New Delhi: As the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2027 will be held in online mode, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has asked the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to gather information on government institutions regarding their IT infrastructure and available space to develop centres for computer-based examinations, officials said.

According to PTI, the AICTE has further asked its affiliated government institutes to share the details of their available information technology infrastructure and vacant or unutilised spaces for an assessment related to the establishment of Standard Testing Centres (STCs) across the country.

"The centres of CBT cannot be outsourced to small private players and have to be chosen after assessment on strict parameters. AICTE, being the technical education regulator, has a lot of tech colleges which are equipped with the infrastructure," a senior NTA official said to PTI.

The move comes amid the ongoing overhaul of the NTA, which conducts NEET UG exam along with others for higher educational institutions.

Following the NEET UG 2026 paper leak, which led to nationwide outrage, the government has announced that the NEET UG medical entrance exam, will be held in online mode from next year.

"NTA conducts various national-level exams in CBT mode. With the progressive migration of examination modes and the requirement for a wider geographically distributed network of testing centres, NTA is assessing the availability of suitable infrastructure in government institutions across the country," the AICTE said in a letter to heads of institutions.

The sources suggest that the AICTE has sought the information only from government colleges and institutions that have received approval from the council.

With inputs of PTI