Sports quota candidates unable to make optional entry in mock CET rounds with final list yet to be submitted

Candidates under the sports quota are unable to make optional entries in the mock seat allotment process for admission to professional courses, including engineering, as the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES) has not yet submitted the final list of eligible candidates to the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).

The KEA is set to announce the mock seat allotment results on July 6.

Multiple letters

KEA authorities said they have written multiple letters to the DYES, urging it to submit the final list of eligible candidates. The KEA’s latest communication was sent to the Commissioner of the department on Monday (June 29, 2026), setting Tuesday (June 30, 2026), as the deadline for submission of the list.

Speaking to The Hindu, Prasanna H., executive director of KEA, said: “The merit list of candidates who have applied under the special category for 2026 has been received from the respective departments/institutions and published on the KEA website. However, the final list from the DYES is still pending, due to which students are unable to enter options for seats under the sports quota. Despite writing to the department several times in this regard, there has been no appropriate response. Therefore, a final letter has been sent to the DYES seeking the list, with June 30, set as the deadline for submission.”

Aspirants worried

Meanwhile, aspirants under the sports quota remain worried. “I have participated in State-level volleyball and have applied for an engineering seat. Though KEA has already opened the process, I am unable to make any optional entry. When I approached the KEA, they blamed the DYES. I have appealed to the DYES in this regard, but to no avail. I am worried that I may miss out on a seat,” said an aspirant on condition of anonymity.

This year, 754 seats have been reserved under various special categories, including NCC, Sports, Defence, and others. Of these, 158 seats are earmarked for the sports quota. This time, a total of 2,273 candidates in the State have applied to the KEA for a seat under the sports quota.

While other departments concerned have finished the process, the DYES is yet to submit the list of candidates eligible for the sports quota.

Documents sought

KEA authorities said that DYES staff had visited their office on May 5 and received the sports quota documents of candidates. They were expected to submit the final list of eligible candidates by May 30. However, this has not yet been done. In fact, DYES has again requested the KEA to provide documents pertaining to 70 candidates, which is another reason for the delay.

When contacted, M.N. Anuchet, Commissioner, DYES, who has taken charge last week after a reshuffle, said, “Out of 350 candidates, 280 candidates document verification has has already been done. We have asked for additional documents regarding 70 candidates. The verification of these applications will also be completed soon and the final list will be submitted to KEA.”

Final seat matrix announced

The government has approved the final seat matrix for engineering, and this year a total of 1,60,281 seats are available in engineering colleges across the State. Out of this, a total of 75,468 are government quota seats, 32,670 are COMEDK seats, and 52,143 are management quota seats.