Ahmedabad: For engineering students in Gujarat, coding remained the preferred route to a degree and a career. Computer science (CS) and information technology (IT) continued to dominate engineering aspirants’ choices this admission season, accounting for nearly half of the seats allotted in the first round.Of the 41,688 students participating in the admission process, 22,662 — more than 50% — had selected computer allied engineering courses as their first preference.State’s admission committee for professional courses completed seat allocation for 33,993 students who secured ranks in the Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GujCET). Of these, 15,283 seats, or about 45%, were allotted in CS and IT branches, according to ACPC officials.
Of the 41,688 students participating in the admission process, 22,662 — more than 50% — had selected computer allied engineering courses as their first preference
The admission process covers 61,316 seats across govt engineering colleges, grant-in-aid institutions and private colleges under the state quota. Students submitted 12.5 lakh choices during counselling.Computer science alone received 6.5 lakh choices, including 22,662 first preferences. Electronics and communication (E&C) engineering received 2.2 lakh choices, with 6,052 first preferences. Mechanical engineering (ME) received 1.3 lakh choices and 3,891 first preferences, while civil engineering received 94,844 choices and 3,683 first preferences.Experts said the trend reflects continued demand for technology courses driven by career opportunities and industry requirements. However, core branches such as E&C, electrical, ME and civil engineering also saw improved closing ranks compared with previous years.A senior ACPC official said reputed colleges remained a major factor influencing student choices. “LD College of Engineering received 12,250 applications, followed by Dhirubhai Ambani University with 6,660, Nirma University with 4,255, MSU with 2,500 and Vishwakarma College of Engineering with 1,273 applications,” said the official.Nilay Bhuptani, principal of LD College of Engineering and member secretary of ACPC, said CS remained the preferred branch due to career prospects. Still, core disciplines also performed better this year. He cited civil engineering at Vishwakarma College of Engineering, where the last admission rank improved from around 12,000 last year to nearly 6,000 this year.H M Desai, vice-chancellor of Dharmsinh Desai University (DDU), Nadiad, said interest in E&C also increased due to semiconductor projects coming up in Gujarat. He added that around 750 students at DDU secured placements before completing their courses.
