KEA Category Codes Explained: GM, GMH, GMP, OPN & More
Every category code in KEA's PG medical seat matrix and allotment list — what it means, which seats it covers, and how many Round 1 allotments it had in 2026.
GM = General Merit (unreserved government quota). A code ending in H is the same seat for Kalyana Karnataka candidates, so GMH = General Merit – Kalyana Karnataka. GMP and OPN are private-quota seats, MNG is management quota and NRI is NRI quota. 1G, 2AG, 2BG, 3AG, 3BG, S1G–S4G and STG are reserved-category government seats. PGM is most likely a PWD General Merit seat.
Category + Region = KEA Code
KEA's seat matrix splits government-quota seats into RK – Rest of Karnataka and KK – Kalyana Karnataka (KEA's own note). The code tells you both the category and the region.
The category
GM · 1 · 2A · 2B · 3A · 3B · S1–S4 · STGeneral Merit, the backward-class categories, the SC sub-groups and Scheduled Tribe.
…ending in G
2AG = 2A, RKThe seat is for Rest of Karnataka candidates. (Plain GM has no G.)
…ending in H
2AH = 2A, KKThe seat is for Kalyana Karnataka candidates under Article 371(J).
Government-Quota Category Codes
These seats are filled at government-quota fees — in government colleges and in the government-quota share of private and deemed colleges. “Round 1” is the number of allotments under each code in KEA's provisional Round 1 allotment list (5 November 2026).
| Code | Meaning | What it covers | Round 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
GM | General Merit | Unreserved government-quota seat, Rest of Karnataka | 675 |
GMH | General Merit – Kalyana Karnataka | Unreserved government-quota seat for Kalyana Karnataka (Article 371J) candidates | 139 |
1G | Category 1 | Category 1 reserved seat, Rest of Karnataka | 51 |
1H | Category 1 – Kalyana Karnataka | Category 1 reserved seat for Kalyana Karnataka candidates | 9 |
2AG | Category 2A | Category 2A reserved seat, Rest of Karnataka | 190 |
2AH | Category 2A – Kalyana Karnataka | Category 2A seat for Kalyana Karnataka candidates | 40 |
2BG | Category 2B | Category 2B reserved seat, Rest of Karnataka | 53 |
2BH | Category 2B – Kalyana Karnataka | Category 2B seat for Kalyana Karnataka candidates | 12 |
3AG | Category 3A | Category 3A reserved seat, Rest of Karnataka | 51 |
3AH | Category 3A – Kalyana Karnataka | Category 3A seat for Kalyana Karnataka candidates | 10 |
3BG | Category 3B | Category 3B reserved seat, Rest of Karnataka | 63 |
3BH | Category 3B – Kalyana Karnataka | Category 3B seat for Kalyana Karnataka candidates | 13 |
S1G | SC – Group A (SCA) | Scheduled Caste sub-group A, Rest of Karnataka | 63 |
S1H | SC – Group A – Kalyana Karnataka | SC sub-group A, Kalyana Karnataka | 14 |
S2G | SC – Group B (SCB) | Scheduled Caste sub-group B, Rest of Karnataka | 65 |
S2H | SC – Group B – Kalyana Karnataka | SC sub-group B, Kalyana Karnataka | 14 |
S3G | SC – Group C (SCC) | Scheduled Caste sub-group C, Rest of Karnataka | 43 |
S3H | SC – Group C – Kalyana Karnataka | SC sub-group C, Kalyana Karnataka | 10 |
S4G | SC – Group C (20% share) | KEA's separate “SCC (20%)” column, Rest of Karnataka | 7 |
S4H | SC – Group C (20% share) – Kalyana Karnataka | KEA's “SCC (20%)” column, Kalyana Karnataka | 1 |
STG | Scheduled Tribe | ST reserved seat, Rest of Karnataka | 35 |
STH | Scheduled Tribe – Kalyana Karnataka | ST seat for Kalyana Karnataka candidates | 4 |
PGM | PWD – General Meritmost likely | Matches KEA's “PWD seats – GM” column; government-level fees | 11 |
PGMH | PWD – General Merit – Kalyana Karnatakamost likely | Kalyana Karnataka version of PGM | 1 |
Private, Management & NRI Codes
These sit under KEA's “Private, Management, NRI” heading and apply only in private and deemed colleges. Fees are far higher than government quota.
| Code | Meaning | What it covers | Round 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
GMP | General Merit – Private | Private-quota seat in a private or deemed college, allotted on merit | 423 |
GMPH | General Merit – Private – Kalyana Karnataka | Private-quota seat for Kalyana Karnataka candidates | 154 |
OPN | Open | Open private-quota seat, not tied to a reserved category; same fee level as GMP | 443 |
MNG | Management | Management-quota seat; much higher fee than private quota | 172 |
NRI | Non-Resident Indian | NRI-quota seat; highest fee band, NRI sponsorship documents needed | 18 |
OTH(Q) | Other quotanot defined by KEA | Column in KEA's seat matrix; no Round 1 allotments | — |
Planning for these seats? See MD/MS through management quota, NRI quota guidance and open-quota seats.
