The admission countdown has started for Class 12 graduates aiming for the second cycle of professional course admissions this January. The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) announced on Tuesday that the second round of admissions must be completed by January 19, 2026, with classes scheduled to start the very next day.
The circular formally approves a January intake for degree engineering, MBA, MCA, MPlan, hotel and tourism management, and MTech programmes. A similar biannual cycle will also apply to diploma courses.
This is the first year the state is implementing a twice-a-year admission system for professional programmes. Students choosing the January round will begin their academic year on January 20, according to the AICTE directive.
Officials said about 65,000 seats remain vacant across undergraduate and postgraduate courses, along with nearly 35,000 seats in diploma programmes. To streamline the January cycle, the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) will soon invite colleges to express interest in participating.
“The Gujarat education department has already approved January admissions. Government and grant-in-aid colleges will admit students through the centralised ACPC system for vacant seats. Private universities, however, may run their own second cycle for seats that remain unfilled after the June–July round,” an official said.
AICTE has also directed institutions offering MTech courses to open admissions for fresh seats, not just vacant ones.
“If private universities create fresh seats, 50% must be filled through ACPC. If they only fill vacant seats, they may do so independently,” the official added.
Sources said ACPC will invite colleges to submit their interest immediately, expecting responses within a week. The second admission cycle is likely to begin in the last week of December.