KCET 2026 Round 3 Option Entry Opens: What PUC Students Must Do

Last verified: September 1, 2026 By Meera Kulkarni

Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has opened fresh option entry for KCET 2026 Round 3. This is for eligible candidates who were not allotted a seat in an earlier round and candidates who selected Choice 1 after Round 2. You must enter your choices again in priority order. The exact closing date and time were not visible on the public pages we checked, so do not wait.

## Who is affected?

This update is mainly for 2nd PUC students, repeaters, droppers and other KCET 2026 candidates who are still seeking a seat in engineering, pharmacy, agriculture, veterinary or another course covered by UGCET counselling.

You may be able to participate if:

- You were not allotted a seat in Round 1 or Round 2. - You were allotted a seat earlier and selected Choice 1 because you wanted to accept the seat and continue seeking a better option. - You have completed the required KEA document verification and are eligible for the counselling stage.

This is a new Round 3 development, not a repeat of the Karnataka Board Help Center posts about Round 2 allotment and college reporting on August 28, 2026. Round 3 option entry was reported as opened on August 31, 2026. (Careers360 report)

## What must you do now?

1. Open the official KEA option-entry portal. 2. Log in using the details on your KEA verification slip, including your application number and CET number. 3. Enter your new college and course choices again, in the order you would actually accept them. 4. Include every option you are genuinely willing to join. Consequential vacancies may also be considered during allotment. 5. Save and confirm your options. 6. Download or print the confirmation page for your records.

KEA’s portal requires OTP verification and also shows a face-verification step before option entry. The official KEA admission page links to the UGCET/UGNEET option-entry service. (Official KEA admission portal)

## What changed after Round 2?

After Round 2, candidates had limited choices about whether to keep or reject their allotted seat. Round 3 is different because candidates must submit a fresh list of options.

The important point is this: participating in Round 3 means you are seeking a better seat than the one allotted earlier, where applicable. Do not assume that your old Round 2 preference list will automatically be used.

If you already accepted a seat under Choice 1, read the KEA instructions carefully before changing your preferences. A new allotment may affect the seat you currently hold.

## Dates, fees and what we could confirm

| Item | Current position | What you should do | |---|---|---| | Round 3 option entry opened | August 31, 2026, according to Careers360’s report | Log in immediately | | Last date and time | We could not confirm this from the public KEA pages checked | Do not wait for a reminder | | New option list | Required for Round 3 | Enter choices again in priority order | | Option-entry fee | We could not confirm a separate Round 3 fee from the pages checked | Follow only the instructions shown after login | | Allotment result date | Not confirmed on the public pages checked | Watch the official KEA portal | | After Round 3 allotment | Careers360 reports that candidates will not be allowed to choose further choices after the result | Be ready to join the allotted seat |

The official KEA portal currently provides the option-entry login, but its public landing page does not clearly display the Round 3 closing date in the information available to us. Because of this, students and parents should treat the window as urgent and rely on the date shown inside the logged-in portal or in a newer KEA notice.

## What happens if you do nothing?

If you do not enter and confirm fresh options within the official window, you may not be considered for a better seat in Round 3. If you receive an allotment and fail to complete the required admission steps by the stated deadline, you may lose the opportunity to join that seat.

Do not rely on WhatsApp messages, coaching videos or screenshots showing a deadline unless the same date appears on an official KEA page. Also check that you are using the real keaonline.karnataka.gov.in or cetonline.karnataka.gov.in domain.

For help with the wider Karnataka exam process, see the Karnataka Board Help Center homepage and our SSLC and PUC study-guides page. This post concerns KEA counselling, not a KSEAB SSLC or PUC examination result, timetable or Annual Exam 1 / 2 / 3 notification.

Sources - Karnataka Examinations Authority — UGCET/UGNEET 2026 Option Entry Portal - KEA Admission & Recruitment Portal - Careers360: KCET Round 3 Counselling 2026 option entry opens

_Last verified: 2026-09-01._

This is a free, independent help center, not an official Karnataka Board site. Always confirm the latest dates, results and notifications on the official Karnataka Board portal.