BENGALURU: A 7.5% sub-quota within the existing 15% rural reservation will be provided to students who have studied in government schools and pre-university (PU) colleges in rural areas of Karnataka for admission to professional courses, School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa announced on Sunday.
A draft notification titled “Selection of Candidates for Admission to Government Seats in Professional Educational Institutions in Karnataka (Amendment) Rules, 2026” was issued on September 17. After reviewing objections and suggestions, the state government published the final notification on October 8.
“The Department of Higher Education has issued this notification, under which the 7.5% sub-reservation for government school students will be provided within the existing 15% rural reservation quota. This initiative will facilitate access to higher education for students studying in rural government schools,” Bangarappa said.
The minister added that the initiative fulfilled the dream of former Chief Minister Sarekoppa Bangarappa. “During his tenure, he took the historic decision to grant ‘rural grace marks’ with the aim of enabling rural youth to secure government jobs and become part of the administrative machinery. Later, a reservation system was implemented to replace the grace marks scheme for rural candidates. This reservation is now being extended to the education sector as well,” Bangarappa added.
