‘Difficult’ NEET likely to spur demand for engineering seats

Bengaluru: Many students taking the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) on Sunday found the Physics paper “unexpectedly difficult”, prompting many of the medical seat aspirants across Karnataka re-evaluate their options.

Consequently, the demand for engineering courses is expected to witness a sharp spike with many students, unsure of securing a rank that will guarantee a government seat, choosing the technical course.

Many students who were either unable to secure a government seat or could not get one in a college of their choice last year spent the past 12 months gearing up for NEET 2025. With the prospects appearing bleak, these students are unlikely to waste another year preparing for NEET 2026.

“The Physics paper was extremely difficult this year compared to 2024. I have lost all hopes of scoring well in NEET this year as well. Since I also appeared for the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) this year, I will join engineering instead,” one such student said.

Another student who wrote NEET for the second time on Sunday had, in fact, refused to enrol for an engineering course despite doing well in KCET 2024.

“I rejected the chance to enrol in some of the best colleges last year. This year, I will join whichever college I get a seat in since I am not hopeful of scoring well in NEET,” the student added.

Disappointed medical seat aspirants, however, need not worry about paucity of engineering seats. In 2024, 13,653 seats in the government quota went unallotted, while COMEDK was left with 18,726 vacant seats.

“With All India Council for Technical Education removing the cap on engineering seats, availability has increased at private colleges too,” said a senior official in the Department of Technical Education.

Many private colleges have reportedly increased intake for Computer Science, courses related to Artificial Intelligence. “In some cases, the number has gone up by a hundred. Earlier, when colleges sought permission to increase intake by 60 seats, AICTE would give approval for half as many seats, which is not the case anymore,” the official added.

But colleges in the rural parts of the state, and those in Kalyana Karnataka are unlikely to benefit from the clamour for engineering courses, rued officials

Officials in the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), however, are optimistic about the prospects of medical seat aspirants, albeit those who fall under reserved categories.

“Students who are classified under these categories may get a seat even if they secure 500/720 in NEET. Last year, they were able to secure seats after securing 550 marks. This year, given that students across the nation complained about the difficulty of the exam, it is likely that the overall number of eligible students itself may see a dip,” said a KEA official, adding that 11 lakh students were eligible for seats last year.