54 degree colleges in Telangana fail to attract any admissions

Fifty-four degree colleges in Telangana failed to secure any admissions this academic year, while over 53 per cent of seats remained vacant across institutions. DOST counselling data highlights sharp enrolment gaps, particularly in rural colleges and major universities like Osmania.

Hyderabad: A troubling trend has emerged in the State’s higher education as 54 degree colleges have failed to attract even a single student this academic year, raising concerns over the quality of higher education.

While 53 colleges that recorded zero admissions were under private management, a government degree college that provides free education could not get a single student on its rolls. The majority of these zero-enrolled degree colleges, as per officials, were located in the rural and remote areas of the State.

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Telangana Council of Higher Education Chairman Prof V Balakista Reddy said there was a provision to disaffiliate colleges that fail to secure even a single admission for three consecutive years. The Council would advise the universities to take necessary action with regard to colleges with zero admissions.

After all rounds of DOST counselling for the academic year 2025-26, a staggering 53.38 per cent of seats remained vacant. A total of 1,76,170 out of 3,77,907 seats in 830 degree colleges were filled via the DOST. Among the filled, 91,264 were women and 84,906 were men. Overall, 2,05,140 seats out of 4,40,107 were filled in 969 colleges, including DOST, residential degree colleges and non-DOST colleges.

As for the university-wise admissions, nearly 99,000 seats went vacant in Osmania University as 99,242 out of 1,98,107 seats in 417 degree colleges were filled. Over 60,000 degree seats were unfilled in colleges under the Kakatiya University. Similarly, 19,105 seats in Palamuru University and 15,552 seats in Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda, had no takers.

Among the courses, BCom was top choice for students when it comes to their undergraduate education, as 76,690 candidates opted for this programme, followed by BSc Physical Science that saw 37,528 enrolment. As many as 36,445 students enrolled in the BSc Life Science programme, while the BA and BBA programmes received 29,849 and 17,864 admissions, respectively.