KEAM Allotment for MBBS: How CEE Kerala Counselling Works and When to Decide on Abroad
Kerala does not use a KEAM exam for MBBS. It uses your NEET score. CEE Kerala, the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, registers you on the KEAM portal, ranks you and fills government and self-financing seats in phases. This guide follows the 2026 cycle step by step, shows the last ranks reported, and explains how its dates overlap with the Russian admission season.
In short: "KEAM allotment" for MBBS means the CEE Kerala counselling, which ranks Kerala candidates on their NEET-UG score. In 2026, Phase 1 was allotted on 25–27 August, Phase 2 on 11–12 September and Phase 3 on 8–11 October, with Phase 3 joining closing at 4 pm on 14 October; we found no stray vacancy schedule yet. In Phase 1, government MBBS seats closed between state rank 144 and 721 in open merit. If your state rank is far beyond that, the Russian admission season is the deadline that matters, so decide before more rounds pass.
What "KEAM allotment" means for MBBS
KEAM is Kerala's entrance examination for engineering and pharmacy. The medical courses, MBBS and BDS and the AYUSH degrees, have no KEAM paper. They are filled on the NEET-UG score. The same office, CEE Kerala, runs both, and the same candidate portal is used, which is why families still say "KEAM allotment" for MBBS. The website is cee.kerala.gov.in. For 2026, the CEE site lists a "KEAM 2026 Candidate Portal" opened on 13 March 2026.
CEE allots two kinds of seat through this process: government medical college seats and seats in the self-financing colleges under the state quota. NRI-quota seats are allotted through a separate list. The all-India quota, 15% of government seats, is filled by the Medical Counselling Committee in Delhi, not by CEE. The self-financing seats are often called "management quota" seats, but in Kerala they are allotted by CEE on the NEET rank, so there is no separate management fee to negotiate. The fees are in our Kerala versus Russia fee comparison.
How the allotment works, step by step
Register on the KEAM portal
You fill the application, pay the fee and upload documents. Careers360's 2026 schedule shows a registration window that opened on 5 January and a reopened window for NEET candidates on 23–27 July 2026. Dates differ in news reports, so read the CEE notification, not a blog.
Submit the NEET score
Candidates had to submit the NEET-UG 2026 score on the portal by 10 August 2026, 12 noon, to be included in the state rank list. Missing this step means no rank, however high the score.
Rank list
CEE published the provisional medical rank list in mid-August 2026 with the state rank, roll number, NEET score and NEET rank, and separate lists for categories such as PwD, NRI and minority quota. It had 35,455 candidates. The top candidate had 695 marks and an all-India rank of 69. There is a window to raise complaints before the final list.
Web options
You enter colleges in order of preference. The order matters, because the allotment follows your preferences and your rank. Do not list a college you would not join: an allotment you do not take up has costs (see below).
Allotment and joining
CEE publishes a provisional allotment, then the final allotment after complaints. You pay the fee and report to the college within the stipulated days.
Later phases
Before each further phase, CEE opens a window to confirm, rearrange or delete your existing options. CEE's notice ties the rules for joining to the "higher options" in your list, so read what each phase does to the options above and below the seat you hold.
The 2026 schedule so far
| Stage | Dates reported for 2026 |
|---|---|
| NEET score submission closes | 10 August, 12 noon |
| Provisional state rank list | 13–14 August |
| Phase 1 options | 15 to 24 August (revised notice of 20 August: closed 24 August, 11 am) |
| Phase 1 provisional / final allotment | 25 August / 27 August |
| Phase 1 joining | 28 August to 5 September, 4 pm |
| NRI category list (provisional / final) | 2 September / 3 September, 974 candidates (903 NRI and 71 NRI non-Keralites) |
| Phase 2 provisional allotment | 11 September (final reported 12 September; joining 14–18 September) |
| Phase 3 provisional / final allotment | 8 October / 11 October |
| Phase 3 joining | 12 October to 14 October, 4 pm |
| Stray vacancy round | No 2026 schedule found. In 2025 a stray vacancy round allotted 255 candidates |
In 2026 the state government also added seats after the first notification: an order issued on 4 September 2026 added 50 MBBS seats at Azeezia, 100 at Dr. Moopen's in Wayanad and 50 at MES Medical College, Perinthalmanna, as reported by neet2seat. Added seats appear in later phases, so a student with a rank just beyond the Phase 1 limit sometimes gains from them.
Waiting for the next Kerala phase?
Tell us your state rank; we compare your likely Kerala outcome with MBBS in Russia before you decide.
Last ranks in the 2026 allotment
These are KEAM state ranks, not NEET all-India ranks. At the Phase 1 final allotment, the last open-merit rank in government colleges ran from 144 at Kozhikode and 290 at Thiruvananthapuram up to 721 at Manjeri; the middle of the group (Thrissur, Kottayam, Alappuzha) closed at 457 to 625. SC candidates closed between 4,910 and 8,730 and EWS between 742 and 2,097 in the nine government colleges for which a rank was reported. Among self-financing colleges, the last open-merit rank was 1,753 at Jubilee Mission and 2,147 at Amala, and as high as 9,716 at Palakkad Institute of Medical Sciences. The full table is on the NEET 2026 result and options page.
The figures come from a third-party tabulation of the CEE allotment PDF, and the publisher noted no closing rank changed between the provisional and final lists. Use them to see the scale, not to forecast 2027. Old ranks shift with the number of candidates, the seats added, and how many allottees do not join.
