The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE), Kerala, runs Kerala MBBS counselling through KEAM. CEE fills the state seats in government medical colleges. It also fills seats in self-financing colleges, including NRI seats. MCC fills the rest: the 15% All India Quota (AIQ) seats in government colleges and the deemed university seats.
Kerala NEET UG 2026 update (20 October): CEE’s 17 October notice lets eligible candidates register new stray-vacancy options until 20 October at 6 PM. CEE has set provisional allotment for 21 October and final allotment for 22 October. Allotted candidates must join from 23 to 26 October (by 4 PM).
The notice leaves out some candidates. These include candidates already admitted in earlier phases and those allotted a Phase 3 seat. It also leaves out some candidates allotted or joined through MCC. Check your eligibility before you pay the registration fee.
Who runs Kerala MBBS counselling
| Seats | Counselling authority |
|---|---|
| State seats in government medical colleges | CEE Kerala |
| Self-financing college seats (general, NRI and minority) | CEE Kerala |
| 15% seats in self-financing colleges open to all states | CEE Kerala |
| 15% All India Quota in government colleges | MCC |
| Deemed universities | MCC |
You register separately for each process. An MCC registration does not count for CEE. Your KEAM application does not create an MCC application either. Our MCC counselling guide covers the national route. For the full college list, see MBBS colleges in Kerala.
Kerala stray vacancy round 2026
CEE calls this round the Stray Vacancy Allotment to MBBS/BDS courses. It fills the seats left after Phase 3. CEE’s tentative vacancy list of 17 October showed 92 vacant MBBS seats. Only 4 were in government colleges, at Idukki, Kasaragod, Palakkad and Konni. The other 88 were in 18 self-financing colleges.
The 17 October notice sets these rules:
- You must be on the Kerala State Medical Rank List.
- You must register fresh options under “Stray Vacancy Option Registration”.
- You cannot change the seat you get in this round.
- CEE will convert unfilled category seats as the prospectus allows. So list every college you would really join, and no others.
Who cannot take part:
- Candidates who still hold a seat from Phase 1, 2 or 3.
- Candidates allotted a seat in Phase 3, even if they did not join.
- Candidates who left a seat after 7 October 2026, 10:00 AM.
- Candidates on MCC’s admitted list after AIQ Round 3, or allotted in the AIQ stray round.
Important: Some students add options they do not need and then skip the seat. For MBBS, CEE charges a ₹10 lakh penalty when this makes a seat lapse. The penalty applies whatever your income, nativity or category. CEE can also cancel your candidature. It can bar you from its exams and allotments for up to two years. CEE can recover unpaid penalties under the Revenue Recovery Act. List only seats you will join and can pay for.
Kerala NEET counselling 2026 dates
These Kerala MBBS counselling dates come from CEE’s 2026 notices.
| Stage | Date (2026) |
|---|---|
| KEAM online application | 5 January to 6 February (deadline extended from 31 January) |
| Medical rank list (provisional, final) | 13 and 14 August |
| Phase 1 options close; final allotment | 24 August, 11:00 AM; 27 August |
| Phase 1 joining | 28 August to 5 September, 4:00 PM |
| Phase 2 confirmation closes; final allotment | 11 September, 10:00 AM; 14 September |
| Phase 2 joining | 15 to 19 September, 4:00 PM |
| Phase 3 option registration | 28 September to 7 October, 10:00 AM |
| Phase 3 provisional; final allotment | 8 October; 11 October |
| Phase 3 joining | 12 to 14 October, 4:00 PM |
| Stray round options | 17 to 20 October, 6:00 PM |
| Stray round provisional; final allotment | 21 October; 22 October |
| Stray round joining | 23 to 26 October, 4:00 PM |
CEE revised Phase 1 to match MCC’s new schedule. Later phases also slipped by a day or two. Always check the latest notice before a deadline.
KEAM application and the rank list
Kerala does not hold its own MBBS entrance test. Instead, CEE builds the State Medical Rank List from NEET UG 2026 scores. You need two steps to get on it:
- First, apply online through KEAM. The 2026 window opened in January. The medical application fee was ₹650 for General, ₹260 for SC and nil for ST.
- Then, after the NEET result, submit your NEET UG 2026 score to CEE through the KEAM portal.
