CEE Kerala to soon close registrations for MDS admissions 2026, check details

Kerala: The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE), Kerala, is soon going to close the window for submitting online applications by NEET MDS 2026-qualified candidates seeking admission to Postgraduate Dental (MDS) courses for the 2026 academic session.

The admissions will be conducted for State Quota seats in Government Dental Colleges and all seats, including Minority and NRI quotas, in Self-Financing Dental Colleges across the state.

Eligible candidates can submit their applications online through the CEE Kerala portal till July 7, 2026 (11:59 PM).

To be eligible for admission, candidates must have a recognised BDS degree, permanent registration or eligibility for full registration with the Kerala State Dental Council, and must have completed the mandatory one-year internship by May 31, 2026. They should also qualify NEET MDS 2026 by securing the prescribed percentile applicable to their category.

Admissions will be based on the NEET MDS 2026 rank and the state merit and category lists prepared by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, as per the admission prospectus.

The application fee for the course is Rs 1,000/- for General, SEBC and Service candidates, while SC/ST candidates need to pay Rs 500/-. Service quota applicants opting for General Merit seats must pay an additional application fee. The fee is non-refundable.

Eligibility for Admission

a. Academic: Applicant should possess a BDS degree from an approved Dental College and duly awarded by any one of the Universities in Kerala or duly recognized by the Government of India as equivalent there to under the Indian Dentists Act, 1948 and should have obtained permanent registration from the Kerala State Dental Council after passing the final BDS examination or its equivalent there to with eligibility for full Registration in Kerala State Dental Council in all respects. Applicants who have completed one year (12 months) Compulsory Rotating Resident Internship (CRRI) as per DCI regulations in an approved/recognized Dental College on or before 31.05.2026 are eligible to apply. The condition of one year Compulsory Rotating Resident Internship is not applicable to those candidates who had passed their final BDS Examination on or before 1988 and hold a BDS Degree from a Dental College recognized by the Dental Council of India and have obtained provisional or permanent registration from the Kerala State Dental Council. Admission to the candidate will be given only on the production of the registration of Kerala State Dental Council in original. 

b. Nativity: Applicants should have satisfied any of the following conditions:

i. The applicant should be an Indian Citizen of Kerala Origin.

ii. Keeping in view the directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in order dated 03.02.2023 passed in WP (Civil) 891 of 2021., the OCI cardholders will now be eligible to the rights which were provided to them earlier to the impugned notification dated 04.03.2021. They will be treated at par with Indian citizens and will be eligible for UR (General) category seats as well as NRI seats for the purpose of counseling. However, PIO/OCI candidates will not be eligible for any kind of reservation.

iii. Candidates, who are sons/daughters of Non-Keralite parents and have obtained BDS degree from any of the Dental Colleges in Kerala State. But they will not be eligible for communal /Special/PD reservation benefits.

c. Age:

i. There is no upper age limit for General Quota candidates .

ii. For Service candidates under Medical Education Service (MESQ), upper age limit will be 49 years) and under Health service (HSQ) and Insurance Medical Service (IMSQ), the upper age limit will be 47 years as on 31st December of the year of issue of notification.

d . Qualifying Criteria: All candidates including Service candidates seeking admission to Post Graduate Dental courses in the State of Kerala for the academic year 2026 shall have to qualify the National Eligibility –Cum Entrance Test for Post Graduate Dental Courses (NEET MDS-2026) conducted by the National Board of Examination, New Delhi and should figure in the rank list prepared by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations. In order to be eligible for admission to any Post Graduate Dental course in 2026 it shall be necessary for candidates including those who apply under Service category to obtain a minimum of marks at 50th percentile in the NEET MDS - 2026. However, in respect of candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), the minimum marks shall be at 40th percentile. In respect of physically disabled candidates under general category, the minimum marks shall be at 45th percentile and that of SC/ST/SEBC category, the minimum marks shall be 40th percentile.

Mode of Selection

The selection of all candidates including Service Candidates shall be made from the Rank list and Category list prepared by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations based on the NEET MDS 2026 rank list and as per the eligibility provisions contained in the Prospectus for admission to MDS-2026.

