CHENNAI: After overwhelming response from students last year, the Higher Education Department is likely to increase the intake capacity by 20% in government Arts and Science colleges this year.

In 2024, a total of 164 government Arts and Science Colleges in Tamil Nadu provided around over 1.07 lakh seats in UG streams, with 2.59 lakh students applying and around 2.11 lakh participants in the counselling procedure.

In the last academic year, several students who secured good marks in Class 12 exams could not get admission to Arts and Science courses. So, it was decided to increase 20% seat capacity in all government colleges, and 15% in government-aided colleges besides 10% in self-financing Arts and Science institutions.

“Since the commerce and science papers were easy in the recently-concluded Class 12 Board exam, we’re expecting applications to Arts and Science colleges to spike this year,” said a senior official from the Higher Education Department. “There is no official circular or notification in this but the decision will be taken soon after the Class 12 exam results are declared, according to the pass percentage and marks scored by the students.”

The official added that the authorities of the department would also ensure that all the required infrastructure would be available for students if the intake increased. “This year, we expect at least 3 lakh students to apply to Arts and Science colleges,” he stated.