NEW DELHI—India's technical education regulator has approved the progressive closure of 58 engineering and technical colleges during the 2025-26 academic year, reflecting continuing pressure on institutions facing falling enrolment, faculty shortages and failure to meet prescribed standards.
The closures were approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which said the affected institutions will not be permitted to admit first-year students for the academic year in which the closure takes effect. Students already enrolled will be allowed to complete their degree programmes, according to AICTE officials.
AICTE describes the measure as a "progressive closure," under which institutions cease new admissions while continuing to teach existing batches until they graduate. The regulator said the approach is intended to minimise disruption for current students while addressing concerns over educational quality and regulatory compliance.
According to AICTE data, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra recorded the highest number of closures, with 12 institutions each. Madhya Pradesh followed with eight, while Telangana and Punjab each accounted for four. Of the 58 institutions, three were government-aided and the remainder were privately managed.
The regulator also approved the discontinuation of more than 950 engineering and technical programmes nationwide, citing a combination of academic, administrative and operational factors. AICTE officials said the decisions form part of an ongoing effort to improve standards across India's technical education sector.
Officials attributed many of the closures to persistently low student admissions, shortages of qualified faculty and institutions' inability to satisfy AICTE's infrastructure and academic requirements. The regulator has periodically allowed institutions to seek progressive closure rather than continue operating with inadequate enrolment or non-compliance.
India has seen a prolonged contraction in the number of engineering colleges over the past decade as demographic shifts, changing student preferences and concerns about graduate employability have reduced demand in some regions. Education analysts have also pointed to increased scrutiny of institutional quality and the financial viability of smaller private colleges.
AICTE said existing students at the affected colleges would continue their studies until graduation and that the institutions would remain responsible for meeting their academic obligations during the transition. The regulator has not indicated any change to that arrangement and said the closures apply only to new admissions under the approved progressive closure process.
