TIRUCHY: More than one in every three seats in government arts and science colleges across Tiruchy remain vacant this academic year, as traditional programmes continued to lose ground to employment-oriented courses. Teachers attribute the trend to changing career aspirations and the growing preference for professional programmes.
According to the Joint Directorate of Collegiate Education (JDCE), Tiruchy Region, only 8,876 students were admitted against 14,300 sanctioned seats in 21 government colleges across Tiruchy, Karur, Pudukkottai and Perambalur, leaving the colleges with an overall occupancy of 62%.
The decline was more pronounced in Tiruchy district with occupancy dropping from 79% to 61% this year. The seven government colleges admitted 3,176 students against 5,190 sanctioned seats. Last year, the same colleges admitted 4,114 students.
Among the colleges, Thanthai Periyar Government Arts and Science College admitted 1,190 students against 1,600 seats, while Government Arts and Science College, Tiruchy enrolled 529 against 955 seats.
Rural institutions also recorded low enrolment, with Musiri admitting 543 of 1,000, Lalgudi 198 of 545, and Thuraiyur 92 of 270. Manapparai emerged as the best-performing rural college, admitting 296 students against 350 seats, or nearly 85% occupancy.
Admissions to aided courses in nine aided colleges fell from 3,631 in 2025-26 to 3,363 this year, with the vacancy rate increasing from 24.1% to 30.7%. Admissions to self-financing courses, however, remained almost unchanged, increasing marginally from 10,243 to 10,265 students, despite an increase in sanctioned intake.
P Satya, principal of Thanthai Periyar Government Arts and Science College, said conventional programmes have steadily lost demand since the 2019 pandemic.
“Enrolment has declined in courses like Mathematics, Physics and English, while BCom, BSc Computer Science, while Psychology continue to attract students. History has also become a preferred choice among students preparing for TNPSC and other competitive examinations,” she said, adding that the sanctioned intake for these traditional courses has also been reduced gradually.
M Sampath, guest lecturer at Government Arts and Science College, Ariyalur, and coordinator of the Tiruchy Region Guest Lecturers’ Association, said the trend had become more pronounced over the past five years. “Traditional courses do not offer immediate employment opportunities like Commerce or Computer Science. As admissions decline, guest lecturers are also likely to be affected,” he said.
K Angammal, principal of Government Arts and Science College, Tiruchy, said the establishment of new government colleges had redistributed admissions across institutions, affecting older colleges.
A senior administrator of a self-financing arts and science college, requesting anonymity, said, “Except for BCom and BSc Computer Science courses, almost all traditional programmes have taken a hit this year. We also feel there is a gradual shift towards engineering. The impact may become clearer after engineering admissions conclude, as some students may shift if they secure seats.”
A senior Higher Education Department official said admissions may increase marginally during the second phase, but vacancies are expected to remain higher than last year.
