Karnataka govt to merge KCET, COMEDK tests into single entrance exam

There will be no COMEDK entrance test for admission to undergraduate courses in Karnataka 2023 onwards. In a major step, the state government has decided to merge entrance exams conducted by the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) with the state-level entrance exam KCET or Karnataka CET, which will now be conducted at national-level.

The decision was taken on Wednesday in a meeting between Higher Education Minister CN Ashwath Narayan and representatives of KUPECA (Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges Association).

Eligibility for admission to UG professional courses will be based on ranking of students in the common entrance test, and seat sharing will continue as per current provisions.

The modalities for merging COMEDK with CET will be worked out as the next course of action, Narayan said.

The state government has also limited fee hike in private engineering colleges to 10%, instead of the demand to increase it by 25% for the 2022-23 academic year.

In the meeting, it was also agreed not to collect any other fees except a 10% hike on the existing fee. The fee hike is applicable to those students who have been allotted government seats in private engineering colleges.

(With inputs from HT correspondent)