Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) has once again emerged the hot favourite among engineering aspirants in the State.
Unfazed by the recent spate of lay-offs in the tech industry, several candidates appear to have placed their bet on emerging job opportunities created by advancements in avenues like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science.
The first round of allotments to engineering courses also indicates the possibility of more students gaining admissions in government and government aided colleges, compared with the previous years.
According to the allotment list published by the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations, as many as 20,576 students ranked between 18 and 49,659 in the KEAM 2023 engineering rank list have gained admissions. All the 15 students ranked below 100 who submitted options for allotment opted for CSE in the College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram (CET). The college remains the most preferred destination for engineering studies in Kerala, followed by Government Engineering College (GEC), Thrissur, and TKM College of Engineering in Kollam.
A comparison
Going by the ‘last rank details’ generated after the first allotment phase, State merit seats for CSE were filled in the CET by students having ranks up to 271. Such seats were filled in the GEC, Thrissur, and TKM College of Engineering by candidates ranked up to 547 and 1,111 respectively.
Last year, State merit seats for the engineering branch were filled in these colleges by those ranked up to 105, 261 and 501 respectively.
Fewer takers for govt. colleges
Suggesting there are fewer takers for engineering seats in State-run colleges, students up to the 21,234th rank received allotments in government and government aided institutions in the State merit category, with that rank-holder allotted the Civil and Environmental Engineering branch in Government Engineering College, Mananthavady.
State merit seats were filled up in government and government aided colleges by the 13,209th rank (to the same stream and college) last year after the first allotment.
Following CSE, the other engineering streams in the order of priority were Electronics and Communication Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, and Civil Engineering.
In-demand courses
Other courses that found takers are Computer Science and Engineering (Data Science), Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science and Design, and Information Technology.
Government Model Engineering College, Thrikkakara, functioning under the Institute of Human Resources Development, and Rajagiri School of Engineering and Technology, Kochi, remained the most attractive options among government cost-sharing and private self-financing colleges respectively.