Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, July 10: In a strategic move to boost admissions in under-enrolled engineering disciplines, the Karnataka government has announced a 50% fee waiver for select courses offered in government engineering colleges. The announcement comes as the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) begins the option entry process for UGCET-2025.
According to an official gazette notification from the Department of Higher Education, courses such as Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Textile Technology, Silk Technology, and Automobile Engineering — once high in demand but now witnessing a significant drop in enrolments — will see a 50% fee concession starting from the 2025–26 academic year. These disciplines, termed ‘out of favour’, are being targeted through this financial relief to revive student interest.
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The government has also invited private engineering institutions to adopt similar waivers and inform KEA accordingly. However, none have opted in so far.
In parallel, the state has revised tuition fees with a 5% hike in government colleges and a 7.5% hike in private quota seats. As a result, annual tuition at government engineering colleges now stands at Rs 44,200, while UVCE (University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering) charges Rs 49,600. For CET quota seats in private colleges, fees now range from Rs 81,800 to Rs 91,000, excluding processing and registration charges.
For admissions under COMED-K, fees are fixed at Rs 2,00,000 for type-1 colleges and Rs 2,81,100 for type-2 colleges. Including all additional charges, the total payable amount for CET seats under these categories rises to Rs 1,12,410 and Rs 1,21,610, respectively.
Notably, the tuition fee has been fully waived for students admitted under the 5% supernumerary quota. In addition, private colleges are permitted to charge up to Rs 20,000 in the first year for facilities, but only through KEA, with a firm directive prohibiting overcharging.
KEA has commenced the first round of option entry for UGCET-2025 admissions into engineering, veterinary, agriculture, Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT), and Allied Health Sciences (AHS) programmes.
The option entry window remains open until July 15. Mock allotment results will be published on July 19, with students allowed to modify their preferences until July 22. Final seat allotments will be announced on July 25.
KEA executive director H Prasanna confirmed that option entry for Medical, Dental, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani, BSc Nursing, Architecture, and Naturopathy courses will begin once the respective departments release their seat matrices. He urged candidates to study the official UGCET-2025 brochure carefully and rank their preferences accordingly.
KEA has also released instructional videos on its Vikasana YouTube channel to guide students through the process. Candidates applying under practical ranks for agriculture, veterinary, and animal husbandry must enter separate options for regular and practical quota seats.
Admissions for all medical-related courses will be conducted in accordance with the guidelines issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC), Medical Counselling Committee (MCC), and the State Medical Education Department.