58 engineering colleges shut across India during 2025-26 - know why

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has approved the progressive closure of 58 engineering and technical institutions across the country for the 2025–26 academic session, citing persistent issues such as poor student enrolment and failure to comply with prescribed academic and infrastructure standards. While the move marks another phase in the rationalisation of technical education, the council has assured that students currently enrolled in these institutions will be able to complete their courses without any disruption.

Under the approved framework, the affected colleges will no longer admit first-year students from the 2025–26 academic year. However, they will continue to function until all existing batches graduate, ensuring that ongoing academic programmes remain unaffected. AICTE officials clarified that this process, known as "progressive closure," is intended to safeguard students while allowing institutions to wind down operations in an orderly manner.

The regulator emphasised that progressive closure should not be confused with complete closure. Unlike a complete shutdown, where students may need to be transferred to other colleges, progressive closure enables institutions to continue teaching their current students until they finish their degree programmes. 

“A total of 58 engineering and technical colleges were closed progressively during 2025-26. Progressive closure means institute cannot admit the students for the first year during the academic year for which progressive closure is granted. However the existing students will continue,” a senior AICTE official told PTI. 

Fresh admissions, however, remain suspended from the year the closure takes effect.

Why did the colleges close? 

The latest AICTE data also reveals a wider restructuring within India's technical education sector. During the same academic year, more than 950 engineering and technical courses were discontinued nationwide, reflecting changing student preferences, declining demand for certain programmes, low student admissions, shortage of qualified faculty members, non-compliance with infrastructure requirements, and the regulator's continued emphasis on quality over quantity.

State-wise list 

State-wise, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra recorded the highest number of institutional closures, with 12 colleges each receiving approval for progressive closure. Madhya Pradesh followed with eight affected institutions, while Telangana and Punjab reported four closures each. Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan accounted for three colleges each, whereas Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal saw two institutions each being phased out. Puducherry reported one closure.

Private institutions face greater challenges

Of the 58 institutions, only three were government-aided colleges, while the remaining were privately managed, highlighting that private institutions continue to face greater challenges in sustaining operations amid falling admissions and stricter regulatory oversight.

As the country's apex regulator for technical education, AICTE periodically reviews institutions on key parameters, including faculty strength, infrastructure, governance, academic performance, and compliance with statutory norms. Colleges that repeatedly fail to meet these benchmarks or experience prolonged declines in admissions may be granted permission to close.

The latest round of closures underscores the ongoing transformation of India's technical education landscape, with regulators increasingly focusing on improving educational quality, strengthening institutional standards, and ensuring that students' academic interests remain protected throughout the transition.

Also Read | IIM Bangalore to open campus in Indonesia, becoming second IIM with an overseas campus 

-Written by Jitisha Parihar. She is an intern with IndiaTV Digital.