Despite the Karnataka government’s efforts to offer free online coaching, students from government-run pre-university (PU) colleges have fared poorly in the 2025 Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET). Data from the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) reveals that only two students from government colleges secured a place in the top 100 ranks of the engineering stream. In stark contrast, private PU colleges claimed 95 spots in the same list.
Further analysis shows that only 581 government PU students were ranked among the top 25,000 in engineering. In courses like Pharm-D, veterinary, nursing, and yoga and naturopathy, no government college student featured in the top 100. The BSc (Agriculture) stream saw just seven government college students in the top 100, while private colleges dominated again with 99 students.
Stakeholders have pointed out that the lack of integrated education—which combines academic learning with competitive exam preparation—is a major disadvantage for government students. Supreeth BR of the Karnataka Unaided PU College Managements Association stated that the state’s online coaching initiative was ineffective and stressed the need for legalising integrated coaching across colleges to level the playing field.
Supreeth also suggested regulating private coaching centers’ hours to ensure students attend regular college classes. Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar acknowledged the concerns and confirmed that his department would analyze the data and recommend steps to enhance performance in government institutions.
Among the top 1,000 KCET ranks, CBSE students led with 647, followed by ICSE (202) and state board (138) students.
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