Central University of Karnataka

The Central University of Karnataka (CUK) was established in 2009 as the only such institution in the northern part of the state. Located in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, it aims to allow people living in relatively educationally underdeveloped districts to access world class higher education. Academic and research activities at the University are organized into 12 Schools, covering all disciplines from Business Studies to Engineering, and Life Sciences to Media Studies. There are also three specialized research centers, carrying out high level studies in niche disciplines like Classical Kannada.

Corporate relations and interview logistics at the Central University of Karnataka are managed by the Placement Cell. The University has shown an upward trend in career performance since 2020. The highest salary offered to any student during the most recent placement season was INR 9 LPA. The average (mean) salary was INR 9 LPA. CUK ensures that the largest MNCs and Indian companies offer part time and full time employment to its students, including Tata Consultancy Services, Niva Bupa Health Insurance, ESAF Bank, and Azim Premji Foundation. BTech students consistently had the highest placement ratio, with 44% of final year candidates receiving at least one job offer each.

The CUK permanent campus was established soon after the date of commencement of classes, a unique phenomenon as compared to other Central Universities. The large campus (650+ acres) is green and sustainable, with energy efficiency tracked in both the academic and living areas. It also has extensive sports grounds and halls for cultural performances.

Highlights

Fees

The academic fees for students of the Central University of Karnataka have multiple components e.g. tuition fees, examination charges, registration fees, and caution deposits. The fee structure for representative UG and PG programs is:

• Tuition fee: Varies widely according to the course. Some examples:
  • INR 5,000 per semester: This is at the lower end of the scale. Most MA programs fall into this category. Some programs also have semester fees of INR 4,500 (e.g. BA - History), and a few MA programs have semester fees of INR 5,500 (e.g. MA English).
  • INR 6,750 to INR 7,000 per semester: Many popular Master’s programs fall into this category, including MCom, MA in Economics, MSc in Psychology, LLM, and BSc in Geography.
  • INR 8,000 to INR 10,000 per semester: MBA (Tourism & Travel Management), MCom, MSc Applied Geology, and BBA all fall into this category.
  • More than INR 20,000 per semester: At the upper end of the fee scale are popular professional and engineering courses, including MCA and MBA (INR 25,000 per semester), some BTech programs (INR 27,950 per semester), MTech (INR 28,800 per semester), and cutting edge BTech programs (e.g. Electrical Engineering, INR 32,000 per semester).
• There are 5 types of fees that are each INR 600 per semester, including the Student Welfare Fund contribution, Extracurricular and Sports Fee, Library Fee, Computer Laboratory Fee, and Examination Fee.
• The Laboratory Fee ranges from 0 to INR 2,000 per semester, with the highest amount associated with BTech programs.
• Medical and Health Center Fees are INR 500 per semester.

The living cost for students who live in the CUK hostel has five components:

• Hostel Accommodation Fee (rent): INR 1,200 per semester.
• Hostel and Mess Security Deposit: INR 3,000 (one time; refundable).
• Mess Fee: INR 5,387 per semester.
• Hostel Admission Fee: INR 100 per semester.
• Hostel Day Fee: INR 250 per year.

Students who choose to live at home and commute to the CUK campus must budget for transportation costs.

Admissions

The eligibility criteria for admission to the Central University of Karnataka are as follows:

• PG programs:
  • The student must be a graduate from a recognized University anywhere in India or abroad, with a minimum UG aggregate of 50% for the majority of courses. Some programs (e.g. MPA Visual Arts - Painting) mandate a UG aggregate of 55% or above. Students from reserved categories have a relaxation of 5% in the required qualifying examination aggregate.
  • Most PG programs require applicants to have a UG aggregate in a related subject.
  • Students must submit a valid CUET PG score.
• UG programs:
  • Applicants to UG courses must have passed both the Standard X and XII Board Examination levels. Students in the final year of their 10+2 studies may apply, provided they submit the final transcripts before joining the Central University of Karnataka.
  • The minimum accepted percentage is 50% at the 10+2 level. This is relaxed to 45% for ST and SC applicants.
  • Candidates must have a valid CUET UG score.

