CHENNAI: Registrations for Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) 2026 crossed the three-lakh mark even as the process concluded on Friday. As of 6 pm on June 5, a total of 3,01,519 candidates registered, of whom 2,43,476 had paid the application fee and 2,23,599 had completed document submission.
Higher education department officials said the final numbers may see a marginal rise as the consolidated data would be released on Saturday. The latest figures suggest that application trends remain largely consistent with last year, despite expectations of a spike. In 2025, the number of candidates featured in the rank list rose by 20.9% to 2,41,641, compared to just around two lakh students in 2024. This marked the steepest increase since 2022, when 1.58 lakh candidates were listed.
Officials had anticipated a further increase this year, partly attributed to uncertainties surrounding national-level medical entrance processes, including disruptions linked to the NEET. “Last year also, 3.02 lakh applications were registered. Of them 2.5 lakh candidates uploaded their documents. This year’s figure is on a par with last year’s,” said a DoTE official.
The TNEA rank list is scheduled to be published on June 29. The counselling schedule, however, remains tentative. Last year, counselling commenced on July 7, but officials indicated that this year’s process could be delayed as the AICTE is yet to release its academic calendar and counselling guidelines.