Kerala Engineering Agricultural Medical Entrance Examination Counselling 2026

KEAM 2026 counselling — officially called the Centralised Allotment Process (CAP) — is conducted by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE), Kerala, for admission to B.Tech, B.Arch, and B.Pharm programmes across government, aided, and self-financing colleges in Kerala. Phase 2 provisional allotment was released on July 17, 2026; the Phase 2 final allotment and Phase 3 schedule are yet to be announced by CEE Kerala.

• Phase 1 is complete; Phase 2 provisional allotment was released on July 17, 2026, and Phase 2 final allotment is awaited.
• Phase 3 option registration dates are expected in late July 2026; CEE Kerala has not made an official announcement yet.
• Registering for counselling is mandatory — your KEAM rank alone does not guarantee a seat.
• The non-refundable CAP registration fee is ₹1,000 for General / OBC students and ₹500 for SC/ST students.
• Fill at least 15–20 college-course combinations during option entry to maximise your chances across all phases.
• Accepting a seat and then not reporting to college forfeits the seat acceptance fee; plan your reporting date well in advance.

Reservation of Quotas for KEAM Counselling 2026

Seats in government and government-aided engineering, architecture, and pharmacy colleges are distributed across multiple reservation categories under Kerala’s reservation policy. The allotment algorithm fills reserved seats for each category from their respective rank lists and then fills the remaining open-merit seats. Seats within each category are allocated purely on KEAM 2026 rank order.

Horizontal reservations applied across all categories above:

• Differently Abled (DA): 3% of seats in each college, applied as a horizontal reservation cutting across all community categories. A Disability Certificate from a Government Medical Board is required.
• Sports and Games Quota: 1% of seats for students with outstanding sports achievements. A valid Sports Certificate issued by the Sports Council of Kerala is required.
• Children of Defence Personnel (DP) / Ex-Servicemen: A set number of seats as notified by CEE Kerala each year; relevant military service or ex-serviceman documentation is required.

Additional quotas in self-financing colleges:

• Management Quota: Up to 15% of total seats in each programme in a self-financing college. Allotted directly by the college management; students must apply to the college separately in addition to registering for the CAP.
• NRI Quota: Up to 5% of total seats in self-financing colleges. Open to students with NRI or Person of Indian Origin (PIO) parentage; NRI status documentation and typically higher fees apply.

How to Apply for KEAM Counselling 2026?

KEAM 2026 counselling runs entirely online through the CEE Kerala portal. There is no in-person or offline mode for any step. Each phase of the CAP follows the same five-step sequence: registration, fee payment, option entry, trial allotment preview, and seat acceptance.

Registering for counselling is mandatory — your KEAM rank alone does not guarantee a seat. Students who appear in the rank list but do not complete CAP registration are not considered for allotment in any phase.

Step 1: Register on the CEE Kerala Portal

Visit cee.kerala.gov.in/keam2026 during the announced registration window and complete your CAP registration. You will need your KEAM 2026 application number, date of birth, and the mobile number registered during the KEAM application. The system sends an OTP to that number to verify your identity. Create a strong CAP password and save it carefully — the same credentials are used for option entry and allotment access across all phases. Registration is a one-time step; you do not re-register for Phase 2 or Phase 3.

Step 2: Pay the Counselling Registration Fee

After completing registration, pay the non-refundable counselling processing fee through the payment gateway on the CEE portal using net banking, debit card, or credit card. Fee payment is mandatory before the option entry portal unlocks for your account. Download and save the payment acknowledgment receipt. This is a one-time fee per student per counselling cycle — you do not pay it again for Phase 2 or Phase 3 option entries.

Step 3: Option Entry (Choice Filling)

Log in to the CEE portal and navigate to the Option Entry section for the current phase. Browse the complete list of available colleges, branches, and seat vacancies filtered by your eligible category. Add college-course combinations to your preference list in strict priority order — the combination you most want must sit at position 1. You can add, remove, and reorder options as many times as you like until the option entry window closes for that phase.

Fill at least 15–20 college-course combinations to maximise your chances across all phases. The allotment engine scans your list from top to bottom and assigns the first option for which a seat is available in your category at your rank. Submitting only 4–5 options risks receiving no allotment if those seats are exhausted by students with better ranks.

Step 4: View Trial Allotment

Before releasing the provisional allotment, CEE Kerala publishes a trial allotment — a simulated preview of the seat you would receive based on your current option list and live vacancy data. The trial allotment is not binding and requires no fee payment or acceptance action. Use it to evaluate whether your preference order is working: if the trial result is unsatisfactory, reorder or add preferences before the option entry window closes. Once the window shuts, the list is locked and the allotment engine runs.

