Engineering Colleges in Karnataka: KEA. Seats, Courses

The first Engineering College was started by the Mysore Government in 1917 at Bangalore. After 1946, three more colleges were started. By the time of Integration of the State, there were totally five engineering colleges (two Government and three private) in the State.

By 1993-94 there were a total of 47 Engineering Colleges in the State of which were 4 Government institutions, 9 were aided and the rest unaided. By 2008-09 Karnataka had 145 engineering colleges, which went to 187 in 2010-11. The average enrolment in the colleges dropped from 369 to 301 for the years 2008-09 and 2010-11.

As of 2014 Karnataka had a total of 192 Engineering colleges – 12 Government, 9 Government aided, 152 Unaided (private), 17 Private minority, 3 deemed.

The large number of professional institutions in Karnataka attracts students not only from the other parts of India but also from foreign countries.

Department of Computer Science, SJCE, Mysore

Karnataka Engineering colleges to offer 4-year BSc Honours course

In sync with the new National Education Policy, there is a proposal for 60 engineering colleges in Karnataka to introduce a 4-year BSc Honours course.

This course will include subjects in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) and will have a maximum of 60 seats per college. The Visvesvaraya Technological University, Karnataka’s only technological university, is the key university behind the proposal.

What makes the course unique?

There are already many colleges offering a BSc Honours course. What makes this different from the existing courses is the emphasis given on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) subjects and inclusion of open electives.

All projects and internships will be focused on STEM subjects and linked to engineering fields such as cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, etc. This makes it comparable to courses run in institutions like the Indian Institute of Science and other well-known technological institutions.

Keeping with the NEP guidelines, the course will have a staged exit option as well. Students opting for this course will also get the additional benefit of links and introductions to the engineering college alumni network.

Selection of students

Given the limited number of seats available, seat selection will be critical. Ranking from the 2021 Karnataka Common Entrance Test is being proposed to select eligible students. IF seats are left empty, they may be opened up to other students who have not appeared in the Common Entrance Test.

Who can offer the course?

When it comes to the colleges that will be permitted to offer the course, selection will be on the basis of NBA and NAAC accreditation and reports from Local Inspection Committees. Since government colleges are not NBA accredited, they are unlikely to be permitted to offer the course.

It is interesting to note that introducing such a source will make engineering colleges multi-disciplinary.

Number of seats in Karnataka Engineering Colleges

The following table shows the number of seats that were available in Karnataka Engineering colleges in 2013.

College	Total Intake	Govt Seats
Government	3,350	3,350
Aided	2,940	2,793
Unaided (private)	72,148	32,467
Minority (private)	9,052	3,621
Total	87,490	42,231

Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA)

KEA, earlier known as CET, at State level is conducted for admission to Engineering Colleges. Admission to Govt/University-managed Engineering Colleges and Regional Engineering Colleges (Karnataka Quota) is completely regulated through CET. Specified number of seats as notified from time to time in private/aided, unaided Engineering Colleges are left to be filled at the discretion of the college management.

Allocation of Seats: 95% for candidates passing the PUC exam from Karnataka and 5% for candidates passing the Diploma exam of the State Board of Technical Education.

Reservation: Govt of India nominates 25 seats, Students sponsored by Tamil Nadu/Kerala Govt on reciprocal basis 5/3 seats, NCC cadets having ‘B’ certificate 35 seats, NCC cadet getting distinction 1 seat, Sportsmen/Women 40 seats, Scouts/Guides (President’s Award) 5 seats, Physically handicapped 10 seats, Kannadigas outside Karnataka including disputed Kannada speaking areas 32 seats, Students having studied for 10 academic years in the State at places having a population below 20,000, 10% Anglo-Indian community 1 seat. Children of

Freedom Fighters 33 seats
Defence personnel 35 seats
Ex-servicemen 35 seats.

Seats are also reserved for SC/ST and Backward community.

Eligibility: Candidates should have passed the qualifying exam within 2 years of the date of application for CET.

Selection: It is based on merit in CET conducted in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. The standard of the test is of qualifying exam (PUC of Karnataka Board).The selection Committee will interview the candidates and prepare a rank list based on performance in the entrance test, attainment etc.

Minimum Qualifications: For admissions to full time courses, candidates must have passed the 2-year Pre-University Exam, recognized as equivalent to the concerned University in Karnataka. The optional subjects being Physics, Chemistry and Maths and English as a language, the candidate should secure 50% (35% for SC/ST/BT.candidates etc.) aggregate marks of the three optional subjects.

If you are interested in post graduation we strongly recommend you to consider Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore.

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