Engineering diploma admissions: Students can choose any branch from this year

KEA has also decided to change the exam pattern of the DCET (Diploma CET)-2022 from this year; DCET to be conducted for only 100 marks instead of 180

Image for representational purpose. All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) amended its rules and regulations in 2020 and liberalised the admission rules for engineering courses and let diploma holders select any branch through lateral entry. | Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar

Karnataka government has changed the rules for the three-year engineering diploma admissions stating that students can take any branch of engineering through lateral entry (direct admission into the 3^rd semester) from the academic year of 2022-23.

There were restrictions on selecting the branches for diploma holders in the engineering streams. Civil engineering diploma holders were required to take only civil engineering branch in their engineering degree, while automobile engineering diploma holders were required to take only automobile engineering branch.

However, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) amended its rules and regulations in 2020 and liberalised the admission rules for engineering courses and let diploma holders take any branch through lateral entry. The State government is applying these rules from this academic year.

According to the new rule, a civil engineering diploma candidate can be admitted to either mechanical, computer science, electrical, automobile, robotics or any available branch in the engineering degree.

DCET pattern change

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has also decided to change the exam pattern of the DCET (Diploma CET)-2022 from this year. DCET is the gateway to the three-year diploma courses through lateral entry for engineering courses.

Earlier, DCET was conducted for a total of 180 marks, including applied science, maths and the particular discipline in the diploma courses, like civil, mechanical and other subjects. Now, the KEA has changed the examination pattern and it will conduct the DCET for only 100 marks in ‘Applied Science and Applied Maths’ subjects for three hours. The question paper will exclude the particular diploma courses disciplines.

The KEA will consider diploma 5^th and 6^th semester marks for the DCET ranking. According to this, the KEA will award the DCET-2022 rankings on the basis of 50% DCET marks and other 50% of diploma marks.

Ramya. S, Executive Director, KEA., said, ”According to the AICTE norms, the government has decided to accommodate any engineering courses through the lateral entry for the diploma holders, irrespective of disciplines. They can join any branch of engineering on the basis of their bank. Therefore, we also changed the DCET examination pattern.”