Single Entrance Exam for Engineering, Architecture Seats from 2018!

The Centre has finally approved the proposal for a single entrance exam for engineering and architecture seats at the undergraduate level from the year 2022, similar to the national eligibility and entrance test (NEET) for medical colleges in India. 

The proposed joint entrance examination for engineering colleges, which is said to be human resource development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar’s idea, will now be implemented from 2022. The test shall be conducted multiple times in a year and is intended to bring uniformity in academic standards and reduce the influence of donations.

The test, however, will not include admissions to IITs, which will continue to conduct their own entrance examinations. IITs will not a be part of the fluctuating standards and admission processes of the private colleges. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) across the country will continue to accept JEE Advanced scores to admit students. Students who qualify JEE Mains can then appear for the JEE Advanced examination. 

The decision has been taken in "accordance with the policy of the government to improve standards and the quality of engineering education." 

However, the institutes will have the independence to set their own selection procedure based on the JEE Main scores or give them the weightage of class 12 exams. As per the officials, the universities and colleges will decide if they want to give 20% weightage to class 12 board or 40%. In addition, the universities and colleges will have autonomy, but it will be mandatory for them to accept the test for the purpose of admissions.

There are 3,288 engineering colleges across 27 states, with most of them in Tamil Nadu (527), followed by Maharashtra (372), Andhra Pradesh (328), Uttar Pradesh ( 295) and Madhya Pradesh (211). 

The ministry has requested all the deemed/government universities to communicate their suggestions for smooth implementation of the regulation.