Karnataka makes NOC mandatory for starting new colleges, increasing seats

Currently, private engineering colleges directly approach AICTE to seek approvals for establishing new colleges, launching new courses, or increasing intake, without consulting the State government

VTU Vice-Chancellor says only seats and courses for which NOC has been obtained from the State government within the stipulated period will be included in the annual seat matrix. | Photo Credit: file photo

The State government has made it mandatory for all technical education institutions to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from both the State government and Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) before starting new colleges or increasing seats in existing ones, starting from the academic year 2025-26. This new regulation is expected to significantly impact private engineering colleges.

According to the government order, all private aided and unaided technical education institutions must secure NOC/approval from the State government and VTU to introduce new bachelor’s or master’s programs or to alter admission limits.

Currently, private engineering colleges directly approach the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to seek approvals for establishing new colleges, launching new courses, or increasing intake, without consulting the State government.

Higher Education Minister Dr. M.C. Sudhakar, in October 2023, had written to AICTE expressing concerns over its lenient norms, which he argued have led to an overconcentration of engineering colleges in tier-1 cities and a glut of courses in popular subjects like computer science. This, he said, has disrupted the balance in technical education across the state.

Dr. Sudhakar suggested that AICTE should mandate a State government NOC before approving any applications. However, AICTE reportedly did not respond positively to this recommendation.

The State government has now implemented its regulation requiring a mandatory NOC from the Department of Technical Education and VTU for opening new colleges, launching new courses, or altering course intake.

As part of its annual affiliation process, VTU, on November 12, invited applications for the 2024-25 academic year. These include applications for affiliating existing institutions, starting new colleges, and recognising research centres. For the first time, obtaining an NOC from both the Department of Technical Education and VTU has been made a prerequisite for even applying to AICTE.

“Only the seats in colleges and courses that have secured an NOC from the State government within the stipulated period will be included in the annual seat matrix,” said S. Vidyashankar, Vice-Chancellor of VTU.