Karnataka NEET UG 2026: Round 1 Seat Allotment Out — What MBBS/BDS Candidates Must Do Before September 4

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has published the Round 1 final seat allotment for NEET UG 2026 state quota counselling, and the numbers matter: 11,874 MBBS and 2,689 BDS seats have been allotted this round. If your name is on this list, you are now on a tight clock — fee payment, choice-locking and physical reporting all have hard deadlines over the next week. Getting any one of these wrong can mean losing the seat altogether, so this piece walks through exactly what an allotted candidate needs to do, in order. It also explains the four response options KEA gives you, because picking the wrong one can quietly end your chances of getting a better seat in Round 2.

What just happened

KEA released the provisional Round 1 allotment on August 23, gave candidates a short window to raise grievances (closing August 24 at 4 PM), and then locked in the final allotment on August 28. This final list is what candidates now see when they log in to cetonline.karnataka.gov.in with their CET number and password.

The scale of this round is significant for Karnataka aspirants: nearly 11,874 MBBS seats and 2,689 BDS seats across government and private colleges under the state quota have been filled in this single round, which is why acting fast matters — a large share of the state's medical and dental seats for the year is decided right here.

The complete Round 1 timeline

Every step of the process has its own cut-off. Missing even one collapses the whole sequence, since fee payment and reporting are only possible after you have locked a choice.

The four choices — and why Choice 4 is irreversible

KEA gives every allotted candidate exactly four options after logging in. This is the part where a hasty click can do real damage to your admission chances, so read each one carefully before selecting.

The two 'accept' options both require you to pay the fee and physically join the college — the difference is only whether you also stay in the pool for a possible upgrade in Round 2. The two 'don't join' options differ sharply in consequence: rejecting costs you nothing and keeps you in the game, while exiting shuts the door on KEA counselling for the rest of the year.

• Choice 1 — Accept and Join: pay the full fee, report to college, and stay with this seat (no further upgrade attempt).
• Choice 2 — Accept but Upgrade: pay the fee, report to college, but remain in the pool for a potentially better seat in Round 2.
• Choice 3 — Reject and Try Again: decline the current seat with no penalty; you remain eligible for Round 2.
• Choice 4 — Exit Counselling: withdraw permanently from KEA's NEET UG counselling — this cannot be undone in any later round.

Paying the fee and reporting to college

KEA is accepting Round 1 fee payment only through online channels this year — net banking, debit or credit card, UPI, or NEFT/RTGS/IMPS challan. There is no cash-payment option at the counselling office for this round, so candidates should keep their payment method ready in advance rather than scrambling close to the September 3 deadline.

Once the fee is paid, the system generates an admission order, which is the single most important document for reporting day. Candidates should download and print it well before travelling to the college, since colleges will not process admission without it.

Documents to carry on reporting day

Colleges verify original documents on the spot, and any missing certificate can delay or even block admission on the day. It is worth assembling this file a day in advance rather than on the morning of reporting.

• Printed KEA admission order
• NEET UG 2026 scorecard and admit card
• Class 10 and Class 12 marksheets and certificates
• Transfer certificate and study certificates
• Caste, income and domicile certificates, where applicable
• Aadhaar card and recent passport-size photographs
• Proof of fee payment

What this means if you're still waiting for a better seat

If you were not allotted a seat in Round 1, or you chose to reject and try again, the next opportunity is Round 2. KEA is expected to publish the Round 2 seat matrix and option-entry schedule shortly, and any vacant seats from Round 1 — including ones from students who did not report — will feed into that pool. Keep checking the official KEA portal rather than relying on second-hand information, since dates for mop-up rounds tend to move.

For students who accepted a seat under Choice 2 (Accept but Upgrade), it is worth remembering that you are still committed to your current college and fee unless and until a genuinely better seat comes through — treat the current seat as your safety net, not a placeholder you can casually walk away from.

Frequently asked questions

If you have a Karnataka Round 1 allotment, don't wait until the last day for any step — log in, lock your choice, pay online, and print your admission order well ahead of September 3 and 4. If you're still hoping for a seat, keep the KEA portal bookmarked for the Round 2 seat matrix and option-entry dates, which should follow shortly.