How to apply

All candidates who have qualified in NEET-MDS 2026 seeking admission to the MDS Courses-2026, in Kerala should apply online through the website of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations up to 07.07.2026, 11:59 PM. Candidate can register by giving their NEET Roll Number, NEET Application ID (Part ID), and Date of Birth. While applying online, the applicant should upload the scanned image of his/her documents/certificates in PDF format. Candidates are advised to keep the printout of the acknowledgement page for future reference. No need to send the printout of the acknowledgement page or any supporting documents to the office of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations.

Application Fee

Application fee for General/SEBC/Service candidates is Rs.1000/- (Rupees Thousand only) and in the case of SC/ST candidates and those eligible for SC/ST benefits as per G.O.(Ms) No. 25/05/STSCDD dated 20.06.2005 is Rs.500/- (Rupees Five hundred only). If a Service quota candidate applies for general merit seats, they must pay an additional application fee (Rs. 1000/- or Rs.500/- as the case may be), other than that remitted for applying for service quota seats. The prescribed fees can be remitted only through online payment. Application fee once remitted will not be refunded under any circumstances.

Application of Service Candidates

Service Candidates in addition to applying online, should forward a copy of the printout of the acknowledgement page along with all required documents including their service details to the Controlling Officer concerned as stipulated in clause 11.7 of the prospectus, on or before 07 .07.2026.

The candidates claiming reservation under Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/SEBC/Special quota should upload necessary certificates and documents in proof of their claim from the concerned authorities in the prescribed format together with the Online Applications.

The admissions to the entire PG Dental seats including Minority/NRI quota seats in self-financing Dental Colleges in the State for the year 2026 shall be done through a common counseling to be conducted by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations from State Rank lists which will be prepared on the basis of NEET-MDS 2026 rank list.

Admission under NRI Quota

The Candidates seeking admission to the NRI quota seats in Self- financing Dental Colleges in the State shall have to upload the following Certificates/documents during the submission of Online Applications

1. Passport copy and Visa /Green Card/Norka Roots ID/Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) documents of their respective sponsors. The job of the sponsor should be mentioned in any of the above documents. Candidates shall produce sworn affidavit of the sponsor deposing that the valid renewal (of) Visa/Acknowledgement will be produced at or before the time stipulated for the allotment process conducted by the CEE.

2. In case, the employment of the sponsor is not mentioned in the above documents the candidate has to produce Employment certificate of the sponsor attested by the Embassy/Consulate authorities.

3. Certificate clearly establishing the relationship of the sponsor with the candidate shall be obtained from the Revenue authorities as per the G.O(Ms) No. 243/14/H&FWD dated 06.08.2014.

4. The candidate shall produce the sworn affidavit from the Sponsor in a stamp paper worth Rs. 200/-. The same shall also be notarized by the Notary Public, disclosing that the student is dependent on the sponsor and all expenses i.e. tuition fee and special fee, of the candidate for the entire course period will be borne by the Sponsor.

Visa Validity Proof: If a traditional visa is unavailable, equivalent official documents indicating visa validity are acceptable. These include: Civil ID, Resident Permit, Resident ID, IQAMA, Electronic Visa, Employment Pass, or Entry Visa.

Embassy Attestation: Any valid document formally attested by the Indian Embassy or Consulate General of India that explicitly mentions visa validity will be considered acceptable.

Sponsor Status (Housewife/Student): If the sponsor's visa shows the employment status as" Housewife" or "Student", the corresponding Employment Certificate will be accepted as valid, provided it is properly attested

Exemption from Embassy Attestation (e.g., UAE): In countries where visas are no longer stamped on passports, the Resident Identity Card is accepted in lieu of a visa. Crucially, this does not require attestation from the Indian Embassy/Consulate General.

Proof of Employment: The Resident Identity Card or a Golden Visa will be treated as valid proof for the Employment Certificate itself.

Sponsorship Certificate Validity: Documents attested by Indian Embassies abroad will have a maximum validity period of six months.

Admission under Minority Quota

Candidates who want to take admission under Minority quota (Christian/Muslim) seats of Post Graduate Dental courses in the Self- financing colleges having Minority status, should upload the Non-creamy layer certificate for Kerala State Education purpose from Village Officer/Minority/Community certificate along with the online application 

Candidates will be allowed, neither to include any information in the online application nor to submit any certificates / documents claiming reservation or any benefits, after the online submission of the application, under any circumstances. Candidates must note that they have to upload the required certificates during the submission of online application itself.

To view the official document click the link below: