The confusion over NEET affected not only medical seat aspirants but also had a cascading effect on engineering seat aspirants.
Many of the medical seat aspirants have bagged high scores in the Common Entrance Test (CET) and are hoping to give up their engineering seats if they score high in NEET, which will make them eligible for medical seats. This, in effect, means that many of the top engineering colleges will end up with vacant seats.
“These will either go vacant or get added to the management quota. So meritorious students will not be able to obtain these seats,” Mahesh H., an engineering seat aspirant, said.
What made matters worse is that the Karnataka Examinations Authority, which was scheduled to complete CET counselling by July 23, will complete it only by next Friday. “The lack of coordination between the Central government and the counselling agencies has affected students. Many will be forced to shell out one year’s fee for no fault of theirs,” a parent of an engineering seat aspirant said.
According to authorities, students who give up their CET or COMEDK seats are set to lose the entire annual fees. However, some colleges have decided to refund the fees after minor deductions as “processing fee”.
Top engineering colleges are worried about the prospects of the seats taken during the CET counselling finally remaining vacant. K.N.B. Murthy, vice-chancellor of PES University, said they were anticipating that around 40 of the 1,320 engineering seats may go vacant.
“Many students who will want medical seats or who have got seats in IITs or NITs may give up their seats, and as classes begin in August, these seats cannot be filled,” he said.
