THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Almost 475 engineering seats are left vacant in private colleges of Goa after the first round of admissions, forcing the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) to relax the mandatory JEE-Main eligibility for the third consecutive year. While the State witnesses a persistent engineering admission plateau, with nearly 25 per cent seats remaining unfilled every year, officials claim that the trend is all over India.
While the State-run Goa Engineering College (GEC), Farmagudi, has once again managed to fill almost all of its 480 seats, the private institutions have struggled to attract students.
Among the private colleges, admissions at Padre Conceicao College of Engineering, Verna, and Don Bosco College of Engineering, Fatorda, have crossed the 75 per cent mark. Agnel Institute of Technology and Design, Assagao, has filled only about 60 per cent of its intake, while Rayeshwar Institute of Engineering and Information Technology (RIEIT), Shiroda, has emerged as the worst performer, with barely 20-25 admissions against its sanctioned capacity.
Senior officials maintained that the recurring vacancies should not be viewed as a collapse in engineering education but rather as a demographic reality.
"The admissions to engineering courses have remained almost constant over the last five to six years. On an average, 350 to 400 seats remain vacant every year. There is no significant decline in admissions as such; this is a trend visible across the country," a senior official said. Last year, around 300 seats had remained vacant while before that 350.
Officials attributed the situation largely to Goa's stagnant population and the limited pool of engineering aspirants. "We receive only around 1,100 to 1,200 applications every year. Besides, several students also prefer pursuing engineering outside Goa," the official said.
Acknowledging the continuing shortage of applicants, the DTE has once again waived the requirement of appearing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE-Main) for admission to vacant Bachelor of Engineering (BE) seats after the second admission round scheduled for July.
"The government has approved admissions of aspirants to BE Degree Engineering courses who have not appeared for JEE-Main 2025," the DTE said in a circular. Eligible Class XII students and diploma holders will be considered for the seats remaining vacant after the second admission round.
Under the relaxed norms, Class XII students securing at least 45 per cent marks (40 per cent for SC, ST and OBC candidates) in Physics, Mathematics and one specified subject, along with eligible diploma holders meeting the prescribed aggregate, will become eligible for admission.
With the second admission round set to begin in July, officials expect the latest relaxation to help fill another 50 to 100 seats only.
