CHENNAI: Continuing the downward trend in engineering admissions, applications for Tamil Nadu Common Admission (TANCA) counselling for M.E., M.Tech programmes are down by 40 per cent this year.
Anna University received only 6,000 applications for 21,000 seats available for the TANCA counselling. This year, the number of applications was fewer than 4,000 compared to last year.
The counselling for PG engineering courses began on Wednesday. The counselling will go until August 13. “In almost 100 colleges seats are not filled. So, the engineering colleges are sending out experienced faculties as they are finding it difficult to survive. So the students are opting out of ME and M.Tech courses,” said Jayaprakash A. Gandhi, a career consultant. Normally, PG degree holders opt for teaching jobs and research. He said the industry is happy with UG qualification and post-graduates are finding it difficult to get a job.
SA engineering college principal P.K.Nagaraj said “It’s a simple correlation. If engineering admissions are low then the requirement of PG graduates also will go down.”
This year, there are more than 98,000 seats vacant after engineering counselling for BE, B.Tech. courses. While admitting that job prospects for ME and M.Tech graduates are not bright, he said, “There is still a good demand for MBA course. In Chennai region, most colleges have got more students for MBA and MCA courses than PG engineering courses.”
