Odisha has expanded its engineering education capacity for the 2026-27 academic session by adding around 5,000 BTech seats, taking the state’s total intake to nearly 53,000. The increase has come despite private engineering colleges continuing to grapple with a high number of vacant seats year after year.Officials in the Department of Skill Development and Technical Education (SDTE) attributed the higher intake to the opening of around 10 new technical institutions this academic session. The expansion has increased the total BTech seat strength from about 48,000 to 53,000.As reported by The New Indian Express, According to sources in the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) Committee, government engineering institutions account for around 6,000 of the available seats, while private colleges offer the remaining 47,000The seat expansion comes against the backdrop of persistent under-enrolment in private engineering colleges. Around 60 per cent of seats in these institutions have remained vacant in recent years. During the 2024-25 academic session, only 10,052 students secured admission against 38,758 BTech seats available in private colleges through the OJEE counselling process, leaving more than 28,000 seats unfilled after the final round. A similar trend continued in 2025-26, when nearly 60 per cent of private engineering seats remained vacant.The admission process for the 2026-27 academic session is currently underway, with OJEE conducting counselling for candidates seeking admission to engineering programmes. Authorities expect the process to continue over the coming weeks before institutions begin filling any remaining vacant seats at their own level, in accordance with admission guidelines.Despite the recurring vacancy challenge, the state has continued to expand engineering education capacity, signalling an effort to accommodate future demand while strengthening Odisha’s technical education infrastructure.
Odisha Adds 5,000 BTech Seats for 2026-27 Despite High Vacancies in Private Engineering Colleges
