In a clear sign that students want to complete their MCA degree in fewer years, more students are opting for the lateral entry provision into the course rather than the regular three-year course.
The first round of counselling for various courses under the post-graduate common entrance test (PGCET), 2016, has just concluded and most of the lateral entry MCA seats have already been allotted, according to numbers provided by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA).
An official from KEA said that 1,235 MCA seats under the lateral entry were taken, out of the total 1,422 seats during the first round, leaving only 187 seats. As compared to this, only 1,997 regular MCA seats were taken during the round, out of the total 4,939 regular MCA seats, leaving nearly 3,000 seats for allotment. The remaining seats will be allotted during the second round of counselling that begins in the second week of September.
In 2013, the All Indian Council for Technical Education (AICTE) created a provision for BCA (only for students who had mathematics as one of the subjects in II PU or equivalent exam) and BSc (with information science or computer science) graduates to enrol directly in the second year MCA. While there is still ambiguity over this rule, some colleges allow lateral entry and others don’t. Meanwhile, over half of the MBA seats have been allotted during the first round of counselling.
According to KEA figures, 8,962 MBA seats of the total 12,953 have been allotted. “The situation with regard to MBA seats is definitely better than last year. However, it is still early to tell for sure as the second round is pending,” said the official. With regard to postgraduate engineering courses, as many as 6,043 seats have been allotted, out of the 11,920 seats, said the official.
Published 04 September 2016, 19:07 IST