TLDR: Over the past five years, Karnataka has witnessed a dramatic transformation in its engineering education landscape. Seats in traditional disciplines like mechanical and civil engineering have nearly halved, while computer science and its allied fields, including Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, have seen a significant doubling of intake, reflecting evolving industry demands and student preferences.
Karnataka’s engineering colleges are experiencing a profound shift in student enrollment patterns, with a marked decline in traditional disciplines and an unprecedented surge in computer science and related fields. Data compiled by the Karnataka Examination Authority reveals that over the last five years, mechanical and civil engineering seats have been nearly halved, while computer science engineering seats have doubled since 2020. This trend underscores a significant reorientation of educational priorities in response to the demands of the modern job market.
In 2020, mechanical engineering had 17,510 seats, which plummeted to 8,960 by 2025, representing almost a 50% reduction. Similarly, civil engineering seats decreased from 14,160 to 7,860 over the same period. While the dip in these traditional branches was less drastic in 2025, the overall five-year trend shows a clear move away from these disciplines. Experts suggest that the substantial infrastructure requirements for mechanical and civil engineering courses contribute to this decline, making them less attractive for colleges to maintain or expand.
Conversely, the demand for computer science engineering (CSE) has propelled its growth from 20,812 seats in 2020 to a staggering 38,178 in 2025. This expansion is further amplified by the rapid rise of specialized computer science streams. For instance, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science seats surged from a mere 210 in 2020 to 2,610 in 2025. Computer Science and Engineering with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning also saw a substantial increase, from 450 to 6,669 seats within five years. This exponential growth highlights the increasing student interest and perceived career opportunities in emerging technologies.
The surge in computer science seats has been largely attributed to strong industry demand and relaxed norms from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which has allowed colleges to more easily start or expand CS programs, often by converting seats from other disciplines. However, this rapid expansion has also raised concerns among policymakers.
Karnataka’s Higher Education Minister, MC Sudhakar, has voiced apprehension regarding a potential oversupply of computer science graduates, which could lead to unemployment if the industry faces a downturn. He stated, “Several colleges in Karnataka are indiscriminately increasing computer science seats, often by converting civil and mechanical engineering seats — streams that are seeing reduced demand — into CS seats. If this trend continues, we’ll have lakhs of engineering graduates from CS and related disciplines. Should the industry face a downturn, most of them could be left unemployed. We have to prevent that outcome or risk being blamed for our inaction.” Consequently, Karnataka is considering a freeze on the increase of computer science seats, drawing inspiration from a similar restriction upheld by the Telangana High Court.
Also Read:
- Beyond Prompting: India’s Imperative for Strategic AI Leadership
- Indian AI Startups Capitalize on IT Layoffs, Onboarding Displaced Professionals Amidst Integration Concerns
For the academic year 2025-26, Karnataka has notified a total of 1,51,436 engineering seats across 245 colleges. This includes 38,178 CSE seats, 20,208 in Electronics and Communication Engineering, 9,108 in Information Science and Engineering, and 8,960 in Mechanical Engineering. The state government has also taken steps to prevent seat blocking scams, denying no-objection certificates for increased intake to colleges previously suspected of such activities.
