AICTE’s nod for expansion of top colleges

CHENNAI: Top engineering colleges can, from the 2024-25 academic year, set up one off-campus institute within the jurisdiction of the affiliating univertsity, as per the new approval process handbook of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Currently, only state universities and deemed universities can set up off campuses and colleges in Tamil Nadu say the new rule may allow students to get quality engineering education within their neighbourhood.

Existing affiliating institutions alone shall be permitted to introduce off-campus on the lines of constituent colleges of state or central universities within the jurisdiction of affiliating university, said the handbook for 2024-27. “AICTE will allow one off campus for a college. We are going to release the norms soon,” vice-chairman Abhay Jere told college principals in an online meeting on Saturday.

A college seeking to set up an off-campus institution should have completed 10 years of functioning. It should also meet any of the following criteria – featuring in the NIRF 2023 rankings, QS World Ranking Asia 2024, having minimum of 50% eligible courses with NBA accreditation (with validity till April 2025), NAAC score of 3.01 and above (on scale of 4), autonomous status conferred by UGC or autonomy by AICTE and having more than 80% admission consecutively for last five academic years.

Several colleges seem happy. “This will help take quality engineering education to tier-2 cities. There are many areas not covered by high quality institutions,” said Abhay Meganathan, vice-chairman, Rajalakshmi Group of Institutions. P Deiva Sundari, principal of Chennai Institute of Technology and Applied Research, said it will help rural students get quality engineering education at affordable cost.

Institutions such as SSN College of Engineering and PSG College of Technology wanted to know the norms and other details before responding.

The AICTE has also removed the upper limit on intake for top colleges from next academic year.

Some principals said the two decisions will potentially favour the top colleges to expand and affect the enrolment in mid-level colleges.

The council is also planning to introduce a hibernation period for engineering colleges from 2024-25. “Engineering colleges will get three years’ time for revamping and upgrading facilities under this move,” Abhay Jere said.

Further, it will allow institutions to offer an additional division in each course for working professionals. The council also came up with a new quality improvement programme for six months for faculty members.

“It will address shortage of faculty in emerging areas, by converting core branch faculty into faculty for emerging areas by re-qualification,” said V E Annamalai, principal of SSN College of Engineering.



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