CHENNAI: With over 1 lakh students scoring more than 150 marks in the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admission (TNEA) cut-off, experts say students will face utter chaos and confusion while filling in their choices. The competition has increased significantly, since last year, only about 32,000 students scored above 150 marks. Due to this, students can’t use last year’s cut-off figures as a reference when selecting an institute.
Hence, experts advise students to fill in as many choices as possible to ensure they get a college they desire. Career consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi said 7,513 students scored between 190 and 200 marks this year, compared to 3,445 last year. “This time, even a student with 190 marks may not be able to get a seat of their choice... The only solution is for students to make a wide number of choices,” said Gandhi.
He further stressed that the Directorate of Technical Education should create a special video in both Tamil and English to guide students in the choice-filling process. “Educating students on selecting a number of choices is the way to help them,” he added.
This year, an almost 100 per cent pass percentage was reported in Class 12 in both CBSE and State Board, and the number of high scorers increased. The number of top scorers in TNEA has also increased, said experts.
P Selvaraj, secretary of the Consortium of Self-Financing Professional, Arts and Science Colleges, said, “As there is uncertainty about getting the preferred seat in your choice of college, many students will opt for admission through management quota.” The number of engineering seats in the State is more than the number of eligible candidates.
“Last year, about 50 per cent of seats in private engineering colleges remained vacant, but this year, we are expecting the number to fall to 25 per cent,” said the consortium’s joint secretary TD Eswaramoorthy.
The TNEA had received 1,74,930 applications, but only 1,39,033 candidates were on the rank list as the rest were deemed ineligible based on the verification of certificates.
Increase in top scorers
An almost 100 per cent pass percentage was reported in Class 12 in CBSE and State Board, and the number of high scorers increased. The number of top scorers in TNEA has also increased