Karnataka Expert Committee Proposes Major Overhaul of Engineering Seat Allocation
In a significant move to align technical education with evolving industry requirements, an expert committee appointed by the Karnataka state government has put forward a comprehensive plan for redistributing seats in engineering courses. The proposal operates on a "zero-sum" principle, ensuring that the total number of seats remains unchanged while reallocating them based on market demand, placement outcomes, and vacancy trends.
Committee Leadership and Core Recommendations
Headed by Prof S Sadagopan, former director of the International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore (IIIT-B), the committee has devised a nine-step annual rebalancing formula. This strategy aims to curb the unchecked surge in computer science (CS) engineering seats while encouraging institutions to diversify into emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and cybersecurity.
Specific Measures for Seat Management
The committee has suggested implementing caps across disciplines, limiting courses to a maximum of 900 seats. Any expansion beyond 300 seats would be linked to strong accreditation standards. Notably, it proposes a freeze on CS seats, accompanied by a phased 17% reduction starting from the 2026-27 academic year. These seats would be reassigned to 'CORE+AI' branches, which integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning into traditional engineering streams.
Institutions with robust placement records will continue to receive demand-driven seat allocations, whereas underperforming programmes will face gradual reductions triggered by persistent vacancy trends, the committee emphasized. While the 2026-27 period will serve as a "hold year" for assessment, major adjustments are expected to commence from the 2027-28 academic cycle after thorough analysis of admission data.
Ensuring Transparency and Compliance
Adhering to the zero-sum framework, the committee stated that any reduction of seats in one discipline must be offset by a corresponding increase in another. This approach ensures transparency and strict compliance with sanctioned capacity, preventing overall seat inflation or deflation.
Institutions exceeding seat thresholds, particularly in CS and related streams, will be required to submit restructuring plans for sub-branches like AI/ML, data science, and cybersecurity, with phased accreditation targets to maintain quality standards.
Curriculum Integration and Employability Goals
The committee has recommended that the Karnataka Examinations Authority and private deemed universities integrate a CORE+AI curriculum across all engineering streams. This initiative embeds AI/ML as an analytical layer alongside core subjects, enhancing the technical proficiency of graduates.
Mandatory project-based learning in every semester is expected to boost employability, with a target to increase the number of industry-ready graduates from 22,000 to over 75,000 annually by 2030. Additionally, institutions with vacancy rates exceeding 40% over two consecutive admission cycles will face reduced intake to optimize resource utilization.
Background and Implementation Timeline
The government's move to regulate the surge in demand for certain engineering courses was initially reported in December 2025. The committee's recommendations are poised to reshape the technical education landscape in Karnataka, fostering a more responsive and industry-aligned system that prepares students for future challenges in technology and innovation.
