Checked 25 September 2026. From G.O.Ms.No.20 (12-05-2025), which the 2026 notification applies to 2026-27 although the G.O. is written for 2025-26, and the reservation G.O.s linked by APSCHE. Shares for ST, BC groups and women are not stated in the PGECET documents.
Two rules decide most AP PGECET admissions before rank does: whether you are a local candidate, and of which area. In each course, 85% of seats go to local candidates of the area where the institution sits (AU or SVU; statewide universities split theirs 65.62 : 34.38); the other 15% are "unreserved" — but not open to anyone in India. This guide explains both, then the reservations the 2026 documents actually state.
Where other pages get this wrong
The 15% unreserved seats in AP PGECET are open only to defined groups — AP locals, 10-year residents and children or spouses of employees working in AP — not to candidates from anywhere in India.
Commonly published instead: "Local quota = residents of Andhra Pradesh or Telangana; the 15% is open to candidates from anywhere in India."
G.O.Ms.No.20 limits the unreserved 15% to (a) locals of either area, (b) those who (or whose parent) lived in the State for 10 years, (c) children of State, Central, PSU, local-body or university employees working in the State, and (d) spouses of such employees. The booklet also says candidates "should belong to the State of Andhra Pradesh". Telangana students are local only under the migration rule (G.O.Ms.No.171 of 2017).
G.O.Ms.No.20 (2025); detailed notification 2026.
The two local areas
| Area | Districts (erstwhile) |
|---|---|
| Andhra University (AU) area | Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam |
| Sri Venkateswara University (SVU) area | Anantapur, Kurnool, Chittoor, Cuddapah, Nellore |
| Statewide universities (SPMVV, Dravidian, Dr. Abdul Haq Urdu, Dr. YSR Architecture & Fine Arts, RGUKT, Silver Jubilee Govt. College Cluster) | 85% split between AU and SVU locals 65.62 : 34.38, plus 15% unreserved |
G.O.Ms.No.20, Higher Education (EC) Dept., 12-05-2025.
Who is local. You are a local candidate of an area if you studied for four consecutive academic years in it, ending with the year of your qualifying examination — or, if you were not studying, lived there for those four years. If you do not meet that for either area, but studied in the State for seven consecutive academic years ending with the year of your qualifying exam (or lived in the State for that whole period), you are local to the area where you spent longest — or, if equal, where you studied or lived last. A 2025 APPGECET notice on local status applies G.O.Ms.No.171 of 2017: students who moved from Telangana are local in AP if they migrated within five years from 2 June 2014 and hold a Form-III local-status certificate.
Are you a local candidate — and for which area?
Answer about the four academic years ending with your qualifying degree (for a B.Tech, usually the four years of the degree itself).
From G.O.Ms.No.20 (12-05-2025), applied to 2026-27 admissions by the 2026 notification although the G.O. says 2025-26. Simplified: the rules also count residence for years not in study, and Telangana migrants need a Form-III local-status certificate. The competent authority decides.
Who can take the 15% unreserved seats
| Group | Who |
|---|---|
| (a) | Local candidates of the AU or SVU area (competing alongside the groups below) |
| (b) | Those who lived in the State for 10 years, excluding periods of study outside — or whose parent did, excluding employment outside |
| (c) | Children of those employed by the State or Central Government, Public Sector Corporations, local bodies, universities and other similar quasi-public institutions within the State |
| (d) | Spouses of those employed by the State or Central Government, Public Sector Corporations, local bodies, universities, educational institutions recognised by the Government, a university or other competent authority, and similar quasi-Government institutions within the State |
A conflict to know about. G.O.Ms.No.20 says its amendments apply "for taking up admissions for the academic year 2025-26 only", yet the 2026 admissions notification applies it, "and its amendments", to 2026-27. We found no 2026 order extending it. In practice the 2026 notification is what the counselling follows.
Reservation stated in the 2026 documents
| Reservation | Share or rule |
|---|---|
| EWS | 10% (G.O.Ms.No.65, 14-07-2021), on an EWS certificate valid for 2026-27 (OC candidates) |
| SC, sub-classified | 15% split Group I 1%, Group II 6.5%, Group III 7.5% (G.O.Ms.No.7, 18-04-2025); unfilled seats pass to the next group |
| Persons with disabilities | Not less than 5% in Government/aided institutions; benchmark disability of at least 40%, District Medical Board certificate; 5 years' upper-age relaxation where limits apply |
| NCC | At most 1% of seats, horizontal; admission on CET marks plus NCC grace marks (G.O.Ms.No.43, 16-07-2025) |
| Scouts & Guides | 0.5% horizontal, for Rashtriya (Rashtrapati) certificate holders and other certificate holders of Bharat Scouts and Guides |
| Children of armed forces (CAP) | A priority list under G.O.Ms.No.59 (16-05-2018), in the CAP portal's document pack; Zilla Sainik Welfare Board certificates; parents must be AP-domiciled |
| Sports & Games | Priority list and Forms 1–4; must have represented AP |
| ST, BC-A to E, women, Anglo-Indian | Certificates are verified, but no share is printed in the PGECET documents |
G.O.Ms.No.7, Social Welfare Dept., 18-04-2025 (AP Scheduled Castes (Sub-Classification) Rules 2025).
