BHUBANESWAR: Despite private engineering colleges in Odisha logging large-scale vacancies every year, BTech seat strength in the state has gone up by around 5,000 in the current 2026-27 academic session.
Sources in the department of Skill development and Technical Education (SDTE) attributed the increased number of BTech seats to opening of new colleges from this academic session.
Around 10 technical institutions have opened in the state this year leading to increase in seats by 5,000 and taking the total number to 53,000 from 48,000.
Sources in the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) committee said out of the total seats, around 6,000 are government, while the rest 47,000 are private.
Around 60 per cent seats in private engineering colleges remain vacant every year. During 2024-25, the vacancies had remained in the range of 66 pc to 74 pc in some of the engineering institutes.
Out of 38,758 BTech seats in private colleges, only 10,052 had been filled in the year, leaving more than 28,000 seats without takers after the final round of counselling at OJEE level. For the 2025-26 academic calendar as well, nearly 60 pc seats fell vacant.
OJEE committee officials said the vacant seats are usually handed over to colleges for admission at their level which helps in reducing the gap further.
OJEE committee chairman DP Satpathy said the BTech counselling process for 2026-27 has already started. In the first round of counselling, around 12,000 seats were allotted.
“The second round counselling process began on Thursday and is expected to be completed by July 19, after which process will be initiated for filling up the vacant seats from the ranks allotted in Special OJEE and the JEE main rank holders who remained unregistered in the first two rounds,” he said adding, the results of Special OJEE is expected to be published by July 22.
Satpathy said as per the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) directive, the admission process for the current academic session needs to be completed by August 14.
“Accordingly, we have planned to complete the process by the beginning of August and hand over the vacant seats to the respective institutions for filling up at their level within the stipulated time,” he informed.