KSET 2026 Notification: Karnataka State Eligibility Test for Assistant Professors – Dates, Eligibility, Fee & Subjects

Advt No	–
Recruitment Board	KEA
Post Name	Karnataka State Eligibility Test
Vacancies	N/A
Last Date	05-09-2026
Official Website	cetonline.karnataka.gov.in
Official Notification	Download Notification
Apply Online	Apply Here

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has released the notification for the Karnataka State Eligibility Test for Assistant Professors – 2026 (KSET-2026), vide Notification No. ED/KEA/01/KSET-26/2026-27 dated 10 August 2026. As per Karnataka Government Order No. ED 57 TIS 2025 dated 19.05.2025 and the UGC-NET Bureau letter No. F.7-16/2012(NET/SET) dated 06.09.2023, KEA will conduct KSET-2026 on 11 October 2026 (Sunday). Eligible candidates can apply only through the online mode.

KSET-2026 is being conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority for candidates seeking eligibility for the post of Assistant Professor at universities, first grade degree colleges, and other higher education institutions (Government, Aided and Private) in Karnataka. The exam covers 37 subjects and will be held across 11 examination centres in Karnataka. Eligible candidates are those holding (or in the final year of) a Master’s degree from a UGC-recognised university with a minimum of 55% marks for General category candidates and 50% marks for SC-A/SC-B/SC-C, ST, OBC (Category-I, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB), PwD and Transgender candidates. There is no upper age limit for KSET-2026. The online application window is open from 10 August 2026 to 5 September 2026, the exam fee can be paid until 6 September 2026, hall tickets will be released on 1 October 2026, and the exam itself will be held on 11 October 2026 in two papers, Paper-I and Paper-II, conducted online-mode application/offline OMR-based examination in a single sitting from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

• KEA KSET 2026 Notification PDF

KSET 2026 Overview

KSET 2026 Important Dates

KSET 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

Candidates who are currently pursuing their postgraduate degree and appearing in the final year or final semester examination are also eligible to apply for KSET-2026. Such candidates are given provisional admission to the exam only. They must obtain the required minimum marks (55% for General, 50% for reserved categories as above) in their qualifying PG examination within two years from the date of the KSET result declaration, and must submit proof (mark card) of this to the Karnataka Examinations Authority within that two-year window – failing which their eligibility will be cancelled.

Candidates who completed their postgraduate examination on or before 19 September 1991 (irrespective of the date their result was declared) and who additionally hold a Ph.D degree are given a 5% relaxation in the minimum marks required – i.e., 50% instead of 55%.

Candidates must appear for KSET in the same subject in which they completed their postgraduate studies, subject to the interdisciplinary-subject notes published with the subject list (see Subjects section below). A candidate can appear for KSET-2026 in only one subject, even if they hold more than one postgraduate degree, and the chosen subject cannot be changed after the application is submitted.

Reserved Category, PwD & Transgender Candidates

• Candidates seeking reservation benefit (SC-A, SC-B, SC-C, ST, Category-I, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB) must clearly select the relevant category in the online application and must possess a valid category certificate issued by the competent authority.
• PwD (Special Chetana) candidates with a minimum of 40% disability, as defined under Government Notification No. SISASI 115 SENANI 2005, must possess a medical certificate with a UDID number issued by the concerned district government hospital.
• Transgender candidates seeking benefit under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, Section 6(1), must submit an identity certificate issued by the concerned district authority, as specified in the notification.
• Reservation benefits and category eligibility rules under KSET-2026 apply only to candidates domiciled in Karnataka. Candidates domiciled outside Karnataka do not get reservation benefit and must apply only under the General category or applicable non-reservation category.
• Furnishing a false or fraudulent certificate to claim reservation benefit will lead to cancellation of the certificate/candidature and appropriate legal action.

Foreign Degree Holders

Candidates holding a postgraduate degree/diploma from a foreign university or institution must obtain equivalence certification from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) – website: www.aiu.ac.in – establishing equivalency with a recognised Indian postgraduate degree, before applying for KSET-2026.

Other Eligibility Notes

• The Karnataka Examinations Authority does not verify eligibility at the time of application; verification is done later, at the stage of appointment, by the concerned appointing authority. Candidates must therefore carefully assess their own eligibility before applying.
• A candidate cannot apply for the same subject in KSET again if they have already obtained eligibility in that subject in an earlier KSET exam; doing so will result in cancellation of both the old and the new eligibility certificates for that subject.

