Odisha engineering colleges report 37,000 vacant BTech seats

Approximately 37,000 BTech seats remain vacant in Odisha following three rounds of the 2026-27 admission and counselling process. Out of a total of 53,000 available seats across government and private institutions, only about 15,000 students have secured admission.

The vacancy crisis is almost entirely concentrated in the private sector. While government institutions reported over 99 per cent enrolment—with only about 100 seats remaining vacant, primarily in the Economically Weaker Sections category—private engineering and technical institutions saw 36,900 out of 47,000 seats go unfilled. This represents a vacancy rate of approximately 78.5 per cent in private colleges, an increase from previous years when vacancy levels ranged between 60 and 70 per cent.

The Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) committee has released the unfilled seats to the respective colleges and technical institutions, allowing them to conduct direct admissions at their own level.