Fees and what you pay to join
- Government colleges: tuition of about ₹23,150 a year, as quoted from the CEE prospectus. Hostel and other charges are extra.
- Self-financing colleges: the fee for 2026-27 had not been fixed when we checked. Candidates pay the 2025-26 fee for now and may owe the balance once the Fee Regulatory Committee decides. One college's 2025-26 provisional general fee was ₹8,10,175 a year.
- 54-month rule: a state order of 17 July 2026 says tuition is to be charged only for the 54 months of study, not for the internship year. The new fees are still to be fixed.
- If you do not join: not joining within the stipulated time, or leaving a seat after joining, forfeits the allotment and all the higher options in that stream. The registration fee is not refunded, and the prospectus can add liquidated damages. Read the clause before you accept a seat as a placeholder.
Documents CEE asks for
- The secondary school certificate or another proof of date of birth.
- The self-attested Class 12 mark sheet.
- Community certificate for SC/ST, or the non-creamy-layer certificate for SEBC/OEC, and certificates for any special reservation.
- For PwD candidates, a medical certificate.
- A valid photo ID such as a driving licence, PAN, voter ID or passport.
- The NEET-UG scorecard details, entered on the portal.
The set of certificates for Russia is different: school certificates with an apostille through NORKA, a passport and the admission letter. Start those early with the help of our NORKA attestation guide.
When to decide on abroad
The Kerala phases run from late August into October, while the Russian admission season begins earlier and ends sooner. Universities in Russia start the academic year in September and each sets its own last date for new foreign students; most work to a timetable of admission letter, invitation and visa that takes weeks. A visa invitation from a Russian university has been reported to take about 20 working days and sometimes up to 45, and the visa itself several more weeks. That is why a family should not wait for the last Kerala round before looking at Russia.
| Your position | What to do |
|---|---|
| State rank inside the last ranks of the government colleges you want | Wait for CEE's rounds. A Russian application is only a back-up, and you need not pay an advance for it. |
| State rank within the self-financing range (up to about 10,000 in Phase 1) | Compare the fee for 4.5 years, about ₹8 lakh a year at the figure we have, with a Russian state university. Do this before the phase closes, not after joining. |
| State rank beyond the last rank in every phase | The Kerala route is probably closed this year. Decide on Russia, another country, or a repeat attempt now, and ask the universities for their last admission date. |
| Rank near the limit, and you would take Russia if you did not get a seat | Apply to a Russian university in parallel. Check its refund terms before paying an advance, and do not sign a contract until the Kerala phase result is known. |
The NEET result stays valid for three years for admission abroad, so a student who takes a Kerala seat or a repeat year does not lose the option of going abroad with the same score. A student who joins a seat in Kerala and then leaves it loses money and options, so decide before you join, not after.
When you compare, count the whole path. Russia means FMGE (see the pass rates) and a 12-month internship in India. The cost side is in the fees and education loan pages, and the rules that make a Russian degree valid are on the NMC rules page.
Compare your Kerala rank with Russia
We show your likely Kerala outcome and three Russian universities side by side.
KEAM Allotment for MBBS: Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a KEAM exam for MBBS in Kerala?
No. KEAM is the engineering and pharmacy entrance. MBBS and BDS seats in Kerala are allotted by CEE Kerala on the NEET-UG score, through the KEAM candidate portal. You must register on the portal and submit your NEET score to get a state rank.
How many phases does the Kerala MBBS allotment have?
In 2026 there were three phases between 25 August and 11 October, and a stray vacancy round has followed in earlier years. Before each phase CEE opens a window to confirm, rearrange or delete your options.
What was the last rank for government MBBS in Kerala in 2026?
In Phase 1 the last open-merit state rank was 144 at Kozhikode and 721 at Manjeri, according to a tabulation of the CEE allotment. Reserved categories closed at higher ranks, for example 4,910 to 8,730 for SC. These are state ranks, not NEET all-India ranks.
What is the fee in a Kerala government medical college?
The tuition is about ₹23,150 a year, with hostel and other charges extra. Since July 2026 tuition is charged only for the 54 months of study. Self-financing fees for 2026-27 had not been fixed when we checked.
What happens if I do not join the seat allotted in KEAM counselling?
The allotment and all higher options in that stream are forfeited, and the registration fee is not refunded. The prospectus can add liquidated damages. Read the clause before accepting a seat you may not take.
When should I decide on MBBS abroad if I am waiting for KEAM?
Decide before the last round you realistically expect to help you, and apply to a Russian university in parallel if your rank is near the limit. A visa invitation alone can take about 20 to 45 working days, so waiting for a late round can cost the year.
Sources: CEE Kerala (cee.kerala.gov.in) home page and KEAM 2026 candidate portal listing; Careers360 Kerala MBBS admission page and Kerala NEET rank list 2026 report; neet2seat.com reports on the KEAM 2026 Phase 1 final allotment (last ranks, NRI list, G.O.(Ms) No. 251/2026) and Phase 3 allotment; edufever and Sartha summaries of the revised Phase 1 and Phase 2 notices; G.O.(Rt) No. 2326/2026/H&FWD of 17 July 2026 as reported by Medical Dialogues; Careers360 report of the 2025 stray vacancy round; a visa invitation timeline from an admissions guide. Checked October 2026. Reported dates and ranks come from news sites quoting CEE notices.