KCET 2026 Round-1 Cutoffs: How the Top-10 CSE Closing Ranks Moved vs 2024 and 2025
2026-07-20
The first KCET 2026 allotment is out, and if you are chasing a Computer Science seat through the General Merit (GM) category, the top of the table has become noticeably tighter. We pulled the GM closing ranks for the CSE branch (General quota) at the ten most selective colleges in Round 1 of 2026, and lined them up against the closing ranks published for 2024 and 2025.
The top-10 CSE table (GM category, General quota)
| College | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| R. V. College of Engineering (E005) | 501 | 499 | 144 |
| PES University, Ring Road (E009) | — | 1,654 | 628 |
| M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology (E006) | 2,012 | 2,076 | 976 |
| SJCE Mysuru, JSS STU (E021) | 2,983 | 3,156 | 2,625 |
| UVCE, Bangalore (E001) | 4,914 | 5,020 | 2,952 |
| PES University, Electronic City (E141) | — | 6,056 | 3,057 |
| SJCE Mysuru, constituent campus (E284) | 4,026 | 4,449 | 3,197 |
| Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering (E007) | 5,996 | 6,584 | 3,572 |
| JSS Science and Technology University (E057) | 5,248 | 6,390 | 4,537 |
| Bangalore Institute of Technology (E008) | 8,598 | 8,157 | 4,567 |
(— : college not listed in the 2024 KEA cutoff data. Both PES campuses appear from 2025 onward.)
What the numbers say
Every single one of the ten closed tighter in Round 1 than its 2025 final figure. RVCE is the headline: after two stable years at 501 and 499, its CSE GM seat closed at 144 in Round 1 — roughly a third of last year's rank. Bangalore Institute of Technology shows the biggest absolute swing, from 8,157 in 2025 to 4,567 now, a gain of about 3,600 ranks.
The middle of the table compressed too. UVCE (2,952 vs 5,020) and Dayananda Sagar (3,572 vs 6,584) both closed at roughly 55–60% better ranks than last year, and PES Electronic City nearly halved from 6,056 to 3,057.
The Round-1 caveat
Before you panic about a rank of 5,000: these 2026 figures are Round-1 closing ranks, while the 2024 and 2025 columns reflect the last published allotment for those years. KCET cutoffs typically relax in later rounds as candidates upgrade, exit for other exams (JEE/COMEDK), or surrender seats. So the honest reading is: Round 1 of 2026 is tighter than the final position of 2025 at every top-10 college, and the final 2026 ranks will likely settle somewhat above today's numbers — but the direction of pressure at the very top is unmistakable.
What this means for you
- Sub-1,000 GM ranks: RVCE, PES Ring Road, and MSRIT CSE are all in play — the 976 close at MSRIT is the loosest of the top three.
- 1,000–3,500 band: SJCE (both listings), UVCE, PES EC, and DSCE are realistic, and later rounds should widen the door slightly.
- 3,500–6,000 band: JSS STU and BIT closed at 4,537 and 4,567 in Round 1; if 2025's relaxation pattern repeats, this band should stay live into casual vacancy rounds.
Keep your option entry wide, because a two-position difference in preference order matters far more in a compressing year like this one.
Data compiled from official publications; verify with KEA (Karnataka Examinations Authority) before decisions.