Ahmedabad: Vacant seats in computer and allied engineering courses across Gujarat have reached a five-year peak, with nearly half of all positions left empty in 2026. Of an extended intake of 45,620 seats, only 22,847 were filled, leaving 22,773 vacant — a fill rate of 50.1%.The decline follows a fall in admissions for a second consecutive year. While institutional intake rose steadily from 26,630 in 2021 to 45,620 in 2026, enrolments dropped from a peak of 27,302 in 2024 to 24,507 in 2025 and further to 22,847 in 2026.“The demand for computer engineering had begun to soften after dominating student preferences for nearly a decade,” said Nilay Bhuptani, principal of LD College of Engineering and member secretary of the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC). “Computer engineering has retained the top position for 10 years, but demand is now going down.” Bhuptani attributed the trend to continuous seat expansion, AI disruption, and prolonged campus placement cycles that once wrapped up by July or August but now drag into October.The drop in student uptake mirrors muted industry demand and structural shifts across the technology sector. Recruiters who once picked eight to 10 students per campus visit now often hire only one or two. Nirav Shah, former president of the GESIA IT Association, said: “The technology is changing rapidly and it is impacting the industry. Domestic market is doing well but outsourcing orders have reduced. Companies need different skill sets and with the growth of AI, the manpower requirement is decreasing for certain functions. This is resulting in lesser new hiring in the industry.”Chandresh Patel, CEO of Bacancy Technology, an agentic AI development company, said, “AI has changed the dynamics of the IT sector. Most of the work done by junior employees is now being done by AI, so hiring at the junior level is decreasing. We hired around 100 fresh graduates in 2024 and 56 in 2025. However, we have not planned any new campus hiring this year. We are hiring only experienced professionals who have AI-related skills.”Placement coordinators at premier institutes in Gandhinagar, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that regular recruiters are either skipping campus drives or taking far fewer graduates in what has become a lean hiring year. Prof RN Patel, director general of Nirma University, where over 300 students have been placed so far, said: “It is true that this year is difficult for the IT placements, but I believe the legacy institutions are overcoming it with strategic outreach – our teams including professors reached out to the IT sector in Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru this year with profile of our students and initiatives that has helped us both in internships and placements.” Patel added: “The sector often works on trends, and we hope that the next cycle would be better for the industry.”Despite the downturn, computer engineering remains Gujarat’s largest engineering discipline by total admissions. Traditional branches, meanwhile, are recovering steadily. Admissions to mechanical engineering rose to 3,503 in 2025 from 3,036 in 2024; civil engineering climbed to 2,939 from 2,654; electrical engineering increased to 2,164 from 2,056; chemical engineering grew to 1,811 from 1,786; and biotechnology jumped to 676 from 530. Other specialised disciplines recorded 2025 enrolments of 105 in textile engineering, 37 in dairy engineering, and 19 in agriculture engineering.
About The Author
