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.
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.
| Stage | Parental annual income |
|---|---|
| First stage | Up to ₹2.5 lakh |
| Second stage | Above ₹2.5 lakh, up to ₹3.5 lakh |
| Third stage | Above ₹3.5 lakh, up to ₹4.5 lakh |
| Fourth stage | Above ₹4.5 lakh, up to ₹6.0 lakh |
| Fifth stage | Above ₹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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- Government seats: every route to a low-fee B.E seat, with the published fee table
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