Students who wish to apply to the Central University of Karnataka must follow these steps:

• Visiting the CUK Samarth website and checking the eligibility criteria for the program in which the student is interested. Students in the final year of their UG or 10+2 studies may also apply.
• Submitting an online application to CUK; uploading soft copies of mark sheets and identity documents.
• Appearing for the entrance test (either CUET UG or PG) after downloading the hall ticket soft copy.
• After the entrance test is completed and the CUET scores are submitted to the University, CUK releases a provisional shortlist of candidates who satisfy all the criteria; if there are more applicants than seats for a particular program, the best performers in the entrance test are given a preference.
• The CUK shortlist acts as a provisional admission offer; the final admission is confirmed only after all documents are submitted for verification, the first semester’s fees are paid, and the academic registration process is completed.

Placements

As one of the top Universities in India, the placement highlights of the Central University of Karnataka are as follows: 

• Some of the key placement statistics from the 2023-24 season were:
  • Number of companies recruiting students for full time jobs: 20 (up from an average of 10 over the past 4 years).
  • Highest salary package offered: INR 9 LPA (a steady increase from INR 6 LPA 4 years earlier). The minimum CTC was INR 3 LPA.
  • Mean (average) CTC offered across all programs: INR 4.5 LPA; almost twice that 4 years earlier (INR 2.5 LPA).
• Prominent recruiters include Shri Gurukula Academy, Home First Finance Company, Tata Consultancy Services, Niva Bupa Health Insurance, Destination Technologies, SRN Mehta School, Avanti Fellows, ESAF Bank, Azim Premji Foundation, FirstSource, QSpiders, SABA PU College, and KodNest Technologies.
• Sample job roles offered to graduates of CUK are Academic Mentor, Relationship Manager, Customer Support Manager, Software Trainee, Assistant Teacher, Program Associate, Management Trainee, Software Trainee, and Assistant Systems Engineer.
• The median placement salaries over the past three years offered to students of different program types are:
  • UG 3 year programs: INR 3 LPA (exactly in line with the median salary two years previously).
  • UG 4 year programs: INR 5 LPA (up by 42% from INR 3.5 LPA two years earlier).
  • PG 2 year programs: INR 5 LPA (up by 11% from INR 4.5 LPA two years previously).
• The placement rate for graduating students is relatively low:
  • UG 3 year programs: 10 successfully placed out of 96 graduating students registered for placements (10%).
  • UG 4 year programs: 26 out of 59 (44%).
  • PG 2 year programs: 90 out of 625 (14%).

Cut-Offs

The only cut-offs related to admission to the PG and UG programs offered by the Central University of Karnataka are based on the qualifying examination aggregate. For example, 99% of UG and PG courses offered by CUK require the applicant to have a UG aggregate of at least 50% (this is relaxed to 45% for reserved category candidates). However, a few PG courses (e.g. MPA in Visual Arts - Painting) have cut-offs of 55% for general category applicants. Finally, there are no specified CUET UG or PG cut-offs for applicants to register for admission to CUK before the counseling process; however, for all courses, the final cut-off is published after all seats are allotted.

Faculty & Alumni

The Central University of Karnataka is home to 191 full time Faculty members. Of these, 158 (83%) are Assistant Professors, 12 (6%) are Associate Professors, and the remaining 21 (11%) are full Professors. Most Faculty members (156 out of 191, or 82%) hold PhD degrees. A relatively low percentage of Faculty members are regular employees (144 out of 191, or 75%); the remaining are ad-hoc or contractual Professors. All members of the teaching staff are highly qualified and have experience either in academia, industry, or both.

The Central University of Karnataka Alumni Association (CUKAA) was established to coordinate the networking activities of the 6 Departments (e.g. Geology, Hindi) which already have their own Alumni Cells. Other Departments had informal Alumni Associations on social media, and CUKAA aims to provide a common digital platform to facilitate interactions. One of its main aims is to bridge the gap between industry and academia by modernizing the curriculum with alumni input. It also works closely with the Placement Cell to generate part time and permanent employment opportunities through alumni working in different fields. The Association provides a simple online form to enable alumni from all batches to register and add their details to the database.

