PUDUCHERRY: In a major shift from previous years, the Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) will conduct counselling for both NEET and non-NEET courses simultaneously this year. The process is expected to begin in the first week of August.
The decision comes amid mounting pressure to meet the August 14 deadline set by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for completing admissions to engineering and related courses. Students and parents have raised concerns over the delay in announcing the counselling schedule.
“CENTAC is currently awaiting a government notification regarding the proposed 10% reservation for government school students in non-NEET courses,” CENTAC Convenor Cheryl Shivan told TNIE.
While this reservation already exists for MBBS and other NEET-based programmes, CM N Rangasamy had earlier announced its extension to non-NEET courses in the Legislative Assembly.
Sources indicated that the decision is being processed through the cabinet by circulation. Chief Minister Rangasamy and some ministers have already signed the proposal, and the remaining ministers are expected to sign soon. The file will then be sent to Lt Governor K Kailashnathan for final approval. Officials clarified that his absence from the station will not delay the process, as approval can be granted through the e-office system.
“Once the notification is issued, the seat matrix for non-NEET courses will be finalised, and the admission process will commence—likely in the first week of August,” said CENTAC Convenor Cheryl Shivan.
Given the tight timeline, engineering counselling will also be conducted alongside NEET admissions this year. “Previously, non-NEET counselling would begin only after MBBS counselling to avoid multiple rounds of sliding. But due to the current time constraints, both will be held concurrently,” Shivan explained.
The seat matrix for NEET courses is under preparation, and the draft merit list is being verified. It is scheduled for publication on the CENTAC website on August 1. Candidates will then have two to three days to raise objections, after which the final merit list will be released.
For non-NEET courses, the merit list has already been prepared. However, the final seat matrix depends on the government’s decision regarding the 10% reservation. “To save time, we have worked on multiple versions of the seat matrix—such as extending reservation to students who studied in government schools from classes 1 to 12 or from classes 6 to 9,” Shivan added.