This Kerala NEET category list covers all reservation codes used in CEE Kerala’s medical counselling. The base reservation structure is SC 8% + ST 2% + SEBC 30% = 40%, leaving 60% as State Merit (open to all). EWS (10%) may be supernumerary in some contexts; check the current year’s CEE prospectus for confirmation. Kerala has one of the most detailed backward class reservation systems in India, splitting SEBC into nine distinct community sub-groups rather than a single OBC block.
Category codes used in Kerala NEET counselling
| Code | Category | Reservation % |
|---|---|---|
| GN | General / Forward Community | 60% (State Merit, open to all) |
| EZ | Ezhava | 9% |
| MU | Muslim | 8% |
| BH | Other Backward Hindu | 3% |
| LA | Latin Catholic and Anglo Indian | 3% |
| DV | Dheevara and related communities | 2% |
| VK | Viswakarma and related communities | 2% |
| KN | Kusavan and related communities | 1% |
| BX | Other Backward Christian | 1% |
| KU | Kudumbi | 1% |
| SC | Scheduled Caste | 8% |
| ST | Scheduled Tribe | 2% |
| EW | Economically Weaker Section | 10% (govt colleges only) |
Total SEBC reservation: 30% (EZ + MU + BH + LA + DV + VK + KN + BX + KU combined)
SC/ST total: 10%
EWS: 10% (applicable in government colleges; may be supernumerary)
State Merit (open): 60% (accessible to candidates of all communities, filled purely by merit)
The nine SEBC sub-groups
The SEBC reservation in Kerala is structured differently from the central system. Rather than grouping all backward communities under a single “OBC” label (as at the central level), Kerala assigns each community its own percentage. This means an Ezhava candidate competes only against other Ezhava candidates for the 9% EZ seats, not against all backward classes together.
The nine sub-groups are: EZ (9%), MU (8%), BH (3%), LA (3%), DV (2%), VK (2%), KN (1%), BX (1%), and KU (1%). The Kudumbi community receiving a separate 1% quota is specific to Kerala.
How to determine your category
Your category for Kerala NEET counselling is determined by your community certificate issued by the Village Officer / Tahsildar. The candidate’s community (not the parent’s) determines eligibility. Key points:
- GN (General): If your community is not listed in SC, ST, or any SEBC sub-group
- SEBC (EZ/MU/BH/LA/DV/VK/KN/BX/KU): Per the Kerala State OBC list, which maps each community to its specific sub-group
- SC/ST: Per the Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes lists applicable to Kerala
- EW: Forward community candidates with family annual income below the state-prescribed threshold (per the state government’s prevailing criteria)
OEC (Other Eligible Community)
Kerala has an additional classification called OEC (Other Eligible Community) for forward communities that are economically backward. OEC candidates are considered against seats that remain unfilled by SC/ST candidates. This is not a separate reservation percentage but a vacancy-filling mechanism.
Seat vacancy conversion
When seats reserved for a category go unfilled after all phases, they convert as follows:
- Unfilled SEBC sub-group seats revert to State Merit (SM)
- Unfilled SC seats may be offered to OEC candidates before reverting to SM
- Unfilled ST seats follow a similar pattern
This conversion happens progressively through each phase of counselling.
Seat types beyond community reservation
Beyond the standard community categories, Kerala’s allotment lists include several special seat types:
| Code | Seat Type | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| AC | All Christian (minority community quota) | Varies by college |
| MM | Muslim Minority (community quota) | Varies by college |
| AM | All-India Merit (minority college) | Varies by college |
| NR | NRI (general) | 15% of private seats |
| NC | NRI Christian (minority college) | In Christian minority colleges |
| NM | NRI Muslim (minority college) | In Muslim minority colleges |
| PD | Persons with Disability | 5% in govt/aided colleges |
| CC | NCC | 3 seats |
| XS | Ex-Servicemen | 6 seats |
| DK | Defence Personnel (Killed/Disabled) dependents | 5 seats |
| SD | Serving Defence Personnel | 2 seats |
| PI | Sports (Individual) | 5 seats |
| PT | Sports (Team) | 6 seats |
| DA | Ayurveda degree holders | 7 seats |
| DM | BDS degree holders | 1 seat |
| NQ | Nurse-Allopathy | 1 seat |
The professional degree conversion quotas (DA, DM, NQ) are found only in Kerala’s system; they allow holders of Ayurveda, dental, or nursing degrees to convert to MBBS through designated seats.
Horizontal reservations
Persons with Disabilities (PwD): 5% of seats in government and aided colleges are reserved for candidates with benchmark disabilities (minimum 40%). This applies across all vertical categories.
Sports quota: Eleven seats total, split between individual achievement (PI, 5 seats) and team sports (PT, 6 seats).
Defence-related quotas: Sixteen seats total across NCC (CC, 3), ex-servicemen (XS, 6), defence killed/disabled dependents (DK, 5), and serving defence personnel (SD, 2).
How Kerala categories differ from AIQ categories
| Kerala state counselling | AIQ equivalent |
|---|---|
| GN (General) | UR (Unreserved) |
| EZ + MU + BH + LA + DV + VK + KN + BX + KU | OBC (single block at central level) |
| SC | SC |
| ST | ST |
| EW | EWS |
| OEC | No equivalent |
| AC / MM (minority community) | No equivalent |
If you hold both a state community certificate and an OBC certificate valid for central purposes, you can use the state certificate for Kerala counselling and the central OBC certificate for AIQ counselling separately.