As many as 64,000 seats at Anna University may go vacant this amid the rise on the number of applicants for the varsity’s BE and BTech courses. The Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department had announced admission through lateral entry for the academic year 2021-22 in the colleges of Anna University.

According to The New Indian Express, the coordinator of lateral entry K Baskaran from the Department of EEE of Alagappa Chettiar Government College of Engineering and Technology (ACGCET) in Karaikudi said about 26,000 students across the state had applied for lateral entry programmes this year, which is 17,500 more than the last academic year.

“The number of students who submitted their certificates was 8,500 in 2020-21 and 9,100 in 2019-20. There are 90,000 seats (10 per cent of the sanctioned strength in each college) for lateral entry in 470 colleges in the state but the number of students who applied is 26,000. So there will be 64,000 unfilled seats this year,” Baskaran told NIE.

The rise in applications this year maybe because the government allowed students from all backgrounds to apply for any branch through lateral entry. “A mechanical diploma student could apply for BE CSE or EEE in lateral entry,” Baskaran said.

Some students could not apply last year as the diploma courses’ results were not announced hence they had to apply this year, a private engineering college principal said.”We have to wait and see how many of the applicants take up engineering. Many students opt-out if they don’t get the course or college of their choice,” the principal added.

The coordinator Baskaran said that while 26,000 students have registered, only those who upload their certificates before September 11 would be on the final list for the admissions.

Admissions for the lateral entry will be conducted in four phases. The selected candidates will be called for counselling. It was earlier conducted at ACGCET in Karaikudi.

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