KEA Principal Recruitment 2026 (247 Vacancies)

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has released the KEA Principal Recruitment 2026 notification on 2026-09-03 for Principal posts in Government Pre-University Colleges. The recruitment is for candidates who are currently serving as Lecturers in the Department of Pre-University Education. If you meet the prescribed service and probation requirements, you can apply online through the KEA portal within the given dates.

Under this recruitment, Principal posts will be filled on a regular basis across Government Pre-University Colleges in Karnataka. A total of 247 vacancies have been announced through two notifications: 216 posts under the RPC notification and 31 posts under the Kalyana-Karnataka (KK) notification. The online application window opens on 2026-09-07 and closes on 2026-10-04, while the last date for fee payment is 2026-10-05. Selection is based on a competitive written examination consisting of three papers, followed by merit preparation and document verification before final selection.

Important Dates

Vacancy Details

KEA has also released category-wise vacancy breakups separately for the RPC and Kalyana-Karnataka notifications. Candidates must check the applicable category details for the relevant notification before submitting the online application.

Eligibility Criteria

Educational Qualification

The notification specifies eligibility in terms of current employment and service/probation completion rather than listing a separate educational qualification requirement. To be eligible for the Principal post, you must be working as a Lecturer in Government Pre-University Colleges under the Department of Pre-University Education and have completed the minimum required years of service along with full probation satisfactorily, as prescribed in the recruitment notification.

Age Limit

Because this recruitment is intended for serving Lecturers applying under the promotional/direct-recruitment quota within the same department, the notification states that no separate maximum age limit has been prescribed for KEA Principal Recruitment 2026.

Application Fee

Note: Fee once paid will not be refunded under any circumstances.

How to Apply

1. Go to the official KEA website: cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/.
2. Select the relevant link for Principal Recruitment 2026 as per your eligibility—either the RPC notification or the Kalyana-Karnataka (KK) notification.
3. Complete the online registration using the required details.
4. Fill in the application form with personal, service, and educational details as a serving Lecturer.
5. Upload the required documents, including photograph and signature, in the prescribed format and size.
6. Upload caste/category and other reservation-related certificates wherever applicable.
7. Pay the application fee online as per your category.
8. Review all details carefully before submission, because no correction is allowed after the application is submitted.
9. Submit the application and download/retain a copy of the submitted form along with the fee payment receipt for future reference.

Salary & Pay Scale

The pay scale is uniform across both the RPC and Kalyana-Karnataka notifications. Pension benefits will be governed as per the rules applicable based on the candidate’s original date of appointment as Lecturer.

Selection Process

Selection for KEA Principal Recruitment 2026 is based on a competitive written examination conducted either in Online (CBT) or Offline OMR mode. The process includes: (1) a written examination with Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3; (2) preparation of the merit list based on Paper 2 and Paper 3 marks only; (3) document verification; and (4) final selection. For Paper 1 (Kannada Language), candidates must secure a minimum of 50 marks to qualify, but Paper 1 marks are not counted for merit list preparation. Additionally, there is negative marking of 0.25 marks for every wrong answer in Paper 2 and Paper 3.

Eligible serving Lecturers should complete their online application and fee payment before the last date (2026-10-04 for application submission and 2026-10-05 for fee payment) to avoid last-minute issues.