With the huge demand for Computer Science and related courses, the engineering colleges in the state of Tamil Nadu have increased the seats by more than 50% this year. Out of the total 2,32,872 available for different engineering courses, Computer Science Engineering has the most seats allotted.
According to the data, around 27,000 seats were available in the Computer Science Engineering course in 2021 but now the number of seats available is more than 42,000. Similarly, the seats for BTech IT (Information Technology) increased from 9,114 to 15,718.
A total of 221 engineering colleges have introduced new courses which include B. Tech Artificial Intelligence and Data Science; Computer Science and Engineering (Cyber Security); B.E. Computer Science and Engineering (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning); B. Tech Computer Science and Business Systems; B. Tech Computer Science and Engineering (Internet of Things); B. Tech Agricultural Engineering; B.E. Biomedical Engineering; and B. Tech Information Technology. The number of seats available in these courses is over 14,000 compared to 2,732 in 2021.
Around 201 colleges have reduced seats in traditional BE/BTech courses like Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, and Electrical & Electronics Engineering. There are around 26,600 seats available for Mechanical Engineering courses and 15,000 seats are available for Civil Engineering courses.
The Dilemma
The rise in demand for Computer Science Engineering and allied courses has led to increasing seats in colleges. However, most academicians feel that the quality of education will be compromised if there is not an adequate number of qualified teachers to teach these subjects appointed by the colleges. Experts suggest that the lackluster behavior of AICTE & State governments and scenarios such as trifling pay packages, poor infrastructure in private engineering colleges, and lucrative jobs in the IT sector also contribute to the problem.
Top Engineering Colleges in Tamil Nadu for Computer Science
Tami Nadu hosts some of the top Engineering colleges in India like IIT Madras, Anna University, VIT Vellore, etc. There are around 624 BTech colleges in Tamil Nadu, amongst them, 580 colleges offer BTech CSE courses. Below is a list of top BTech colleges in Tamil Nadu for Computer Science along with seats and NIRF ranking 2022:
| NIRF Ranking 2022 | Colleges Name | BTech Computer Science seats |
| 1 | Indian Institute of Technology – IIT Madras | 87 |
| 8 | National Institute of Technology – NIT Trichy | 119 |
| 12 | Vellore Institute of Technology – VIT Vellore | 2040 |
| 17 | Anna University | 180+ |
| 19 | Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore | 300 |
| 24 | SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai | 1440 |
| 39 | Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education, Srivilliputtur | 600+ |
| 41 | Shanmugha Arts Science Technology & Research Academy, Thanjavur | 780+ |
| 48 | Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering, Kanchipuram | 120 |
| 54 | Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai | 1260 |
This current boom in the IT job market has undoubtedly pushed the demand for Computer Science-related Engineering courses. However, the experts are a bit worried about the recent trends. Students are advised to opt for courses where they can give their best rather than jumping the bandwagon. The demand for IT might not be the same four years hence, so the students should look for seats in good colleges instead of chasing a Computer Science seat.
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