MANGALORE: The focus on this year's AIEEE online counselling is all set to shift to the spot round that commences from August 11. The spot round marks the entry of 23 self-financed (private) institutions that make their first entry into the counselling process in AIEEE 2011, after the completion of five rounds of admission process for admission to 30 NITs, five IIITs, and 13 centrally/state funded institutions that started on June 25, got over on August 7.
The process of internal sliding based on choices given by candidates at the time of admission was carried out centrally online on Monday and vacancies will be displayed on the website of Central Counselling Board AIEEE-2011 from Wednesday. Candidates not part of the admission process so far and entering the spot round can register for three-days starting from August 11 at the respective reporting centres and allotment of seats will be done on Sunday.
G Srinikethan, coordinator, CCB AIEEE-2001, headquartered at National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, told TOI that a total of 15,840 seats are up for grabs in the spot round. An additional 200 seats not allotted for lack of availability of suitable category candidates in the five rounds of admission held so far too are up for grabs in the spot round, he said, adding that these seats would otherwise go abegging.
Explaining another reason for 200 seats out of 18,411 allotted to institutions that were part of the admission process in the first five rounds remaining un-allotted, Srinikethan said there seems to be distinct apprehension on part of parents and students about the branches that they were allotted rather than the institute. Students are normally reluctant to take up branches such as mining and biotechnlogy, even in leading and reputed institutions, he said.
A majority of the seats that remained unalloted were in the two North-Eastern NITs at Agartala and Mizoram, which accounted for 57 and 30 respectively, while NIT, Calicut, accounted for 16, followed by Dr B R Ambedkar NIT, Jalandhar for 12. A few students who were allotted seats in the first three rounds did not opt for them, but entered the counselling system afresh in round four and five benefited from lateral entry in these rounds, he said.