A student who skipped either step is not on the rank list. Also, a rank does not guarantee a seat. CEE checks your academic eligibility again at admission.
Seat types and quotas in Kerala
- Government college state seats: These are the low-fee seats. Only Keralites and Non-Keralite Category I candidates can claim them.
- Self-financing general seats: These make up about 85% of seats in self-financing colleges. CEE allots them from the rank list.
- NRI seats: These are the other 15%. You must be on CEE’s NRI category list. Non-Keralite II NRI candidates come last. They get a seat only if no eligible Keralite or NK I candidate is left.
- Minority or community seats: Some self-financing colleges have them. You need a valid community or minority certificate.
- Open seats in self-financing colleges: CEE fills 15% of MBBS seats in these colleges on NEET rank alone, whatever your domicile.
- Special reservations: The prospectus lists a few small special quotas. Only Keralites can claim them. Read Clause 5 if you think you qualify.
Who can apply
First, you must qualify NEET UG 2026. The qualifying cutoff is the 50th percentile (213 marks) for General and EWS. It is the 45th percentile (194) for General PwD. For SC, ST and OBC, it is the 40th percentile (177). CEE then adds these conditions:
- You must be at least 17 years old on 31 December 2026.
- You must meet the academic rules in Clause 6.2 of the KEAM 2026 prospectus. CEE checks these at admission, so read the Class 12 subject and mark rules there.
- You must be an Indian citizen. OCI and PIO cardholders can also apply, but they cannot claim reservation.
- You must meet the nativity rules below.
Keralite and nativity rules for NEET
Kerala puts every candidate into one of three groups.
- Keralite: You are of Kerala origin. For example, your SSLC, passport or birth certificate shows a Kerala birthplace. A parent’s SSLC can also work, with proof of relationship. Only Keralites get community reservation, special reservation and fee concessions.
- Non-Keralite Category I (NK I): You qualify through one listed route. For example, you studied Class 8 to 12 in Kerala. Or you lived in Kerala for five of your 12 study years. A parent posted in Kerala by the central government or defence can also make you NK I. A parent who served the Kerala government for at least two years can do the same. NK I candidates compete on merit but get no reservation.
- Non-Keralite Category II (NK II): Everyone else. You cannot get a government college state seat. However, you can try for the 15% open seats in self-financing colleges. You can also try for NRI seats, in the last order.
| Your situation | What to check |
|---|---|
| Parent born in Kerala; you studied in Delhi | Keralite proof through the parent’s SSLC, passport or birth record |
| Born outside Kerala; Class 8 to 12 in Kerala | The NK I certificate for schooling |
| Father in defence, posted in Kerala; Class 12 in Kerala | The NK I certificate for central or defence staff |
| No Kerala birth link or schooling | NK II: open seats and NRI seats in self-financing colleges only |
Children of All India Service officers on the Kerala cadre count as Keralites. Still, they get no community, special or PwD reservation, and no fee concession. If your case is unclear, call CEE before you fill options. Our guide on state quota counselling explains how such rules work across states.
Reservation and category documents
Reservation applies only to Keralites. In government and aided colleges, CEE uses this split for state seats:
| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| State Merit (open) | 50% |
| EWS | 10% |
| SEBC (total) | 30% |
| SC | 8% |
| ST | 2% |
The 30% SEBC share has sub-groups. Ezhava gets 9% and Muslim gets 8%. Other Backward Hindu gets 3%, and so do Latin Catholic and Anglo Indian. Dheevara and Viswakarma get 2% each. Finally, Kusavan, Other Backward Christian and Kudumbi get 1% each. CEE also keeps 5% of state seats in government and aided colleges for candidates with benchmark disabilities.
Keep these documents ready:
- SC and ST: A community certificate from the Tahsildar.
- SEBC and OEC: A non-creamy layer certificate for state educational purposes, from the Village Officer.
- EWS: An EWS certificate from the Village Officer, in the KEAM format.
- PwD: A UDID card or disability certificate showing at least 40% disability. A medical board will also check it.
Certificates from churches, mosques or community groups do not count. Get them from the officer named above.
How option registration works
For the stray round, log in to the KEAM 2026 candidate portal. Open “Stray Vacancy Option Registration”. Pay the fee first, because the portal will not take options until you pay. Then add colleges in your order of choice and save.
