confirmation Slip between 11:00 AM, 29 August and 3 September 2026. Choice-1 candidates then report at their allotted college, along with the Seat Confirmation Slip, by 6:00 PM, 4 September 2026. KEA's notice covers the schedule for Choice-1 in detail; it does not spell out separate deadlines for Choice-2/3/4 in the same notice, so confirm those directly on kea.kar.nic.in if they apply to you. All Saturdays, Sundays and gazetted holidays are treated as working days throughout this schedule.

You may object only to a specific, verifiable error — your cutoff/eligibility being checked wrongly, or a case where you entered valid options but were not allotted any seat. Email the email address given in the official notice with your justification by 8:00 PM, 27 August 2026. KEA's own Note states it will not entertain an objection where the real cause is that you did not enter options for that seat, and that no change of options is permitted at this stage — so an objection asking KEA to now consider an option you never filled will not be accepted.

No. Candidates who already registered for UGCET-2026 do not file a fresh application. What they must do is link their NEET UG 2026 roll number to the existing CET application through the link on the KEA portal, now extended to 7 August 2026 by KEA's 4 August circular. Skipping that step can knock you out of the counselling entirely even though your registration is valid.

KEA opened a fresh registration window on 17 July for candidates who had not registered under UGCET-2026, and extended the closing date to 30 July 2026. Its notification was explicit that no new registrations would be accepted for Round 2 or Round 3. The only later opportunity KEA normally provides is the Stray Vacancy Round, for which a separate schedule is announced. If you missed the window, look at states still open — Gujarat until 12 August and Puducherry until 6 August.

KEA fills 100% of government seats in state medical and dental colleges, the government-quota share in private colleges — 40% under KPCF in medical and 35% in dental — plus NRI and other defined categories. The remaining 15% All India Quota seats in government colleges are filled separately by MCC. Karnataka has the largest MBBS seat count of any state in the country, which is why students from across the Northeast look at it every year.

Not through the state domicile quota, which is reserved for Karnataka candidates. What is open to an out-of-state candidate is the management quota in private colleges, NRI category seats where a genuine NRI sponsor exists, and deemed university seats through MCC. Karnataka's private colleges have large, long-established Northeast student communities, which matters more than families expect when a seventeen-year-old is 3,000 km from home.