Bengaluru, 8 September 2026: Karnataka Government has proposed a 15% horizontal reservation for eligible rural students within government seats in professional educational institutions, a move that could have a direct bearing on students from rural Karnataka seeking admission to professional courses.
Proposal is contained in the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Government Seats in Professional Educational Institutions (Amendment) Rules, 2026, notified by the Higher Education Department on September 5.
Under the draft amendment, the proposed 15% rural quota would be divided into two equal categories. 7.5% of the government seats would be reserved horizontally for eligible rural candidates who have studied from Standard 1 to Standard 10 in government schools managed by the Department of School Education and Pre-University, or in Government Pre-University Colleges managed by the department, located in rural areas of Karnataka.
Another 7.5% would be reserved for eligible rural candidates who have studied from Standard 1 to Standard 10 in schools or educational institutions situated in rural areas of Karnataka.
Why this matters
Proposal puts the spotlight on a student's rural schooling background in the allocation of government seats for professional education. For rural families, the provision could become significant if the draft is approved and implemented. However, the proposal is not yet a final reservation policy. Government has invited objections and suggestions from persons likely to be affected by the proposed amendment.
Government seeks public response
Draft rules will be considered by the government after 15 days from their publication in the Official Gazette. Objections and suggestions can be submitted to the Secretary to Government, Higher Education Department, M.S. Building, Dr B.R. Ambedkar Veedhi, Bengaluru-560001, before the expiry of the specified period. Government will consider the responses received before taking the amendment forward. If notified in its final form, the amended rules will come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
Two 7.5% categories
The proposed reservation is structured around two groups of rural students:
Government-school students: 7.5% for eligible candidates who studied from Standard 1 to Standard 10 in specified government educational institutions located in rural areas.
Students from rural educational institutions: 7.5% for eligible candidates who studied from Standard 1 to Standard 10 in schools or educational institutions situated in rural areas.
Draft therefore does not treat the entire 15% as a single category. Instead, it creates two separate 7.5% components.
Still a draft
Proposed amendment has been issued under Section 14 of the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Prohibition of Capitation Fee) Act, 1984. Key point for students and parents at present is that the 15% rural reservation has been proposed but has not yet come into force. Final position will depend on the government's consideration of objections and suggestions and subsequent publication of the amendment in the Official Gazette.
Keywords: Karnataka rural quota 2026, 7.5% rural reservation, government seats Karnataka, professional education quota, rural students Karnataka, Karnataka education rules, Citizen News Puttur