AP: More seats than applicants for ICET

HYDERABAD: Indicating a steady decline in students opting for MCA and MBA seats in the state colleges, the applications for ICET-2012, the common entrance test for the two courses, has declined by 10 per cent this year when compared to last year. The situation has come to such a pass that the number of seats available has outnumbered the number of applicants.According to ICET-2012 convener and Dean, Commerce and Business Management department of Kakatiya University, Prof K Omprakash, around 1.36 lakh candidates have applied for the test as compared to 1.5 lakh last year. The state has about 1 lakh seats in 940 MBA colleges and about 58,000 seats in 636 MCA colleges, which add up to more than 1.5 lakh seats.Further, not all those who have applied for test may opt for a seat. The number of students opting to take these degrees in distance mode has increased in the last couple of years and almost all universities in the state make it compulsory for distance mode students to also pass the ICET. Omprakash said a chunk of the 1.36 lakh applicants could fall in this category.The trend indicates declining interest to opt for MCA due to poor placement record. In comparison with MCA graduates, B.Tech holders take home most of the better-paying jobs. B Ravi, an MCA student who graduated last year, told Express that he has not been able to find a job even a year later. “Many software companies in the country prefer B.Tech students over MCA graduates,” he said.Some of the top engineering colleges in the state have a placement record of over 75 percent. But only nine percent of students got campus placement from 120 MCA colleges at the end of this academic year.But notwithstanding the fact that there are no more takers for the course and about 25 MCA colleges and 15 MBA colleges shut shop this year, the state is still adding to its list of MCA colleges. The poor admission record has left the existing colleges in financial crisis, with not enough funds to manage or upgrade its infrastructure. According to sources, many more colleges may apply for closing down their operations this year.