Step 5: Accept the Allotted Seat and Pay the Acceptance Fee

When the provisional allotment is released, log in to view your allotted seat. If you wish to accept it, pay the seat acceptance fee online within the stated deadline. Failure to pay the acceptance fee by the deadline cancels your allotment for that phase and bars you from all subsequent phases of the 2026 CAP. If you accept the seat but later want to try for a better option, register for the next phase’s option entry — your current allotment acts as a safety net unless a better option is confirmed in the next phase.

How to Fill and Lock Choices for KEAM 2026 Counselling

The order of your preference list is the single most important decision in the KEAM CAP. The allotment engine assigns the highest-ranked preference in your list for which a seat is available in your category — it never skips a higher preference to give you a lower one. Build your list thoughtfully before the option entry deadline for each phase.

Step 1: Visit the CEE Kerala Portal

• Go to cee.kerala.gov.in/keam2026.
• Click on the “CAP Option Entry” or “Option Registration” link for the current active phase.

Step 2: Log In to Your Account

• Enter your KEAM 2026 application number and your CAP password.
• Complete the OTP verification sent to your registered mobile number.

Step 3: Explore Colleges, Branches, and Vacancies

• Use the search and filter tools to view colleges by district, management type (government / aided / self-financing), and course.
• Check live seat availability within your eligible community category for each college-course combination.
• Note the annual tuition fee; self-financing college fees vary significantly from government college fees.

Step 4: Build and Rank Your Preference List

• Click “Add to Preference List” for every college-course combination you would willingly attend if allotted.
• Use the drag-and-drop or arrow controls to order options: your most desired combination must sit at position 1.
• Place “safety” options — colleges where your rank comfortably beats last year’s closing rank — toward the bottom to ensure at least one allotment.
• Do not leave out an acceptable college simply because you expect a better allotment; the algorithm offers only one seat, so wider coverage is always better.

Step 5: Review, Lock, and Save Your Choices

• Before submitting, review your complete preference list one final time.
• Click “Lock Options” or “Submit” before the published deadline for that phase.
• Download the PDF confirmation of your submitted preference list and save it for your records.

Once the option entry window closes, no modifications are accepted. The allotment engine runs on the locked list and the provisional allotment is released within one to two days.

KEAM Counselling Documents Required 2026

Carry all original documents listed below, along with two self-attested photocopies of each, to your allotted college on the day of reporting. Document verification is conducted by college staff before admission is confirmed. Missing even one required document on reporting day can result in cancellation of your admission. Gather these documents as soon as you receive your allotment memo — do not wait until reporting day.

• KEAM 2026 Admit Card (downloaded from the CEE Kerala portal)
• KEAM 2026 Rank Card (downloaded after result declaration)
• CAP 2026 Allotment Memo (phase-wise; download from the CEE portal after each final allotment)
• Class 10 (SSLC / SSC) Mark Sheet and Certificate — used as date-of-birth proof
• Class 12 (Plus Two / HSC) Mark Sheet and Passing Certificate
• Transfer Certificate (TC) from the last school or institution attended
• Conduct Certificate from the last institution
• Community / Caste Certificate issued by the Kerala Revenue Department — mandatory for SC, ST, and all SEBC communities (EZ, MU, LC, DV, VK, KU, OX); must be current and issued by a Kerala authority
• Non-Creamy Layer Certificate (for SEBC / OBC students claiming reservation)
• EWS Income Certificate issued by the Village Officer — required only if claiming EWS reservation (family income below ₹8 lakh per annum)
• Nativity Certificate / Domicile Proof — issued by the Kerala Revenue Department establishing Kerala nativity or domicile
• Physical Fitness Certificate from a registered MBBS medical practitioner
• Migration Certificate — required if you passed Class 12 from a board other than DHSE Kerala or VHSE Kerala
• Sports / Games Certificate — only if claiming the Sports quota; must be issued by the Sports Council of Kerala
• Disability Certificate — only if claiming Differently Abled (DA) horizontal reservation; issued by a Government Medical Board
• Anti-Ragging Affidavit — signed by the student and parent/guardian; most colleges provide the format on reporting day
• Passport-size Photographs — at least 10 recent colour photographs identical to those used in the KEAM 2026 application

How Much Money is Needed for KEAM Counselling 2026?

