No Takers for 2.5 Lakh Degree Seats Despite Counselling
Low demand for conventional courses leaves most private college seats unfilled
Hyderabad: More than 2.5 lakh out of 3.73 lakh seats in 783 degree colleges have no takers despite four rounds of DOST 2026 counselling, reflecting poor demand for conventional undergraduate programmes in the state. As many as 3,73,149 seats were up for grabs, however, only 1,15,433 students confirmed their seats as of Thursday.
As per the information available with the Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE), only 58,020 students joined 583 private unaided colleges, which offer an intake of 2,49,500, leaving nearly 1.91 lakh seats vacant. The 36 autonomous government degree colleges registered 26,432 admissions out of 45,120 seats, while government degree colleges reported 32,059 vacancies.
One of the main reasons for the large number of vacancies can be attributed to mismatch of seat availability and students clearing the intermediate. This year 4,23,129 intermediate students passed, while there are 4,37,809 seats, which is more than the total number of students available.
Officials said not all students who pass intermediate opt for a degree, as they pursue engineering, medicine and pharmacy among other courses, which is leading to mismatch between the number of students and the intake in degree programmes. In addition, there is a decrease in interest among students opting for degree programmes.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, TGCHE chairman Prof. V. Balakista Reddy said only Telangana students were allotted seats during the four phases of DOST counselling. The council, he said, is planning to conduct spot admissions, allowing even students from other states to participate for admission. This is aimed at filling up vacant seats in colleges. However, it is subject to the government's approval.
Around 22,000 seats were filled through spot admissions last year, he said and hoped that the government would grant permission to conduct the process this year as well. Further, Prof. Reddy said plans are on to rationalise seat intake in colleges, as low admissions are affecting their rankings. “Courses with consistently poor admissions may be discontinued after obtaining approval from the government,” he added.
Meanwhile, 53,967 fresh seat allotments were made to students who participated in the DOST special phase counselling on Thursday. The TGCHE asked students to reserve their seat by self-reporting online and report at the respective college by August 1.
