No BDS seats vacant in Karnataka for two years in a row

Compared to previous years, there has been a surge in the demand for Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) courses in Karnataka, and no seats have been vacant for the last two years. All the 2,709 BDS seats available in 2025 and 2,650 in 2024 have been taken.

This is a departure from earlier years when dental seats would remain vacant. Out of the 2,709 seats available in 2023, 199 seats were not taken. In 2022, out of 2,810 seats available, a massive 1,398 seats had remained vacant.

Sharan Prakash Patil, Minister for Medical Education, acknowledged that there was a growing interest in the dental course. Compared to other professional courses, there is traditionally a higher demand for seats in medical and dental courses. However, in recent years, due to shrinking job opportunities and other factors, the dental course had lost its charm. The dental course was the second choice for medical seat aspirants who did not make it to medicine.

However, due to changed circumstances, including new dental colleges not being opened and number of seats not going up, the available seats are getting filled.

According to sources in the Medical Education Department, delay in the medical seat allotment process, late approval for increasing medical seats, court cases related to medical admissions have also contributed to increasing demand for the dental course.

However, at the same time, seats in Pharmacy, Pharm Science, AYUSH, BSc Nursing, and others courses continue to remain vacant. Out of the total seats available this year, 791 seats in Pharmacy, 36 in Pharma Science, 174 in Yoga Naturopathy, and 995 in AYUSH course remain vacant.

Out of the 34,050 nursing seats available this year, only 12,386 seats have been filled. In 2024, a total of 16,744 and in 2023 as many as 22,774 seats had remained vacant.

Dr. Patil said, “From 2023 onwards, nursing seats are also being filled through Common Entrance Test (CET), which is conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority in the State. As many as 20% of government quota seats and 80% of private and management quota seats are also being filled on the basis of CET rank. The fee for government quota seats is ₹10,000, while the fee for private quota seats is around ₹1,00,000, which students find expensive.” As a result, government quota seats were getting filled, while private and management quota seats have remained vacant.