KSET 2026 Exemption from Taking the Test

The following categories of candidates are exempt from the requirement of qualifying KSET/NET for eligibility as Assistant Professor, as per the notification:

• Candidates who have been granted exemption under applicable UGC rules and guidelines regarding KSET eligibility.
• Candidates who qualified UGC-NET/CSIR-NET/JRF examinations before 1989 are exempt from KSET, irrespective of subject.
• Candidates who cleared a State-level SET examination before 1 June 2002 are exempt from the KSET eligibility requirement and are eligible for Assistant Professor posts anywhere in India. Candidates who cleared a State SET examination on or after 1 June 2002 are eligible for Assistant Professor posts only in universities/first grade colleges within the state that conducted that particular SET examination.

KSET 2026 Exam Pattern

The KSET exam consists of two papers, both objective (multiple choice) type, conducted in a single sitting on 11 October 2026.

Candidates are not permitted entry into the examination centre after 1:00 PM. Paper-I is a general paper testing teaching and research aptitude and reasoning ability – it assesses general knowledge, teaching/research aptitude, general awareness, reasoning ability and analytical thinking of the candidate, and consists of 50 compulsory questions worth 2 marks each. Paper-II is the subject paper, based on the subject chosen by the candidate, and consists of 100 compulsory questions worth 2 marks each, carrying a maximum of 200 marks. Answers for both papers must be marked only in the space provided on the OMR sheet.

Minimum Qualifying Marks

KSET follows the UGC-NET pattern and standards as per UGC guidance. As per the UGC-prescribed methodology, only around 6% of the total number of candidates who appear for both papers are eligible to be declared successful for Assistant Professor eligibility (Total Slots). Within this overall quota, subject-wise and category-wise merit lists are prepared based on the combined marks scored in Paper-I and Paper-II, restricted to candidates who have cleared the minimum qualifying percentage shown above. The subject, reservation category, gender, and exam centre once selected at the time of application cannot be changed for any reason. This entire result-declaration procedure is governed by UGC/KSET guidelines and the Karnataka Examinations Authority’s decision in this regard is final.

KSET 2026 Subjects List

KSET-2026 will be conducted in 37 subjects. The table below gives the subject name, subject code, and the language(s) in which the question paper will be available.

Note on subject codes: As per the official notification, subject codes 33, 34, 35 and 38 do not appear in this list (the listed codes jump from 32 to 36); this is exactly as printed in the source notification and has been reproduced without alteration.

Interdisciplinary Subject Eligibility

The notification clarifies which related/interdisciplinary postgraduate qualifications make a candidate eligible to appear for certain subjects:

• Economics: Candidates with a postgraduate degree in Economics, Co-operation, and other related/interdisciplinary subjects.
• Management: Candidates with a 2-year postgraduate degree, or an MBA/PGDM or equivalent qualification in a related field.
• Folklore: Candidates with a postgraduate degree in Folklore, Kannada, Janapada, Kannada Janapada, Janapada Sahitya, and related subjects.
• Physical Sciences: Candidates with a postgraduate degree (or in the final year) in Physics, Electronics, Nuclear and Radiation Physics, Classical Dynamics, Condensed Matter Physics, Electromagnetics, Experimental Design, Nuclear/Space/Particle Physics, Quantum Physics, Thermodynamics, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Materials Science, and related subjects.
• Mathematical Sciences: Candidates with a postgraduate degree (or in the final year) in Pure Mathematics, Computational Science, Applied Mathematics, Mathematics and Computer Science, and related subjects.
• Chemical Sciences: Candidates with a postgraduate degree (or in the final year) in Analytical, Inorganic, Organic, Physical, Medicinal, Nuclear, Environmental, Marine, Pharmaceutical, or Bio-organic Chemistry, and related subjects.
• Life Sciences: Candidates with a postgraduate degree (or in the final year) in Biochemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Taxonomy, Genetics, Microbiology, Physiology, Animal Science, Fishery Science, Animal Biology, Marine Biology, Applied Genetics, Cell Biology, and related subjects.
• Earth Sciences: Candidates with a postgraduate degree (or in the final year) in Earth Science, Applied Earth Science, Geophysics, Environmental Science, Ocean Science, Physical Geography, Geology, Petrology, Geochemistry, Geoinformatics, Applied Geochemistry, and related subjects.
• Women Studies: Candidates with a 2-year postgraduate degree in Women Studies, Rural Development, Human/Social Sciences, or Language subjects.

Candidates should hold their postgraduate degree from a UGC-recognised, NAAC-accredited (or equivalent) university/institution to be eligible for KSET in the corresponding subject.

KSET 2026 Exam Fee

The exam fee can be paid only through the online mode indicated on the application portal. No other mode of fee payment (such as Money Order, Demand Draft, or IPO/Office Challan) is accepted. Once the fee is paid, it will not be refunded under any circumstances.

KSET 2026 Age Limit

There is no upper age limit prescribed for candidates appearing for the KSET-2026 examination.

