The Karnataka Examinations Authority, Bengaluru, has officially released the notification for the KEA Principal Recruitment 2026 against a total number of 247 vacancies and invited candidates to submit their application form from September 7, 2026.
Candidates who are to get appointed to the position of Principal at the Government Pre-University Colleges under the School Education Department (Pre-University Education), Government of Karnataka, may apply on October 4, 2026.
KEA Principal Recruitment 2026
The principal recruitment under the Government Pre-University Colleges across Karnataka is an opportunity for lecturers of the state who want to be principal. The window to apply online for this job opportunity in Karnataka is available at https://cetonline.karnataka.gov.in/kea/ Candidates who are interested may submit their online application form without any delay.
KEA Principal Vacancy 2026
The number of vacancies for the KEA Principal Recruitment 2026 are announced with notification release; out of total positions, 216 are for the Residual Parent Cadre and 31 for the Kalyana Karnataka (KK) Cadre. The table below carries the breakdown.
| Category | RPC Vacancies | KK Cadre Vacancies | Total Vacancy |
| General Merit | 108 | 15 | 123 |
| Category-1 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| Category-2A | 32 | 5 | 37 |
| Category-2B | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| Category-3A | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Category-3B | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| SC-A | 12 | 2 | 14 |
| SC-B | 11 | 2 | 13 |
| SC-C | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| ST | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Total | 216 | 31 | 247 |
KEA Principal Eligibility Criteria 2026
To apply for the principal recruitment at the Government Pre-University Colleges, it is mandatory for a candidate that he or she is a lecturer in Government Pre-University Colleges under Karnataka’s School Education Department (Pre-University Education) and has worked at least 10 years in the lecturer cadre.
KEA Principal Application Fee 2026
In order to submit a KEA Principal Recruitment 2026 application form, it is mandatory for a candidate to pay the application fee, which varies from one another depending on category. The table below shows category-wise fee details.
| Category | Application Fee |
| General Merit / 2A / 2B / 3A / 3B | Rs. 1,500 |
| SC / ST / Category-1 / Ex-Servicemen / Third Gender | Rs. 1,000 |
| Persons with Disabilities (Special Category) | Rs. 500 |
The deadline for making the application fee is October 6, 2026; to deposit it, deposit candidates using a debit card, credit card, NET banking or UPI.
KEA Principal Selection Process 2026
The selection process for the kea principal recruitment 2026 consists of the Kannada Language Qualifying Test (Paper 1) and the Competitive Examination (Paper 2 and 3). The final selection list is set to be prepared based on candidates’ performance in the competitive examination.
KEA Principal Exam Pattern 2026
The Karnataka Examination Authority will conduct Paper 1 and Paper 2 and 3 in online mode using the computer-based test. Each paper will have a total of 150 MCQs of each 1 mark. The table below carries the full breakdown for the number of questions.
| Paper | Subject | Questions | Marks | Duration |
| Paper 1 | Kannada Language | 150 | 150 | 3 Hours |
| Paper 2 | General Studies | 150 | 150 | 3 Hours |
| Paper 3 | Karnataka-related / General Studies | 150 | 150 | 3 Hours |
There’s also a provision of negative marking; for each incorrect response, 0.25 marks will be deducted. The medium of Paper 1 will be only Kannada, and the same for Papers 2 and 3, which are set to be bilingual, i.e., English and Kannada.
KEA Principal Pay Scale 2026
Candidates who will be appointed as principal under the Government Pre-University Colleges get a starting basic pay of ₹90,200. The monthly salary also includes dearness allowance, house rent allowance, and other benefits after the deduction of taxes and pension.