Scholarships

As in other top Universities in India, there are multiple financial aid options available to students of the Central University of Karnataka. As of 2024, 108 out of 1,990 students (5%) receive full tuition fee waivers from the Central and State Governments, 268 students (13%) receive full scholarships via University funds, and no students receive full tuition fee scholarships from private bodies and Trusts. The four scholarship schemes with the highest numbers of awardees are:

1. State Scholarship Scheme (SSP): UG, PG, and PhD students of CUK are eligible for the SSP if they are from certain categories: SC, ST, OBC, Minority, and EWS. The Karnataka Government maintains an SSC portal with details of all scholarships under this scheme, and students can check the eligibility criteria, admission information, and application deadlines. There are Cells corresponding to each category listed above within the University, and students must visit the relevant Cell for e-attestation of their documents during the final verification stage before the SSP results are declared. The Karnataka State Government reimburses all components of the academic fee other than the refundable caution and library deposits.

2. Government of India Scholarships: New entrants to the Central University of Karnataka can apply for Government financial aid through the National Scholarship Portal (NSP); selected UG and PG students receive full tuition fee waivers through the post matric scholarship schemes and other funding opportunities via the NSP.

3. Merit-cum-Means (MCM) Scholarships: These are also awarded by the Government of Karnataka. Students from all categories are allowed to apply for the MCM scholarships. The applications must be submitted after the admission is confirmed, and students who satisfy the family income financial need criteria are shortlisted for the final award of the scholarships based on their academic performance in the qualifying examination.

4. National Fellowship and Scholarship for Higher Education of ST students: This aims to assist tribal students who are enrolled in MPhil and PhD courses offered by the Central University of Karnataka with their program fees and living costs. The applications must be submitted online to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, and the Scholarship Section of CUK verifies the documents submitted by each candidate. The deadline for application is in February every year for PhD students joining CUK in that academic year. There are 750 such scholarships awarded to deserving tribal research scholars across the country every year.

Preparation & FAQs

Candidates who wish to apply to the Central University of Karnataka for PG programs must familiarize themselves with the CUET PG Test pattern, and UG applicants must go through the CUET UG entrance test pattern in detail. The next step is to improve their familiarity with the 60-second average for each question by working out sample papers and checking the suggested solutions to clear the expected cut-offs. A small number of PG programs (e.g. MTech in RF and Microwave Engineering) accept GATE scores as an alternative to CUET PG scores; students who choose this option should attend full time coaching classes to succeed in the competitive entrance test.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. Which is the top University in India?

The Central University of Karnataka is one of the best Universities in India. It is ranked #30 among the best Central Universities in India, according to the IIRF 2024 ranking list.

Q. What are the application fees to Central University of Karnataka?

The application fees to the Central University of Karnataka vary according to the level of the program to which the student is applying (undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD). The CUET UG application fee is INR 1,000 for up to three subjects, and the CUET PG application fee is INR 1,200. The PhD General Category application fee is INR 500.

Q. What are the expected dates of CUET 2025?

CUET UG 2025 is expected to be held over the third and fourth weeks of May 2025. CUET PG 2025 is expected to be held over the second, third and fourth weeks of March 2025.

Q. What are the eligibility criteria for the Central University of Karnataka PhD admissions?

Applicants to PhD programs offered by the Central University of Karnataka must have an aggregate of 55% or higher in their PG semester examinations. Candidates who have test scores from GATE, JRF, or NET will be given a preference.

Q. What is the exam pattern of CUET UG 2025?

CUET UG 2025 will be held in the hybrid mode: both pen/paper and Computer Based. There is a general test with 60 questions, of which 50 must be attempted. There are also various subject papers (60 in total) with 50 multiple choice questions each, out of which 40 must be attempted. The test is offered in 13 languages.

Q. When are the vacancies for the Central of University Karnataka jobs declared?

The Central University of Karnataka publishes details of open job vacancies on its website. The list is updated every month, and contains two types of interview formats: walk-in contractual position selections, and long term submissions for Professorial positions.