KEAM 2026: First Phase MBBS/BDS Counselling Rescheduled — Option Registration Open Till 24 August for PIMS Palakkad and 15% AIQ Dental Seats

The Office of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE), Kerala has issued a fresh notification revising the schedule for the First Phase state counselling of KEAM 2026 for MBBS and BDS admissions. This is not a new counselling round — it is a rescheduling of dates already announced on 15 August 2026, with the option registration window now extended to 24 August 2026, 11 AM. The notice also confirms that candidates can register options for 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats in self-financing (private) dental colleges, and for MBBS seats at Palakkad Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), which has now been added to this phase. If you are a Kerala KEAM candidate waiting to lock in your college and course preferences, this notice affects your deadline directly.

What exactly changed

CEE's earlier notification of 15 August 2026 had opened the option registration window for First Phase state counselling of MBBS/BDS courses under KEAM 2026. This new notification, dated 20 August 2026, extends and confirms that window and sets out the revised allotment dates.

Two important additions are also confirmed in this notice: option registration is available for the 15% AIQ seats in private (self-financing) dental colleges, open to candidates irrespective of domicile state; and Palakkad Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Palakkad has now been included in this phase for MBBS admissions.

Revised allotment schedule

All dates below are as per the revised schedule issued by CEE, aligned with the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) timeline.

What you need to do before 24 August, 11 AM

If you have not registered any options yet, you can still do so now. If you have already registered options, you can rearrange the order of preference or delete options you no longer want, right up to the deadline.

Only the options that exist in the system as of 24 August 2026, 11 AM will be considered when the provisional allotment is prepared on 25 August. There is no scope to add or change options after this cut-off for this phase.

• Log in to the CEE website (www.cee.kerala.gov.in) using your KEAM candidate credentials.
• Register new options if you have not done so, or edit/rearrange/delete existing options.
• Complete this before 24.08.2026, 11.00 AM — no changes are possible after this time for the First Phase.

15% AIQ seats in private dental colleges and PIMS Palakkad

The 15% All India Quota is a share of seats in private (self-financing) dental colleges that any eligible NEET UG candidate can apply for through this option registration, regardless of which state they belong to. However, the notice makes clear that allotment to these seats is subject to Government approval — meaning the final allotment for these particular seats could depend on a government clearance that comes after the counselling process.

Palakkad Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Palakkad has been newly added to this phase for MBBS admissions. Its provisional annual fee is Rs. 8,98,800 for General Category candidates and Rs. 21,65,720 for NRI Category candidates. Candidates interested in PIMS should factor in this fee level while ordering their options.

• 15% AIQ dental seats: open to candidates irrespective of home state, but allotment needs Government approval.
• PIMS, Palakkad (MBBS): Annual fee (provisional) — Rs. 8,98,800 (General Category); Rs. 21,65,720 (NRI Category).

Candidates with withheld results — a critical warning

If your KEAM result has been withheld for any reason — for example, a pending document verification issue — you are still allowed to register your options online for this allotment round. But this is a trap many candidates miss: your options will not actually be considered for allotment unless you first clear the defect and get your rank released.

To be considered in this First Phase, you must submit the required documents to CEE and get your rank released before 3.00 PM on 23 August 2026. If you miss this internal deadline, your registered options will simply be ignored during the provisional allotment, even though the system let you submit them.

• ⚠️ Registering options with a withheld result does NOT guarantee you a seat.
• ⚠️ You must submit documents and get your rank released before 3.00 PM on 23.08.2026 — this is one day before the option registration deadline itself.
• ✅ If your result is withheld, contact CEE immediately using the helpline numbers to find out exactly what document or clarification is pending.

After allotment: fee payment and admission

Once the final allotment is published on 27 August 2026, candidates who receive an MBBS/BDS seat must pay the fee amount shown in their allotment memo and take admission at the allotted college between 28 August and 5 September 2026 (up to 4 PM on the last day).

Colleges are then required to verify and upload the list of admitted candidates through OAMS (the online system CEE uses to track admissions) by 5 PM on 5 September 2026. This means the admission is only finalised once the college confirms it in the system — candidates should keep their admission receipt and any proof of fee payment safely.

Frequently asked questions

If you are a KEAM 2026 candidate, log in to the CEE website now and check whether your options are registered and correctly ordered — the window closes at 11 AM on 24 August 2026 with no scope for changes afterward. If your result is withheld, treat 23 August, 3 PM as your real deadline and contact CEE's helpline (0471-2332120 / 2338487) immediately to clear any pending document issue.