Worked example. Suppose you are a Keralite with a rank near the end of the list. You want a government seat. You can also pay a private fee of up to ₹8.5 lakh a year. Your list could look like this:
- Government college A.
- Government college B.
- Self-financing college C, general seat (fee within your budget).
Leave out college D, even if it is on the vacancy list. Say its fee is ₹9.3 lakh and you cannot pay it. If CEE allots it and you skip it, you lose your fee. You may also face the ₹10 lakh penalty.
How the phases and exit rules work
Kerala’s rules are not the same as MCC’s. MCC’s free exit and upgrade rules do not carry over here. Our counselling rounds guide explains how rounds work in general.
| Phase | Key rule |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Join the seat you get, or lose it |
| Phase 2 | Confirm options online to stay in the race; if you don’t, you keep your Phase 1 seat |
| Phase 3 | Fresh options; leaving an old seat forfeits the option fee |
| Stray | No change after allotment; heavy penalties for lapsed seats |
If you miss a joining deadline, you lose that allotment. You also lose all higher options in that stream. CEE can also claim liquidated damages under Clause 12.2.4 of the prospectus. The notices do not give the amount, so read the prospectus.
AIQ and Kerala MBBS counselling are linked. For Phase 3, CEE said it would drop the state options of some AIQ Round 3 candidates. This applied if MCC declared them ineligible and shared their names. With the Phase 3 list, CEE also published a list of candidates not eligible for state quota counselling. Our seat matrix guide explains why such exits matter.
Kerala MBBS fees for 2026
You pay a registration fee to CEE first. Then you pay the college fee.
| Fee | Amount (2026) |
|---|---|
| Phase 1 option fee, General | ₹5,000 |
| Phase 1 option fee, SC/ST/OEC and listed groups | ₹500 |
| Stray round fee, government seats only | ₹10,000 |
| Stray round fee, government and self-financing | ₹25,000 |
| Stray round fee, SC/ST/OEC and listed groups | ₹5,000 |
| Government college MBBS fee | ₹23,150 |
| Self-financing general seat (per year) | ₹8,10,175 to ₹9,31,118 |
| Self-financing NRI seat (per year) | ₹21,65,720 to ₹22,74,006 |
For a government seat, CEE moves the registration fee into your tuition fee. For a self-financing seat, CEE refunds it after admissions close. If you get no seat, you get it back. However, CEE keeps it if you do not join or if you quit after joining.
Self-financing fees are provisional. CEE had not fixed the 2026-27 fee when it published these figures. For now, you pay the 2025-26 fee. If the final fee is higher, you pay the balance. SC, ST, OEC and fishermen candidates do not pay the token fee. However, this concession does not cover minority or NRI seats in self-financing colleges.
MBBS bond in Kerala
CEE’s 2026 allotment notices do not state a bond amount. Before you join, ask your college in writing which bond, surety or deposit it needs. Also ask about hostel, exam and university charges. Our MBBS bond checklist lists the clauses to read before you sign.
After allotment
Once you get a seat, follow these steps:
- Download the allotment memo from the candidate portal.
- Print the Data Sheet from your home page.
- Pay the fee shown in the memo before the deadline.
- Join the college with the documents listed in the memo.
- Keep every receipt.
Our reporting checklist helps with the joining day.
Common questions
Yes, in limited ways. NK I candidates compete for state seats on merit, without reservation. NK II candidates can try the 15% open seats and NRI seats in self-financing colleges. Anyone can also try MCC’s AIQ seats.
No. CEE uses your NEET UG 2026 score. However, you must apply through KEAM and submit your NEET score to CEE.
No. Anyone allotted a seat in Phase 3 is out, even if they did not join. The same goes for anyone who left a seat after 7 October, 10:00 AM.
CEE’s 17 October notice covers the October 2026 stray allotment. Some candidates register options they do not need and let an MBBS seat lapse. They may face a ₹10 lakh penalty (₹5 lakh for BDS). They may also face cancellation of candidature and a bar of up to two years. The penalty is not automatic for everyone who misses out. The facts of your case and the KEAM prospectus rules matter. If you do not join an allotted seat, you can also lose the stray registration fee.
