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SNQ (Supernumerary Quota) — full tuition-fee waiver on 5% extra seats

Supernumerary Quota seats in KCET: extra seats in all engineering colleges, with the government tuition fee waived.

In short

SNQ (Supernumerary Quota) reserves an extra 5% of seats in every course in all engineering colleges in Karnataka, with the government tuition fee waived — open to every candidate, including General Merit, whose family income is below ₹8 lakh a year. It exists under G.O. ED 10 TEC 2019 (30 May 2019) and is allotted in five income stages, lowest incomes first.

Everything on this page is taken from the KEA UGCET-2026 Information Bulletin (English), 17 January 2026 and the Government Orders it cites (G.O. ED 10 TEC 2019 dated 30-05-2019 for the quota and its slabs). Where that document is silent, so are we — rules change by cycle, and the bulletin for the year you apply in is the one that binds.

What is SNQ?

SNQ is short for Supernumerary Quota — the Tuition Fee Waiver Scheme, as KEA’s bulletin names it. It adds 5% of seats in each course in all engineering colleges, over and above the government seat matrix, so a candidate who takes one does not use up a regular seat. On an SNQ seat the government-prescribed tuition fee for that college is waived in full; the candidate still pays university and other fees.

Eligibility turns on income, not category: all poor and meritorious candidates, including General Merit, qualify when the family’s annual income from all sources is below ₹8 lakh. The claim needs an income certificate from the concerned Tahasildar in the candidate’s own name, with its RD number entered in the CET application. SNQ seats are allotted from a separate merit list in five income stages, lowest incomes first — and the quota does not apply to the Architecture course.

The five allotment stages

A separate merit list is prepared for SNQ, and seats go to the lowest income band first — each stage begins only after the one before it completes. Within a stage, order is by merit.

StageParental annual income
First stageUp to ₹2.5 lakh
Second stageAbove ₹2.5 lakh, up to ₹3.5 lakh
Third stageAbove ₹3.5 lakh, up to ₹4.5 lakh
Fourth stageAbove ₹4.5 lakh, up to ₹6.0 lakh
Fifth stageAbove ₹6.0 lakh, up to ₹8.0 lakh

Source: seat-allotment slabs under G.O. ED 10 TEC 2019, as printed in the KEA UGCET-2026 Information Bulletin (English), 17 January 2026.

The paperwork, exactly

  • Income certificate from the concerned Tahasildar, in the candidate’s own name.
  • Enter the certificate’s RD number in the CET application — without it the claim cannot be verified.
  • SC / ST / Category-1 and General Merit candidates need a separate income certificate; for 2A / 2B / 3A / 3B, the caste-and-income certificate is considered.
  • EWS certificates and Arya Vyshya (Form-G) certificates are not accepted as income certificates for SNQ.

SNQ — questions and answers

Answered from verified records — official closing ranks, published fees and accreditation. Not written by students. How we verify data.

Who is eligible for SNQ seats in KCET?
Every candidate — including General Merit — whose family's annual income from all sources is below ₹8.00 lakh. The bulletin's words: "All poor and meritorious candidates including General Merit are eligible for allotment of seats under Supernumerary quota (Tuition Fee Waiver Scheme)."
How many SNQ seats are there?
5% of the seats in each course in all engineering colleges — the bulletin’s own wording — created over and above the government seat matrix — so claiming an SNQ seat does not consume a regular seat.
What do I actually pay on an SNQ seat?
The government-prescribed tuition fee for that college is waived in full. You still pay university and other fees.
Which certificate do I need?
An income certificate from the concerned Tahasildar, in the candidate's own name, and its RD number entered in the CET application. EWS certificates and Arya Vyshya (Form-G) certificates are explicitly not accepted as income certificates for SNQ.
How does SNQ allotment actually run?
A separate SNQ merit list, allotted in five stages by parental income: first candidates up to ₹2.5 lakh, then ₹2.5–3.5 lakh, ₹3.5–4.5 lakh, ₹4.5–6 lakh, and finally ₹6–8 lakh — each stage starting only after the previous one completes, merit order within each stage.
Does SNQ apply to architecture?
No. The bulletin states the Supernumerary quota is not available for the Architecture course. It applies to engineering seats.

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