KSET 2026 by Karnataka Examinations Authority: State Eligibility Test for Assistant Professor (Law, Subject Code 18)

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has issued notification no. ED/KEA/01/KSET-26/2026-27 dated 10 August 2026, inviting online applications for the Karnataka State Eligibility Test (KSET) 2026 for the post of Assistant Professor. The Government of Karnataka directed KEA to conduct the test, which was earlier run by the KSET Centre at the University of Mysore.

KSET 2026 is the minimum eligibility condition for recruitment and appointment as an Assistant Professor in universities, colleges and institutions of higher education (government, aided and private) in the State of Karnataka. Candidates who qualify are governed by the recruitment rules of the institution that hires them. A SET cleared on or after 1 June 2002 makes a candidate eligible to apply for Assistant Professor posts only in the State from which the SET was cleared.

Law is one of the 37 subjects for which KEA will conduct KSET 2026. It carries subject code 18, and the Law question paper is set in English only.

• Law sits in Part B of the subject list, which means Law candidates must select Bengaluru as their exam centre. The eleven district centres (Bengaluru, Belagavi, Bellary, Vijayapura, Davangere, Dharwad, Kalaburgi, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Tumkuru and Mangaluru) are open only to the 18 Part A subjects.
• Criminology, subject code 17, is also offered and is likewise a Part B subject examined in English.
• A candidate must appear in the subject of their own post-graduation. A candidate whose PG subject is not on the KSET list may instead sit UGC-NET or UGC-CSIR NET.
• A candidate who has already become eligible in a previous KSET cannot apply again in the same subject. Doing so cancels the current candidature and withdraws the earlier eligibility by de-notification.

• At least 55% marks (without rounding off) in the Master's degree or equivalent for General category candidates, and 50% for SC-A, SC-B, SC-C, ST, Cat-I, IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB, PwD and Transgender candidates, from a university or institution recognised by the UGC.
• Candidates pursuing the final or second year of a Master's degree, those awaiting results, and those whose qualifying examinations have been delayed may also apply. They are admitted provisionally, and the eligibility certificate is issued only on producing proof of having passed with the required marks within two years from the date of the KSET result.
• PhD holders whose Master's level examination was completed by 19 September 1991 get a 5% relaxation in aggregate marks, from 55% to 50%.
• Candidates from other states are not eligible for reservation and must have secured at least 55%, the General category requirement. The reserved category criteria apply only to Karnataka candidates.
• There is no upper age limit.
• Candidates holding a two-year PG diploma or certificate, or a foreign degree, should obtain an equivalence certificate from the Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi.

• General, Cat-IIA, IIB, IIIA, IIIB and other-state candidates: Rs 750
• Cat-I, SC-A, SC-B, SC-C, ST, PwD and Transgender candidates: Rs 500

Payment must be made through online mode only, as prescribed by KEA. Fees submitted by money order, demand draft, IPO or post office challan will not be accepted. The fee once paid is not refunded under any circumstances. The last date for fee payment is 6 September 2026, one day after the last date to submit the online application.

KSET 2026 is provisionally scheduled for 11 October 2026 (Sunday) in a single session from 10.00 AM to 1.00 PM. Both papers are objective type multiple-choice questions on an offline OMR-based format, and candidates are not allowed to leave the examination centre before 1.00 PM.

• Paper I: 50 compulsory questions, 100 marks. General in nature, testing teaching and research aptitude, reasoning ability, comprehension, divergent thinking and general awareness.
• Paper II: 100 compulsory questions, 200 marks, based on the subject selected by the candidate.
• Each question carries 2 marks. There is no negative marking for incorrect answers.
• PwD candidates are given 60 minutes of extra time for each paper.

To be considered for eligibility, a candidate must appear in both papers and secure at least 40% aggregate marks taken together for the General category, or 35% aggregate for reserved category candidates.

The total number of candidates qualified equals 6% of those who appeared in both papers, following UGC guidelines for SET. Those slots are then distributed subject-wise and category-wise using a UGC formula, and a merit list is prepared on aggregate marks in line with the State reservation policy. KEA does not issue a marks sheet to qualified or non-qualified candidates, and there is no provision for re-evaluation or re-totalling. The eligibility certificate issued to a qualified candidate has lifetime validity.

Applications are accepted in online mode only, through the KEA website. Applications submitted in any other mode will not be accepted.

• Register on the KEA portal, then enter candidature, educational and KSET-2026 examination details, marking the PG course as passed or appearing as the case may be.
• The candidate's name and parents' names must be entered exactly as they appear on the SSLC or Class 10 marks card, because they are printed on the KSET certificate. Name correction requests are not considered later.
• All scanned uploads must be in JPEG format, within the file sizes the portal specifies.
• Candidates other than General must enter a valid RD number for their category certificate, issued on or before the last date for submission. PwD candidates must enter their UDID number for a disability of not less than 40%. Transgender candidates must enter the number of a Transgender Identity Certificate issued under section 6(1) of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
• Take a final print of the submitted application form and preserve it.
• No certificates or printouts need to be posted to KEA. The whole process, including payment and admission ticket, is online.

• Category, subject and exam centre cannot be changed at any stage once the application is submitted. Since the qualifying slots are computed category-wise and subject-wise, an error here directly affects the result.
• Syllabi for all KSET subjects are published on the KEA website. The subject-wise KSET 2026 syllabus had not yet been posted when this notification was issued, so check the KEA site before starting preparation.
• The admission ticket must be downloaded from the KEA website from 1 October 2026. KEA does not post hard copies. Candidates must carry a valid photo ID such as a driving licence, passport, Aadhaar or PAN card, and report at least two hours before the examination.
• Electronic devices, calculators, books, notes and wrist watches of any kind are barred from the examination hall, and there is no counter to deposit them.
• A provisional answer key is published after the test, and a candidate may challenge it online on payment of Rs 50 per question. KEA's decision on challenges is final.
• Candidature remains provisional throughout. KEA does not verify the information entered at registration, and ineligibility detected at any stage cancels the candidature.
• All legal disputes relating to the test fall within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Karnataka alone.