Four Telangana engineering colleges to face progressive closure in 2025-26 academic year

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has approved the progressive closure of four engineering and technical colleges in Telangana for the 2025-26 academic year. The decision is part of a larger national action resulting in the progressive closure of 58 institutions and the discontinuation of over 950 technical courses across the country.

Under the progressive closure guidelines, the affected colleges in Telangana will stop admitting new first-year students for the upcoming academic year. However, the AICTE clarified that the interests of currently enrolled students will be protected. The institutions will continue their academic operations for existing batches, allowing current students to complete their degree programmes without any disruption.

Nationally, the closures heavily impact several states. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra recorded the highest number of closures with 12 institutions each. Madhya Pradesh followed with eight closures, while Telangana and Punjab registered four colleges each.

The data further shows that Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan witnessed three closures each. Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal reported two closures each, while Puducherry had one institution shut down. Of the 58 colleges facing progressive closure across India, three are government-aided institutions, while the remaining are privately managed.

According to the AICTE, the national regulator responsible for maintaining quality in technical education, closures are approved when institutions fail to meet required standards. The council reviews colleges based on several parameters before granting approval for continued operations.

Engineering colleges may face closure due to low student admissions, a shortage of qualified faculty members, non-compliance with infrastructure requirements, or failure to follow other operational and academic norms prescribed by the regulator.

The AICTE distinguished progressive closure from complete closure. In a complete closure, academic programmes are discontinued entirely, and affected students are shifted to other institutions. In contrast, the progressive closure model chosen for these 58 institutions protects the interests of existing students by allowing them to finish their education in the same college.