Fri Jan 31 15:43:25 UTC 2025: **Karnataka Private Universities Adopt Uniform Entrance Exam for Professional Courses**
Bengaluru, January 31, 2025 – Karnataka’s 32 private universities have agreed to a government initiative to standardize admissions for professional courses, eliminating the need for multiple entrance exams. The universities will now accept the Common Entrance Test (CET), the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), or the COMEDK test for 40% of their private quota seats in programs like engineering. This follows a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with the state government.
The move aims to alleviate the financial and logistical burden on students who previously had to take numerous university-specific exams. Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar spearheaded the initiative, advocating for a streamlined process. While some universities will utilize JEE (Mains) scores, others will rely on COMEDK results.
Dr. Sudhakar lauded the agreement, stating that no private university will conduct separate entrance exams for professional courses next year. PES University, as an example, will accept CET and JEE rankings for admissions, offering full fee refunds to students who secure a place at another institution.
A temporary exception applies to the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE), which will use CET rankings this year instead of the usual JEE ranking due to ongoing procedural issues. The change is effective immediately, and engineering colleges have already begun accepting online applications for the 2025-26 academic year.
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