CHENNAI: The number of candidates appearing for Tamil Nadu’s postgraduate entrance exams has seen a significant shift this year, with fewer students registering for MBA and MCA programmes, while interest in MTech, MArch, and MPlan courses has grown.
Anna University, which conducts the Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test (TANCET) for MBA and MCA admissions and the Common Engineering Entrance Test and Admissions (CEETA-PG) for MTech, MArch, and MPlan programmes, released the results for both exams on Friday.
Data released by the university shows a decline in both registrations and actual test-takers for TANCET compared to 2025. For MCA admissions, 10,287 students registered in 2025, of whom 9,699 appeared for the exam. This year, registrations dropped to 7,982, and 7,281 candidates took the test.
Similarly, for MBA, 22,806 candidates registered and 20,992 appeared in 2025. In 2026, registrations fell to 17,060, with 15,050 appearing.
In contrast, interest in MTech, MArch, and MPlan programmes has increased. Last year, 5,208 had registered for CEETA-PG and 4,632 appeared. This year, registrations rose to 5,877, and 5,137 candidates took the examination.
Overall, combined registrations for TANCET and CEETA-PG fell from 38,301 last year to 30,919 this year, while the total number of candidates who appeared dropped from 35,323 to 27,468.
Speaking to DT Next, educationist Jayaprakash Gandhi attributed the waning interest in MCA programmes to “high course fees and the hiring preferences of software companies, which favour BE and BTech graduates over MCA degree holders. For MBA programmes, employment opportunities and salary packages are heavily dependent on graduating from reputed institutions, leading many students to reconsider pursuing the degree from lesser-known colleges.”
The increased interest in MArch and MPlan courses, Gandhi added, stems from tremendous growth in infrastructure fields globally. Meanwhile, the rise in MTech applications is due to the wide range of opportunities available, including entry into teaching positions in colleges and the ability to prepare for the state and Union government exams across various departments.