Confused? Here's some clarity on MBBS, dental admissions

 Medical and dental seat aspirants are only a few steps away from admission. The document verification process concluded on Friday and the online link to choose options is already live.

As students pore over the seat matrix to choose their options, DH highlights some points to keep in mind. The number of seats reserved for students of Karnataka-domicile has now increased. Now, 50% of all institution seats in private colleges are reserved for Karnataka candidates. The remaining 50% will be filled on the basis of NEET ranks. Non-Karnataka candidates are eligible for such seats.

The number of reserved seats in minority institutions has also increased, as 50% of the open quota private seats have been set aside for Karnataka students. Candidates from outside the state can be allotted only general category seats. They are not eligible for government-quota seats and seats in government colleges.

The Karnataka Examinations Authority is conducting counselling for NRI and management quota seats only for medical colleges, and not for dental colleges. For admission to dental colleges through the NRI or management quota, candidates must approach the colleges directly.

“The Dental Council of India has not made it compulsory for dental colleges to have centralised counselling. However, colleges in Karnataka wanted KEA to conduct the process, leaving out NRI and management seats,” Dr S Sachidananda, director of medical education, explained.

Many parents and students were confused as 26 seats in Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, government-quota seats last year, were listed under the private category this time.

Clearing the air, Dr Sachidananda said, “KMC is a deemed university and counselling is done centrally by the directorate-general of health services (DGHS). Until recently, they were using facilities at the district hospital in Udupi. So, as part of the agreement, they had given 26 seats to the government. They are no longer using the facility, but we have requested them to give these seats for state students at a concession.”

35,000 state students

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) saw over 5,000 candidates a day during verification, which began on July 11. In all, about 22,000 candidates from outside the state attended the verification process. From Karnataka, about 35,000 candidates are attending counselling.

“We were not sure how many people to expect for the verification and we were a little overwhelmed. But we have successfully completed the process,” a KEA official said.

This is the first time KEA is conducting counselling for all seats---government, private and management---based on the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). Candidates from other states also took part in counselling in large numbers.

Some questions answered

If I have already taken admission in an engineering college, can I still take part in medical and dental counselling?

Yes, if you are admitted on the basis of CET, you can take part in counselling for medical and dental seats.

What happens to the fee already paid?

It will be transferred to the medical or dental college. If you have paid Rs 50,000 for a government-quota engineering seat and the fee at the medical college is Rs 77,000, you pay only Rs 27,000.

If I have joined an engineering college, can I take part in the second round of counselling to switch to another engineering college?

No. Once you have taken admission, you cannot take part in subsequent rounds for the same course.