Two separate fee components are involved in KEAM 2026 counselling: a one-time non-refundable registration fee paid at initial CAP enrolment, and a phase-wise seat acceptance fee paid after each allotment you choose to accept. Plan for both well before the respective deadlines.

Non-Refundable Counselling Registration Fee

This is a processing fee paid once when you first register for the KEAM 2026 CAP. It is not returned under any circumstances — whether you get a seat, receive no allotment, or voluntarily withdraw from the process. Students who register but never fill options also forfeit this fee.

Refundable Seat Acceptance Fee

When you accept an allotted seat, you pay a seat acceptance fee (also called advance tuition fee deposit) to the college through the CEE portal. This deposit is held as security and applied towards first-year tuition when you join. It is refundable in whole or in part if you are upgraded to a better seat in the next phase, or if you withdraw before the final round — subject to CEE Kerala’s refund policy for 2026.

If you withdraw after accepting a seat, whether or not the acceptance fee is refunded depends on the timing of your withdrawal and the applicable CEE Kerala refund guidelines. Late or post-reporting withdrawals typically result in full or partial forfeiture of this fee.

Note: Annual tuition fees at self-financing colleges range from ₹50,000 to ₹1,50,000 or more depending on the college and specialisation. Government college annual tuition is significantly subsidised at ₹6,000–₹15,000. Verify exact fee structures from the specific college or its published prospectus before reporting.

KEAM 2026 Round-Wise Allotment Process

The KEAM CAP 2026 consists of three main phases and one mop-up round. Each phase follows a trial-allotment, provisional-allotment, final-allotment, and fee-payment sequence. Seats vacated in each phase — through withdrawals, non-payment, or non-acceptance — are released into the next phase’s pool. Students should check the live seat-vacancy list on the CEE Kerala portal before finalising their option list for each new phase, as vacancies from earlier phases can open up desirable seats in later rounds.

How vacancies accumulate across phases: After Phase 1 final allotment, students who did not pay the acceptance fee, withdrew their seat, or chose not to accept their allotment released those seats back into the pool. Phase 2 drew on this expanded vacancy inventory. The same process repeats after Phase 2: seats freed by Phase 2 non-acceptances and withdrawals become available in Phase 3. By the mop-up round, the pool represents all seats that remained unclaimed across three full phases — in prior KEAM cycles, this still amounts to thousands of seats across all categories.

Revised seat vacancy data after Phase 2 withdrawals will be visible in the Phase 3 option entry interface on the CEE Kerala portal once the Phase 3 window opens. Students who missed out on a preferred college in Phase 2 should not assume it will still be unavailable in Phase 3.

Upgrade, Freeze, or Withdraw: What Should You Do?

After each phase of KEAM 2026 CAP allotment, you face a three-way decision with financial and academic consequences that are difficult to reverse once the fee deadline passes. Think through each option carefully and act before the deadline — inaction after receiving an allotment is treated as non-acceptance.

Never withdraw from counselling unless you are completely certain you do not want any KEAM 2026 seat. The correct approach when dissatisfied with a current allotment is to accept the seat, pay the fee, and participate in the next phase with your preferred options ranked higher. The seat pool does not shrink to zero by Phase 3 — withdrawals from earlier phases continue to add seats through the mop-up round.

Reporting to the Allotted College

Once you choose to finalise your seat — either by freezing after a phase allotment or by being allotted in the mop-up round — you must report to the college within the reporting window announced by CEE Kerala. Colleges conduct document verification, biometric registration, and fee collection on reporting day.

• Carry all original documents and two self-attested photocopies of each (see Documents Required section above).
• Pay the first-year annual tuition fee, lab fee, library fee, caution deposit, and any other college-specific charges at the time of reporting. The seat acceptance fee already paid is typically adjusted against the first-year tuition.
• If you were allotted a seat in an earlier phase, reported to that college, and are now upgrading to a new college after a later phase allotment, formally surrender the earlier seat through the CEE Kerala portal before reporting at the new college.
• Failure to report within the announced window without prior CEE Kerala approval results in cancellation of your allotment; the seat is then offered to the next eligible student on the rank list.
• Reporting dates are phase-specific and will be published on the CEE Kerala portal as each phase concludes. Students must check the portal directly rather than relying on third-party announcements for these dates.

Note: Once you report to a college and complete admission formalities, any subsequent withdrawal is governed by the college’s own refund and migration policy, not the CEE Kerala portal. A mid-year withdrawal after classes begin typically results in forfeiture of the tuition fee paid for that semester.