Bengaluru: In a positive development for local students, Karnataka’s private universities have agreed to allocate 40% of their seats in general degree courses to the state government from the 2025-26 academic year. This decision, confirmed by Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar, aims to benefit students with Karnataka domicile status. The Karnataka State Private Universities Association (KPUA) has committed to this arrangement.
Currently, only professional courses have such seat-sharing agreements. This initiative, pending for some time, will provide more opportunities for local students. Karnataka is home to 27 private universities and 33 public universities, which oversee 430 government degree colleges.
While government-quota seats are typically subsidized, private universities want the fees for these 40% seats to remain unchanged. Minister Sudhakar mentioned that a Fee Regulatory Committee already sets fees annually for private universities, and this will be a topic for future discussions.
KPUA president D Jawahar, CEO of PES Institutions, confirmed the agreement to allocate 40% of seats to the government but emphasized that universities should conduct a national-level entrance test for these seats. He added that the fees would be standardized for all students.
Some department officials have expressed financial concerns, noting that if they acquire 40% of the seats, they must adhere to reservation policies. This could mean the government may need to cover fees for at least 10% of the students for three years, requiring approval from the Finance Department.
