General reservation
State Merit
Open to all candidates on pure merit, irrespective of category. About half of all government and aided seats are filled this way.
Scheduled Castes
Reserved for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes notified for the State of Kerala.
Scheduled Tribes
Reserved for candidates belonging to Scheduled Tribes notified for the State of Kerala.
Socially & Educationally Backward Classes
Total SEBC reservation, split across 9 sub-categories. Candidates must produce a community certificate and a Non-Creamy Layer certificate.
SEBC sub-categories (within 30%)
| Code | Community | % |
|---|---|---|
| EZ | Ezhava | 9% |
| MU | Muslim | 8% |
| BH | Other Backward Hindu | 3% |
| LA | Latin Catholic & Anglo Indian | 3% |
| DV | Dheevara & related communities | 2% |
| VK | Viswakarma & related communities | 2% |
| KN | Kusavan & related communities | 1% |
| BX | Other Backward Christian | 1% |
| KU | Kudumbi | 1% |
EWS, PD, and special quotas
EWS reservation (General category)
Economically Weaker Sections reservation in the General category, applicable as per Government of Kerala G.O.(MS) No. 128/2020/HEDN dated 20.03.2020. Requires income and asset certificate in the prescribed proforma.
Clause 4.3Persons with Disabilities (PD): 5%
Minimum 40% benchmark disability. Document required: Valid UDID card or disability certificate issued by a competent authority.
Clause 5.3Economically Weaker Section
Reservation for EWS in the General category as per G.O.(MS) No. 128/2020/HEDN dated 20.03.2020.
Clause 4.3Sports proficiency
For B.Arch, sports proficiency marks (out of 500) are added to the architecture rank index (out of 500), so the maximum index becomes 1000.
Clause 5.2.16NCC proficiency
For B.Arch, NCC proficiency marks (out of 500) are added to the architecture rank index (out of 500), giving a maximum index of 1000.
Clause 5.2.17Application fee
UAE examination centre adds Rs. 16000 (relevant only if you write the KEAM Engineering exam from UAE). Payment modes: Credit card, Debit card, Internet banking.
Tuition fee
B.Arch tuition fees for Government, Government Cost-Sharing, and Self-financing colleges are NOT specified in the 2026 prospectus. CEE will publish the fee structure separately before CAP-2026 begins. (Clause 12.1)
Watch cee.kerala.gov.in for the official notification.Fee concessions
SC / ST fee exemption
Candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes are fully exempted from payment of fees, whether allotted on merit or on reserved seats.
Eligibility: Valid community certificate; SC or ST statusClause 12.1.1(a)OEC fee exemption
Other Eligible Communities (OEC) candidates listed in Annexure X(b) are exempted from fee payment under the same conditions as SC/ST.
Eligibility: OEC community certificate; Other conditions per Annexure X(b)Clause 12.1.1(b)SEBC fee exemption (income up to Rs. 6 lakhs)
SEBC candidates listed in Annexure X(a) whose annual family income is up to Rs. 6 lakhs are exempted from payment of fees at the time of allotment.
Eligibility: Community certificate (SEBC); Non-Creamy Layer certificate; Income certificate showing annual family income <= Rs. 6 lakhsClauses 12.1.1(b), 5.4.2(b)Tuition Fee Waiver Scheme (income up to Rs. 8 lakhs)
Children of parents whose annual income from all sources is up to Rs. 8 lakhs are eligible for the Tuition Fee Waiver. Only the tuition fee component is waived; all other fees are payable.
Eligibility: Income certificate <= Rs. 8 lakhs annualClause 13.6Fishermen (FM) children fee exemption
Children of registered fishermen, on production of the prescribed certificate, are exempted from payment of fees.
Eligibility: Fishermen certificate (FM)Clause 12.1.3Inmates of Sri Chitra / Nirbhaya / Juvenile Homes
Candidates who are inmates of Sri Chitra Home, Nirbhaya Home, or notified Juvenile Homes are fully exempted from payment of fees on production of the certificate from the institution.
Eligibility: Certificate from the homeClause 12.1.4Refund rules
Withdrawal before classes start
If a student withdraws before the start of classes, the entire fee already paid is refunded after deduction of a processing fee of not more than Rs. 1,000.
Clause 12.2.2(a)(i)Withdrawal after joining (vacated seat is filled)
If a student leaves after joining the course and the vacated seat is filled within the last date of admission, the institution refunds the fee after deducting Rs. 1,000 plus proportionate monthly fee and hostel rent.
Clause 12.2.2(a)(ii)No fee for subsequent years on cancellation
Institutions cannot demand fees for subsequent years from a candidate who cancels admission. The refund of fees and certificates must be completed within 7 days.
Clause 12.2.2(a)(iii)Liquidated damages for unfilled options after final phase
Candidates who file or retain unnecessary options but do not take admission after a final-phase allotment lose any fee already paid to CEE if the resulting vacancy stays unfilled.
Clause 12.2.3(c)