The Kerala government has approved new guidelines for admission to self financing professional colleges in the state. According to the new guidelines, 50 per cent seats would be set aside under the merit-cum-reservation head and the remaining 50 per cent will be given as management quota. The new guidelines are consequent to the state government inviting private groups to start new medical and dental colleges besides engineering colleges in the state.

This principle would be applicable to all self-financing institutions run by minority and majority communities, those under both government and private sectors, and also under the co-operative sector, according to top government officials.

Kerala has seen a host of new private medical and dental colleges being set up after the state government decided to invite private groups into the segment. Five among the new colleges have received the nod from the Medical Council of India (MCI) to admit students from the next academic session.