Top AIEEE rankers prefer IITs over NITs

Updated on: Friday, June 24, 2011

Rank two in the AIEEE 2011. Seat allotted by National Institute of Technology - Karnataka headquartered Central Counseling Board (CCB) AIEEE 2011- to this candidate is mechanical engineering at the National Institute of Technology, Trichy. But chance that this student actually takes up allotted seat: Zero. Reason: Such students normally head for IITs. Result: Seats at prestigious NITs across India remain vacant despite thrust given by the MHRD for the same.

Keeping this scenario in mind, the CCB AIEEE 2011 ushered in quite a few changes in manner in which admissions to 30 NITs, 5 IITs and 13 centrally/state funded institutions were carried out. Their aim was to reduce by half the number of vacant seats in above mentioned institutions, from 5% last year to a more reasonable 2.5%. The number of vacancies in the old and new NITs in 2010-11 was 839 and these included 706 seats vacant in the established NITs themselves.

An analysis carried out by the CCB reveals that students who obtain AIEEE ranks within 200 normally end up opting for the IITs as their IIT-JEE ranks are higher. The highest-ranked AIEEE student who joined NITK in 2010-11 had a rank of 381 and the student opted for computer science. Students whose AIEEE ranks is on higher side of 1,000 and whose corresponding IIT-JEE ranks too are unlikely to be higher, then make a beeline for NITs as the second best option.

Interestingly, an announcement made by NIT, Warangal, when it headed the CCB AIEEE 2009 that students with AIEEE ranks up to 2,000 would get full tuition fee waiver for all four years of engineering pursued at NITs has not really taken off. Keeping this in mind, the CCB AIEEE 2011 has taken up this case strongly with the MHRD, which in turn has formed a committee that would give policy guidelines on how this proposed fee waiver scheme should be implemented.

G Srinikethan, coordinator, CCB AIEEE 2011 told TOI that the CCB is expecting the MHRD to come up with guidelines shortly. If the guidelines are issued, especially on who would bear the amount involved in fee waiver and under what head of finance, we expect more students to opt to join NITs in the country. This and the spot round introduced this year too would help us address the issue of vacancies that remain in above mentioned institutions in general and NITs in particular.

Times of India

Top AIEEE rankers prefer IITs over NITs

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