Karnataka NEET UG 2026: Round 1 Final Seat Allotment Out — Fee Payment and Reporting Deadlines Explained

If you registered for Karnataka's state quota NEET UG counselling, the wait is over: the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has released the Round 1 final allotment result, and it comes with a short, strict timeline for accepting your seat. This round has placed candidates into 11,874 MBBS and 2,689 BDS seats, which makes it the single biggest opportunity in Karnataka's counselling cycle. Missing a deadline here — even by a few hours — can mean losing an allotted seat entirely, so every allotted candidate needs to understand exactly what to do next and by when.

What Just Happened

KEA first released a provisional allotment on August 23, giving candidates a short window to raise grievances if their allotted college or course seemed incorrect. That grievance window closed on August 24 at 4 PM, and KEA used the following days to process objections before publishing the final allotment on August 28.

The final list is now live on the official portal, cetonline.karnataka.gov.in, and candidates can check their result by logging in with their CET number and password. This round alone accounts for a large share of Karnataka's total state quota medical and dental seats for the year.

The Full Timeline You Need to Track

KEA's counselling runs on a fixed schedule, and each stage — choice selection, fee payment, and physical reporting — has its own cut-off. There is no buffer built in, so candidates should not wait until the last day to act.

The Four Choices — Choose Carefully

Before paying any fee, every allotted candidate must pick one of four options on the KEA portal. This decision shapes whether you can still try for a better seat in Round 2, so read each option properly before clicking.

• Choice 1 — Accept and Join: You accept the seat as final, pay the full fee, and report to the college. You exit the counselling pool.
• Choice 2 — Accept but Upgrade: You pay the fee and report to the college now, but you stay eligible for a better seat if one comes up in Round 2.
• Choice 3 — Reject and Try Again: You decline the current seat with no penalty and remain in the pool for Round 2.
• Choice 4 — Exit Counselling: You leave the KEA process completely. This is final — you cannot re-enter in any later round, including mop-up.

Paying the Fee and What to Carry While Reporting

KEA is accepting Round 1 tuition fee payments only through online channels — cash is not accepted at counselling centres for this round. Candidates can pay via net banking, debit or credit card, UPI, or NEFT/RTGS/IMPS challan, and must complete this between August 29 and September 3, within banking hours.

After payment, download and print the admission order from the portal — this is the primary document colleges will check at reporting. Carry it along with your NEET UG 2026 scorecard and admit card, Class 10 and 12 marksheets and certificates, transfer and study certificates, any applicable caste/income/domicile certificates, Aadhaar card, recent photographs, and proof of fee payment. Colleges verify originals on the spot, so an incomplete file can delay or block your admission even if your seat is confirmed online.

What This Means If You're Still Waiting for a Better Seat

Not everyone allotted a seat in Round 1 will want to join it — some candidates will have their eyes on a higher-ranked government college or a specific course that a later round might offer. If that's your situation, Choice 2 (Accept but Upgrade) is generally the safer path: you secure your current seat by paying the fee and reporting, but keep the door open for Round 2 without extra risk.

Choice 3 lets you skip this seat with no fee paid, but it also means you carry zero admission security into Round 2 — if the next round doesn't work out in your favour, you've lost this opportunity for nothing. Choice 4 should only be used by candidates who are certain they won't pursue Karnataka state quota counselling further, for instance if they've already secured an All India Quota seat through MCC or a seat in another state.

What Comes Next in Karnataka's Counselling Cycle

KEA has indicated that the Round 2 seat matrix and option-entry schedule will be released once Round 1 admissions are confirmed. Candidates who selected Choice 2 or Choice 3 should keep checking the official portal for the Round 2 dates rather than relying on informal sources, since counselling timelines can shift by a day or two based on how many seats are vacated after Round 1 reporting.

Frequently asked questions

If you have an allotted seat, don't sit on the decision — log in, review your college and course carefully, and pick your choice well before the September 2 cut-off so you have time to arrange fees and documents. Keep watching the KEA portal for the Round 2 seat matrix, since your next move depends entirely on what choice you selected this round.