KSET 2026 Result & Answer Key Process

• The provisional answer key for KSET-2026 will be published on the internet after the examination is completed.
• Candidates who wish to raise objections to the provisional answer key can submit their objections online, along with a fee of Rs. 50/- per question.
• Objections will be reviewed by subject experts; based on their review, the final answer key will be published online, followed by the declaration of the KSET result.
• No objections or complaints will be entertained after the final answer key is published.
• There is no provision for revaluation or rechecking of answer scripts/OMR sheets.
• No physical mark card is issued to candidates found eligible or not eligible through KSET.
• The decision of the Karnataka Examinations Authority on all subjects/matters relating to the exam is final.

How to Apply for KSET 2026

Applications for KSET-2026 can be submitted only through the online mode on the official website of the Karnataka Examinations Authority: https://cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/

Steps to Apply Online

1. Visit the official KSET-2026 application portal at https://cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/
2. Register and fill in the online application with accurate personal details, educational qualification details, and KSET-2026 exam-related details (subject, category, exam centre, etc.), including details of the postgraduate course completed or currently being pursued.
3. Ensure the candidate’s name and father’s name entered in the application exactly match the spelling recorded in the SSLC/10th standard marks card, as any mismatch will be scrutinised later.
4. Upload scanned photograph and signature in JPEG format only, within the file size specified on the portal; the system will not accept files that do not meet the specified format/size.
5. Pay the KSET-2026 exam fee online, as per the applicable category.
6. Save and print a copy of the final submitted application for your own records.
7. Download the hall ticket (admit card) from the official website once released; hard copies will not be sent by post. Bring the printed hall ticket, along with a valid photo ID, to the exam centre well before the reporting time.

Candidates are responsible for submitting their online application well ahead of the deadline. The Karnataka Examinations Authority is not responsible for failure to submit an application due to last-minute rush or technical issues.

Important Instructions

• Candidates must download their hall ticket from the official KEA website, verify all printed details carefully, and report to the correct examination centre allotted to them.
• Candidates must carry the printed hall ticket along with one valid original photo ID – Voter ID, Driving Licence, Passport, or Aadhaar Card – matching the photograph on the hall ticket.
• Electronic devices, mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, gadgets, calculators, wristwatches, wallets, wireless sets, chits, and food items are not permitted inside the examination hall. No safekeeping facility for such items is available at exam centres.
• Candidates should carry only a transparent water bottle and permitted writing materials, and report to the centre at the time specified on the KEA website.
• The exam centre, once selected at the time of application, cannot be changed for any reason.
• Candidates registered for the 19 subjects listed under Part-B (see Exam Centres below) must select Bengaluru as their exam centre; no other centre is available for these subjects.
• Use of correction fluid or incorrect marking on the OMR sheet, or any use of unfair means, may lead to disqualification or invalidation of the response sheet.
• For subjects where the question paper is printed bilingually (Kannada & English), the English version will be treated as authoritative in case of any doubt or discrepancy.
• PwD (Special Chetana) candidates are given 60 minutes of additional time combined across Paper-I and Paper-II. Candidates requiring scribe assistance should refer to the guidance published on the KEA website.
• Admission to the exam is provisional and subject to scrutiny; only candidates whose printed application is found in order and who are found eligible will be permitted to appear.
• All instructions given by the invigilator during the exam must be strictly followed; non-compliance can lead to disqualification or cancellation of results.
• The candidature of an applicant is entirely provisional and subject to verification by the Authority. If ineligibility, incomplete documentation, or any discrepancy is found at any stage, the candidature will be rejected, and legal action may be initiated as per applicable law.
• Any dispute relating to the KSET-2026 examination is subject to the jurisdiction of the Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka only.

KSET 2026 Exam Centres

Candidates in the 18 subjects listed under Part-A below can choose any one of all 11 examination centres in Karnataka. Candidates in the 19 subjects listed under Part-B can appear only at the Bengaluru centre; no other centre option is available for these subjects.

Part-A Subjects (All 11 Centres Available)

Commerce, Kannada, Economics, English, Political Science, History, Sociology, Hindi, Management, Education, Library and Information Science, Social Work, Physical Education, Computer Science and Applications, Physical Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, and Life Sciences.

Part-B Subjects (Bengaluru Centre Only)

Geography, Tourism Administration and Management, Mass Communication and Journalism, Psychology, Criminology, Law, Sanskrit, Folklore, Urdu, Public Administration, Environmental Sciences, Home Science, Electronic Science, Earth Sciences, Philosophy, Women Studies, Performing Arts, Music, and Visual Arts.

Important Links

• Apply Online: Click here
• Official Notification PDF: Click here
• Official Website: Click here 

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