Students who missed admission to computer engineering during the June–July admission cycle last year have reason to cheer. Of the 21,363 engineering seats available across 11 disciplines in the January admission cycle, as many as 8,257 seats — nearly 39 per cent — are in computer engineering and allied branches.
This marks the first year of bi-annual admissions, introduced after the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) permitted states to fill vacant seats through a second admission cycle in January. AICTE has set January 19 as the deadline to complete the process. Admissions to government and grant-in-aid colleges will be conducted by the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC), while private universities will manage their own admission process.
A branch-wise analysis shows that computer engineering has the highest number of seats in the January cycle with 4,652 seats, followed by 3,605 seats in computer and allied branches. Other available seats include 2,985 in information technology, 2,699 in mechanical engineering, 2,398 in civil engineering, 1,631 in electrical engineering, 1,035 in chemical engineering, 765 in electronics and communication engineering, 644 in mechanical allied branches, 315 in automobile engineering, 366 in other engineering branches and 268 in other chemical branches.
The Gujarat education department has allowed government and grant-in-aid colleges with 30 or more vacant seats in a course to participate in the January cycle. No such limit applies to private colleges and universities, which has significantly influenced the overall seat distribution.
According to ACPC officials, this relaxation has led to computer and allied branches dominating the available seat matrix. Explaining the trend, ACPC member secretary Nilay Bhuptani said private institutions face no restrictions on seat intake, unlike government colleges. “AICTE permits private institutions to have higher intake capacity. Expecting strong demand for computer-related branches, many private colleges and universities were approved for up to 3,000 seats,” he said.
However, most students preferred government colleges or opted for these branches during the first admission cycle. “Higher fees, less favourable locations and early preference for computer-related courses meant many private colleges were left with vacant seats. These have now carried over to the January admission cycle,” Bhuptani added.
On the response so far, Bhuptani said there has not yet been a significant rush of applications for government and grant-in-aid colleges. Admissions to private universities, he said, will be handled independently by the institutions.