Minority & College-Specific Codes
These appear only at particular minority or institutional colleges. KEA lists ME, MU, MA and MK as columns but does not say which community each stands for, so we show where they are used rather than guess.
| Code | Meaning | Where it is used | Round 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
MC | Minority – Christian | Used at Father Muller Medical College, Mangalore | 44 |
MM | Minority – Muslim | Used at Kanachur (Mangalore) and Al-Ameen (Vijayapura) | 49 |
MMH | Minority – Muslim – Kalyana Karnataka | Kalyana Karnataka version of MM | 3 |
ME | Minority seat (college-specific)not defined by KEA | Used mainly at Vydehi, Akash, Oxford and Subbaiah | 146 |
MEH | Minority seat – Kalyana Karnatakanot defined by KEA | Used mainly at Navodaya Medical College, Raichur | 38 |
MU | Minority seat (college-specific)not defined by KEA | Used mainly at A J Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalore | 44 |
MA | Minority seat (college-specific)not defined by KEA | Used mainly at MVJ Medical College, Bangalore | 33 |
MK | Minority seat (college-specific)not defined by KEA | Column in KEA's seat matrix; no Round 1 allotments | — |
RC1 | St John's institutional category 1 | St John's Medical College, Bangalore — the college's own reserved categories | 7 |
RC2 | St John's institutional category 2 | St John's Medical College, Bangalore | 52 |
RC3 | St John's institutional category 3 | St John's Medical College, Bangalore | 24 |
Check Your Eligible Codes
- KEA shows the categories you are eligible for after document verification. Only those codes can be allotted to you.
- A Kalyana Karnataka candidate can compete for both RK and KK seats; KK seats (H codes) are reserved for them.
- Private, management and NRI seats (GMP, OPN, MNG, NRI) have separate, much higher fees and their own document rules.
- See how these categories close branch by branch in our category-wise cutoff for MD General Medicine, and total seats in the KEA PG seat matrix 2026.
KEA Category Codes Questions
What does GMH category mean in Karnataka?
GMH means General Merit – Kalyana Karnataka (the old Hyderabad-Karnataka region). It is an unreserved government-quota seat set aside for candidates eligible under Article 371(J). KEA's seat matrix splits government-quota seats into RK (Rest of Karnataka) and KK (Kalyana Karnataka); codes ending in H are the KK seats.
What is GM category in Karnataka?
GM is General Merit: the unreserved government-quota seat for Rest of Karnataka candidates, filled on NEET PG merit. It was the most-allotted code in KEA's PG Medical Round 1 provisional allotment 2026.
What does PGM category mean in KEA?
KEA does not print a definition. PGM most likely means a PWD (persons with disability) General Merit seat: KEA's seat matrix has a separate PWD seats column for GM, and PGM seats were allotted at government-level fees in Round 1. PGMH is the Kalyana Karnataka version.
What does MNG category mean in Karnataka?
MNG is the management quota in private and deemed colleges. It carries a much higher fee than private-quota (GMP or OPN) seats. NRI is a separate, higher-fee quota.
What is the difference between GM, GMP and OPN?
GM is a government-quota seat at government-quota fees. GMP (General Merit – Private) and OPN (Open) are private-quota seats in private and deemed colleges, at the much higher private-quota fee. GMPH is the Kalyana Karnataka version of GMP.
What do RC1, RC2 and RC3 mean?
They are St John's Medical College, Bangalore's own institutional categories. In KEA's Round 1 allotment they appear almost only at St John's.
What do 1H, 2BH, 3AH and STH mean?
The number or letters name the reservation category (Category 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, SC sub-groups, ST) and the final H means the seat is for Kalyana Karnataka candidates. The same code ending in G is the Rest of Karnataka seat.
What do S1G, S2G, S3G and S4G mean?
They are the Scheduled Caste sub-groups in KEA's seat matrix: S1 = SC group A (SCA), S2 = SC group B (SCB), S3 = SC group C (SCC) and S4 = KEA's separate SCC (20%) column. G is Rest of Karnataka; H is Kalyana Karnataka.
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