Engineering courses in Tamil Nadu see enrolment soar past 3 lakh students
Number of aspirants uploading their certificates has also touched an all-time high this time around, said officials
Engineering courses see record high enrolment in TN
CHENNAI: The demand for engineering seats has touched a record high this year, with more than 3 lakh students enrolling for admission for the coming academic year. Similarly, the number of aspirants uploading their certificates has also touched an all-time high this time around, said officials, who attributed the renewed interest to the introduction of in-demand courses on AI, ML, and Blockchain, among others.
Dr T Purushothaman, secretary, Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission (TNEA) 2025, told DT Next that as many as 3,02,374 students have enrolled this year. The number was 2,49,918 applicants in 2024, a rise of 52,456.
"Likewise, 2,26,359 students have uploaded their certificates this year, which is also higher than last year's figure of 1,78,180 aspirants," he added.
According to experts and academicians, introduction of courses such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Blockchain, and Internet of Things seems to have helped push up the enrolment numbers to record high, as these emerging fields offer greater career prospects and potential for high salaries across the country and abroad.
The demand is not just for these novel courses. Core streams like Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical courses, too, have seen increased interest from aspirants this year.
The rise is reflected in the number of government school students applying to be included in the 7.5% horizontal quota, said a senior official from the Higher Education Department. Though the final numbers are not available yet, the official said it is expected to cross 35,000 this year, up from 31,788 in 2024-25 and 27,866 in 2023-24.
Enthused by the rise in interest among the youth for engineering courses, Anna University's former vice-chancellor E Balagurusamy said, “This trend shows that engineering courses will not be neglected, unlike the situation in the previous years. Going by the current enrolment numbers, the admissions are likely to increase in the coming years, too.”
Studying in one of the better colleges gives the students a chance to be employed even before completing their courses, said B Sukanya, a student career consultant in the city. Some of them offer pre-placement offers before even the final placements are done, she added.
A fresh engineering graduate can expect an annual salary range of Rs 3 to Rs 7.5 lakh, which could go up multifold if they are well-performing students from elite institutions. “This can vary based on factors like the specific engineering discipline, company, and individual skills. This is the main reason why youngsters prefer engineering courses," she said.
