Telangana applies approximately 60% reservation in state quota medical admissions. The full Telangana NEET category list includes OC, five BC sub-groups (BCA through BCE), SC (split into SC1-SC3 from 2025), ST, and EWS. This exceeds the Supreme Court’s 50% cap, but the state operates under special state legislation similar to other southern states.
Telangana NEET category list with reservation percentages
| Code | Category | Reservation % |
|---|---|---|
| OC | Open Category (General) | ~36-40% (unreserved) |
| BCA | Backward Class A | 7% |
| BCB | Backward Class B | 10% |
| BCC | Backward Class C | 1% |
| BCD | Backward Class D | 7% |
| BCE | Backward Class E | 4% |
| Total BC | 29% | |
| SC | Scheduled Caste | 15% |
| ST | Scheduled Tribe | 6% or 10% (see note below) |
| EWS | Economically Weaker Section | 10% |
The five BC sub-categories (BCA through BCE) add up to 29% total reservation for Backward Classes. Each sub-category has its own seat pool; a BCA candidate cannot claim a BCB seat and vice versa.
ST reservation: conflicting sources. One source (neetsupport.com) reports ST at 6%, while another (mbbscouncil.com) reports 10%. At 6%, the total reservation (SC 15% + ST 6% + BC 29% + EWS 10%) is 60%. At 10%, the total climbs to 64%. Both figures appear in secondary sources, and neither has been confirmed against the official KNRUHS prospectus at the time of writing. Verify the exact percentage against the KNRUHS prospectus or Telangana reservation GO for your admission year.
SC sub-categorization (2025 onwards)
Starting from the 2025 counselling cycle, Telangana split the SC category into three sub-categories:
| Code | Sub-category |
|---|---|
| SC1 | Scheduled Caste (sub-category 1) |
| SC2 | Scheduled Caste (sub-category 2) |
| SC3 | Scheduled Caste (sub-category 3) |
This sub-categorization follows a Telangana government rationalization GO. The overall 15% SC reservation remains, but seats are now distributed among SC1, SC2, and SC3. The individual percentage split across these three sub-categories has not been published in the sources reviewed; check the relevant GO for exact breakdowns.
In the 2023-2024 allotment data, SC appeared as a single category. The 2025 data uses SC1, SC2, and SC3 exclusively. If you are an SC candidate, your sub-category will be determined by your caste certificate and the applicable government order. This SC sub-categorization is specific to Telangana and uncommon among Indian states.
How to determine your category
Your category for Telangana NEET counselling is determined by your caste/community certificate issued by the competent government authority:
- OC: If your community is not listed in any reserved category
- BCA through BCE: Per the Telangana Backward Classes list. The specific BC sub-group (A, B, C, D, or E) depends on your community’s classification in the state BC list (GO Ms. No. 16 and subsequent amendments)
- SC / SC1-SC3: Per the Scheduled Castes list for Telangana. From 2025, your SC sub-category is determined by the SC rationalization GO
- ST: Per the Scheduled Tribes list for Telangana
- EWS: Family income below Rs 8 lakh per annum, with an EWS certificate issued by the Tehsildar (certificate must be for the admission year)
Your certificates must be in the candidate’s name and valid for Telangana state use (not central government format, which uses different classifications).
Seat vacancy cascade
When reserved seats in a category go unfilled after all rounds, the standard practice is to convert them upward through the reservation hierarchy. While the exact cascade order for Telangana has not been confirmed in the sources reviewed, the general pattern across Indian states is: ST vacancies convert to SC, then to BC, then to OC. EWS vacancies typically revert to the unreserved pool. Confirm the specific conversion chain for Telangana against the KNRUHS prospectus for your admission year.
Horizontal reservations (applied across all vertical categories)
These quotas cut across vertical categories and apply within each:
| Quota | Reservation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 33.33% | Guaranteed in each category for statewide institutions |
| PwD (Persons with Disabilities) | 5% | Across all categories; minimum 40% benchmark disability |
| CAP (Children of Armed Personnel) | 1% | |
| PMC (Police Martyrs Children) | 0.25% | |
| Singareni Collieries | 5% (SIMS Ramagundam only) | For children of Singareni Collieries employees |
Whether the Women’s reservation is supernumerary or carved from existing seats has not been confirmed in the sources reviewed. Check the KNRUHS prospectus for clarification.
The Singareni Collieries quota is specific to the Government Medical College, Ramagundam (SIMS) and does not apply to other colleges.
NCC grace marks
Telangana provides bonus marks for NCC participation. These are percentage additions applied during merit list preparation:
- Republic Day Camp participation: Up to 7% bonus
- TSC/VSC/NSC: 5% bonus
- NCC B Certificate holders: 3% bonus
The exact method of application (whether applied to the NEET score or calculated separately for state ranking) has not been specified in the sources reviewed. Contact KNRUHS for clarification if you hold an NCC certificate.
How Telangana categories differ from AIQ categories
| Telangana state counselling | AIQ equivalent |
|---|---|
| OC | UR (Unreserved) |
| BCA + BCB + BCC + BCD + BCE | OBC (but Telangana splits BC into 5 sub-groups; AIQ has a single OBC category) |
| SC / SC1-SC3 | SC (AIQ has no sub-categorization) |
| ST | ST (Telangana 6-10% vs AIQ 7.5%) |
| EWS | EWS (both 10%) |
| Women 33.33% | No AIQ equivalent |
| CAP / PMC | No AIQ equivalent |
If you hold both a Telangana community certificate and a central OBC/SC/ST certificate, you can use each in its respective counselling (Telangana certificate for state quota; central certificate for AIQ).