KCET Cut-off 2027: Closing Ranks and Target Planning

The KCET cut-off is not a single pass mark. Admission to engineering and other courses in Karnataka depends on your KCET rank and on the closing rank of the college and branch you want, round by round. A closing rank is the rank of the last candidate who got a seat in that college, branch and category in that round. This page explains how to read KCET cut-offs and how to set a realistic target.

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) publishes allotment results on its portal, and the figures below were compiled by a third-party education site from that data, so use them as indicative benchmarks only. Official website: https://cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/

Table of Contents

• What KCET Cut-off Means

• KCET 2026 Closing Ranks for Reference

• Reading the Trend

• What Changes the Cut-off Every Year

• How to Set Your Target

What KCET Cut-off Means

Three ideas are often mixed up, so keep them separate.

• Qualifying marks: The minimum percentage in Class 12 or 2nd PUC that makes you eligible. This is covered on the KCET eligibility page.

• KCET rank: The rank from your result. For engineering, it combines CET marks and qualifying exam marks with equal weight. For pharmacy, veterinary and nursing, the 2026 bulletin used CET marks only and stated that no minimum CET score is required.

• Closing rank: The last rank allotted to a college and branch in a round. This is what students usually call the cut-off.

KCET 2026 Closing Ranks for Reference

The table shows Round 3 closing ranks for the general merit (GM) category in 2026 for selected engineering colleges. Closing ranks in earlier rounds are usually lower, which means the seats were tougher to get. Other categories have their own columns in the allotment lists.

These figures are third-party compilations and not an official KEA publication. Download the official allotment or cut-off lists from the KEA website for the exact category and round you need.

Reading the Trend

Computer science seats in the most sought-after colleges closed at lower ranks in 2026 than in 2025. For example, Round 1 reports show RV College of Engineering computer science closing at a rank of 234 in 2025 and 144 in 2026, though the source did not state the category.

Cut-offs for pharmacy, agriculture and veterinary courses also work as closing ranks, but reliable 2026 figures were not available for this page, so check the official lists.

What Changes the Cut-off Every Year

• Difficulty of the paper: A tougher paper lowers scores and moves ranks.

• Number of seats and candidates: More seats or fewer applicants for a branch raise its closing rank.

• Qualifying exam marks: Because they carry half the weight for engineering, board results shift the rank list.

• Round of counselling: Seats given up by candidates reopen in later rounds, so closing ranks rise as rounds progress.

How to Set Your Target

Treat last year's closing ranks as a benchmark and aim for a clear margin, not a bare fit, because the next cycle can shift in either direction. Work backwards in three steps.

1. List your preferred colleges and branches: Include safe, moderate and ambitious choices.

2. Note their recent closing ranks: Use Round 1 for ambitious targets and Round 3 for safer ones.

3. Convert the rank into a marks goal: Estimate your qualifying exam marks, then decide what KCET score you need.