Kerala engg colleges left with vacant seats as students switch to MBBS following delay in NEET seat allotment results 

The late conduct and release of NEET results by the National Testing Agency (NTA) are posing a big problem for the engineering colleges in the state. Even the top-ranking colleges and central universities like CUSAT are seeing migration of students.

According to a professor from CUSAT, as many as 17 students have taken TCs so far this year. "From the ship technology department itself, more than five top students have taken TCs. This is just the start since only the first allotment has been completed. More students will drop out of the courses and go once the second and third allotments of NEET are completed," he said. The situation is the same in other engineering colleges too.

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"We too have seen students seeking TCs after the NEET results were declared. However, this time around, the number is less. But the drain is happening, which is not fair to the colleges that are left with vacant seats," said a lecturer with the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram.

In the case of top-ranking colleges, the seats get filled through lateral entry at the start of the second year based on the CGPA score, he added. "However, those colleges that rank lower are left holding on to vacant seats," he said.

According to the CUSAT professor, it is an injustice to those students, especially from financially weaker families, who aspire to be engineers but couldn't get admission because these migrating students had filled the seats. "Such students are forced to go to self-financing colleges," he added.

MA College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, too is facing student withdrawals from different departments. "As of now, more than 17 students have sought TCs. The withdrawals started right from the announcement of IIT and NIT test results. In the coming days, more students might seek TCs," he added.

Even the National Institute of Technology, Calicut saw some students dropping out to join the MBBS course. "Unlike in the previous years, we have seen very less withdrawals this year. But it might change after the second and third allotments," said a lecturer with the NIT-C.

"The problem can be solved if the NTA conducts the entrance examinations and announces the results before or at least alongside the tests conducted by the universities and states," said another CUSAT professor. The delay and uncertainty of getting through the NTA exams make the students take up the first opportunity that comes to them, he added. "This leads to the denial of seats to other deserving students," he said.

The self-financing engineering colleges that are already seeing a drop in admissions too are facing a similar situation. "Earlier, there was a clause that made students pay a compensatory and compulsory fine if they left in the middle of the course. But that was struck off and now we also see withdrawals in large numbers," said Kareem, Treasurer, Kerala Self-Financing Engineering College Managements Association.