NCC: grace marks, not a lower cut-off
The NCC quota works differently from other reservations. Under G.O.Ms.No.43 (2025), NCC cadets who qualify in the CET get grace marks as a percentage of the marks they scored: A certificate 1%, B 3%, C 10% (only the highest counts), plus 5% for a TSC/VSC/NSC camp and 7% for RDC, up to a ceiling of 15%. The grace marks are added to the CET marks for NCC-quota seats, which are at most 1% of the total, and the total may not exceed the CET maximum of 120. Ties go to the higher CET marks. Two further limits: the grace-mark route can be used only once in a lifetime, and only certificates issued and authenticated by the NCC Directorate count.
NCC grace marks on your PGECET score
G.O.Ms.No.43 (16-07-2025): among the A, B and C certificates only the highest counts; camp participation adds on top; the total is capped at 15% of the marks secured; grace marks go only to candidates who qualified in the CET, and apply to the NCC quota (at most 1% of seats, horizontal). Ties go to the higher CET marks; the total is capped at 120; the grace route may be used once in a lifetime, with NCC-Directorate certificates only.
Children of armed forces and sports
The CAP quota (children of armed-forces personnel) follows the priority list of G.O.Ms.No.59 (Home, 2018), published in the CAP portal's document pack, and applies only if the parents are domiciled in Andhra Pradesh. Sports and Games candidates are ranked on the published list of sports and games, with the forms in the same pack, and must have represented Andhra Pradesh. Both are verified in person in Vijayawada, and the percentage of seats for either is not printed in the 2026 PGECET documents.
Special-category verification is in person
PwD, CAP, NCC, Sports & Games, Scouts & Guides and Anglo-Indian candidates must attend physical verification at Govt. Polytechnic, Vijayawada — in 2026 on 21 September (PwD, NCC, Sports) and 22 September (CAP, Scouts, Anglo-Indian) — with originals and four sets of copies. There is no special-category verification in later phases, so a candidate who misses it loses the category claim for the rest of the year.
Practise it, don't just read it
Local status and category decide which seats you compete for; your PGECET marks decide your place in the queue. Timed topic quizzes help with the second.
The ProSyllabus AP PGECET library has topic quizzes for Engineering Mathematics, Computer Science, Electronics & Communication, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering — the first one is free.
What is the 85/15 rule in AP PGECET?
85% of seats in each course are for local candidates of Andhra Pradesh; 15% are unreserved, open only to locals, 10-year residents and children or spouses of employees working in AP.
Who is a local candidate for AP PGECET?
Someone who studied four consecutive academic years in the AU or SVU area ending with the qualifying exam, or failing that, seven years in the State (local to the area of longest study).
Can Telangana students apply for AP PGECET?
They are local in AP only under the migration rule (moved within five years of 2 June 2014, with a Form-III certificate); otherwise only the 15% unreserved seats, if they fall into an eligible group.
Can students from other states get AP PGECET seats?
Only through the 15% unreserved seats and only if they fit a listed group, such as a parent employed by the State or Central Government in AP. The booklet requires candidates to belong to AP.
Is there EWS reservation in AP PGECET?
Yes, 10%, on an EWS certificate valid for 2026-27.
How is the SC quota divided in AP PGECET?
Under the 2025 sub-classification rules: Group I 1%, Group II 6.5%, Group III 7.5% of seats.
How many grace marks do NCC cadets get?
A 1%, B 3% or C 10% (highest only), plus 5% for TSC/VSC/NSC and 7% for RDC, capped at 15% of CET marks.
What is the PwD reservation in AP PGECET?
Not less than 5% in Government and aided institutions, for benchmark disability of at least 40%.
What are the AU and SVU areas?
AU: erstwhile Srikakulam to Prakasam districts (eight). SVU: erstwhile Anantapur, Kurnool, Chittoor, Cuddapah and Nellore.
Do I need a local-status certificate?
Counselling asks for study certificates from Class 10 to the degree, a 7-year residence certificate for private candidates, and for non-locals a parent's 10-year residence or employment proof; Telangana migrants need a Form-III certificate.
Is the local rule for 2026 different from 2025?
The 2026 notification applies the 2025 G.O. (No.20) and its amendments, although the G.O. was written for 2025-26.
More in this series
Sources
- official — G.O.Ms.No.20, Higher Education (EC) Dept., 12-05-2025 — local/non-local rules
- official — G.O.Ms.No.7, Social Welfare Dept., 18-04-2025 — SC sub-classification rules
- official — G.O.Ms.No.43, Higher Education (RM) Dept., 16-07-2025 — NCC grace marks
- official — G.O.Ms.No.27, WCDA&SC Dept., 14-05-2023 — provision for disabled candidates
- official — Bharat Scouts & Guides G.O. (as linked by APSCHE)
- official — APPGECET 2025 — local status of students migrated from Telangana (G.O.Ms.No.171, 20-11-2017)
- official — PGECET & GATE/GPAT-2026 Admissions — Detailed Notification (Revised, 11.09.2026)
- official — Common Admissions Portal — cap.apcfss.in
- official — APPGECET-2026 Instruction Booklet V2
- reported — Collegedunia — AP PGECET (reported; see corrections)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
