The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has issued a notice regarding the 3rd Round Online Seat Allotment to UG Medical and Dental Courses for 2026.

According to the notice dated September 23, 2026, medical and dental seats remaining after the second round of seat allotment will be offered in the third round. Seats that become vacant due to cancellation, forfeiture or addition to the seat matrix after Round 2 may also be included in the third-round allotment.

Candidates interested in participating in the third round are advised to carefully read the eligibility conditions, caution deposit requirements and option-entry instructions before proceeding.

Karnataka NEET UG Round 3 Counselling 2026: Important Dates

KEA has advised candidates to regularly visit the official website because the seat matrix may change during the allotment process.

Who Can Participate in Karnataka NEET UG Round 3?

According to the KEA notice, the following candidates are eligible to participate in the third round:

• Candidates who were not allotted any medical or dental seat in the first and second rounds.
• Candidates who have cancelled their medical/dental seat by paying the prescribed penalty, subject to the applicable rules.
• Candidates who have already reported to a medical or dental college and are eligible to participate for upgradation, as permitted under the applicable High Court directions.

Candidates should carefully check their individual eligibility before participating in Round 3.

Who Cannot Participate in Round 3?

KEA has also specified candidates who are not eligible for the third round.

Candidates will not be eligible if:

• They were allotted a medical/dental seat in Round 1 or Round 2 but failed to exercise the prescribed choice.
• They were allotted a medical/dental seat in Round 1 or Round 2 and selected Choice-4.

Candidates should verify their previous-round status and choice exercised before paying the caution deposit.

Karnataka NEET UG Round 3 Caution Deposit

Candidates interested in participating in the third round are required to pay the prescribed caution deposit between September 24 and September 28, 2026.

The caution deposit varies depending on the type of medical or dental seat the candidate wishes to enter.

Medical Seat Caution Deposit

Candidates allotted seats will have the applicable caution deposit adjusted according to the counselling rules.

Important Rules Regarding Caution Deposit

KEA has clarified several conditions related to the caution deposit.

Candidates who have already reported to a medical or dental college are not required to pay the caution deposit for Round 3.

However, any fee paid for another course will not be treated as the caution deposit for third-round seat allotment. Such candidates must pay the prescribed caution deposit separately wherever applicable.

If a candidate receives a seat in Round 3, the caution deposit paid will be adjusted as per the applicable rules.

If a candidate is allotted a Round 3 seat but:

• Fails to take admission,
• Cancels the allotted seat, or
• Does not report to the allotted college,

the caution deposit may be forfeited, along with the applicable penalty. Such a candidate may also become ineligible to participate in future years of medical counselling, including All India Counselling, as specified in the notice.

Karnataka NEET UG Round 3 Option Entry

KEA has scheduled the Round 3 option-entry window from September 25, 2026, at 11:00 AM to September 29, 2026, at 11:00 AM.

Candidates participating in Round 3 must enter fresh options.

KEA has clarified that options entered in previous rounds will not be considered for the third-round allotment.

Candidates should therefore enter their choices again in the order of priority in which they are willing to join the course and college.

Candidates Can Enter Options Even If Seats Are Not Currently Vacant

An important instruction in the notice is that candidates should not restrict their options only to seats appearing as vacant in the initially published seat matrix.

Seats may subsequently become available because of:

• Cancellation of seats,
• Withdrawal by candidates,
• Forfeiture of seats, or
• Addition of new seats to the seat matrix.

Such consequential vacancies may also be considered for Round 3 allotment.

Candidates are therefore advised to enter options for all courses and colleges in which they are genuinely interested, according to their order of preference.

Candidates Must Check Fee Structure Before Choice Filling

KEA has advised candidates to carefully check the fee structure for different types of seats before entering their options.

The authority has noted that candidates and parents should understand the applicable fee structure before participating in Round 3.

Candidates are advised to discuss the fee structure with their parents and participate in the third round only after confirming the financial requirements of the preferred seats.

Instructions for Candidates Already Admitted in Earlier Rounds

Candidates who have already reported to colleges and participate in Round 3 should note that participation in the third round indicates their intention to seek upgradation.

If a higher/preferred seat is allotted in Round 3, the seat allotted in the earlier round will be automatically cancelled.

Such candidates must take admission in the newly allotted college.

KEA has stated that candidates will not be allowed to continue in their earlier allotted college after receiving a new Round 3 allotment.

There will be no opportunity to get back the earlier allotted seat after the new allotment.

If no new seat is allotted in Round 3, the earlier allotted seat will continue, subject to the applicable rules.

Round 3 Provisional Seat Allotment Result

The Round 3 seat allotment for medical and dental courses will be conducted based on:

• Candidate merit/rank,
• Priority of options entered by the candidate, and
• Applicable counselling rules.

The provisional Round 3 allotment result will be hosted on the KEA website.

The notice further states that the provisional KEA Round 3 result will be published after the third-round All India Quota seat allotment result.

Candidates who participate in both All India and KEA Round 3 counselling should carefully follow the applicable instructions.

Important Rule for All India Quota Candidates

Candidates who participate in the third round of All India Quota counselling and subsequently receive a seat in KEA Round 3 must inform KEA if they wish to retain the KEA seat.

Such candidates must submit a written request to KEA within one day after the announcement of the provisional results.

If the required written request is not submitted, the candidate will not be considered for the KEA Round 3 final seat allotment.

The caution deposit paid may also not be refunded as per the notice.

Candidates Moving From Engineering, Agriculture or Veterinary Admissions

KEA has advised candidates who have already taken admission in Engineering, Agriculture or Veterinary colleges to participate in the medical/dental Round 3 only if they are genuinely interested in a medical or dental seat.

Such candidates should ensure that they can obtain their original documents from their existing college within the required timeline if they receive a medical or dental seat.

It is the candidate's responsibility to obtain the original documents and submit them to the newly allotted college within the prescribed period.

If a candidate fails to take admission in the Round 3 allotted medical/dental seat, the candidate may lose the existing and newly allotted seat positions and may not receive a refund of fees, as specified in the notice.

What Candidates Should Do Now

Candidates participating in Karnataka NEET UG Counselling Round 3 should:

1. Check their eligibility for Round 3.
2. Pay the applicable caution deposit between September 24 and September 28, 2026.
3. Check the updated medical and dental seat matrix.
4. Enter fresh options from September 25.
5. Arrange all preferred courses and colleges in priority order.
6. Check the fee structure before entering choices.
7. Complete option entry before 11:00 AM on September 29, 2026.
8. Check the provisional Round 3 allotment result on the KEA website.
9. If allotted a new seat, complete admission at the newly allotted college within the prescribed deadline.
10. Candidates already admitted elsewhere should ensure that their original documents are available for the new admission process.

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