core BTech decline: AICTE data shows hundreds of course closures
AICTE data shows 454 BE/BTech Mechanical and 409 BE/BTech Civil courses were shut between 2012-13 and 2024-25 , underscoring the core BTech decline. The number of closures rose steadily and peaked in 2019-20 and 2020-21 , years marked by seat oversupply and the pandemic-driven shift to online learning and IT hiring.
PES College of Engineering, Mandya, officially closed its UG automobile engineering programme in 2024-25 after drawing only 9–12 admissions in the last five years, despite having equipment worth Rs 6–7 crore , principal NL Murali Krishna told reporters. PES is one of 14 institutes in Karnataka and 137 across India that have shut automobile programmes over the last 13 years; only six institutes in the state now offer automobile engineering.
Why core BTech decline accelerated
Colleges have increased intake in computer science and allied specialisations—AI, ML and data science—while reducing seats in legacy branches. Even older IITs cut seats and shut some core BTech programmes, shifting capacity toward IT-related streams, according to institutional reports.
Macro trends mirror this shift. The service sector’s share of gross value added rose from 50.6% to 55.3% between FY2014-15 and FY2025-26 , while manufacturing’s share hovered between 16.9% and 18.5% , data shared with parliament shows. Higher starting salaries and prestige in software jobs, plus dated core curricula, pushed students and parents toward CS when entrance ranks permitted.
What core BTech decline means for students and industry
The immediate labour market impact has been muted: manufacturers and infrastructure firms increasingly recruit ITI and diploma holders rather than fresh core-engineering graduates. AICTE records also show closures of 357 mechanical and 322 civil diploma courses in the same period, tightening the formal pipeline further.
Industry leaders and college heads warn of longer-term risks. G Srinivasa Rao, principal of Shri Vishnu Engineering College for Women, said the gap is a “disconnect between curriculum delivery and industry requirements.” Several institutes that retained enrolment did so by setting up hands-on facilities such as vehicle design labs and concrete-canoe workshops and by expanding internships and multidisciplinary courses.
Adari Satya Srinivasa and Padmakar Maddala pointed out that faculty are reskilling to teach coding and contemporary topics, while institutions replace niche thermal or textile programmes with computer-integrated or data-driven offerings.
The AICTE numbers and college closures give a clear near-term picture: core BTech decline is reshaping course offerings and student choices now, even as institutes and some industry voices push for curriculum overhaul and more practical training to revive core streams.