From the 2026–27 academic year, appearing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) will be compulsory for admission to Bachelor of Physiotherapy (BPT) and Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (BOT) programmes in Karnataka. The Karnataka State Allied and Healthcare Council (KSAHC) has instructed all universities in the state to implement this requirement, following a communication from the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions (NCAHP) to the National Testing Agency and the Union health ministry.
In a circular, KSAHC chairman Prof. U.T. Iftikhar Ali Fareed directed vice-chancellors of government, private and deemed universities to strictly adhere to the new rule. Until now, admissions to these courses were conducted through common entrance tests or based on pre-university examination marks.
At present, occupational therapy is offered by 27 colleges in the state with a total intake of 655 seats, including 131 under the government quota. Physiotherapy courses have a much larger capacity, with 8,915 seats across 203 colleges, comprising six private universities and four government colleges. Of these, 2,006 seats fall under the government quota.
KSAHC secretary S.T. Srinivas said that allied health sciences earlier did not come under the purview of any regulatory body, but efforts are now being made to standardise and streamline these programmes following the establishment of the council. “Introducing NEET as a mandatory requirement is part of this process,” he said.
He clarified that while candidates must appear for NEET to be eligible for admission, there is no minimum qualifying score prescribed for entry into BPT and BOT courses. The decision is also expected to increase NEET registrations in Karnataka. Last year, around 1.5 lakh students registered for the exam in the state, with 1.4 lakh appearing and 83,582 qualifying. In 2024, nearly 1.5 lakh candidates appeared, of whom 88,887 cleared the test.
