The number of engineering colleges shutting down in India continues to grow, with 58 engineering and technical institutions closing during the 2025-26 academic year. The closures span several states, led by Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, and reflect a pattern that the regulator says is linked to low student admissions, faculty shortages and failure to meet prescribed norms.The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the country’s technical education regulator, has approved what it calls “progressive closure” for these institutions. That means they will not be allowed to admit first-year students for the academic year, but students already enrolled will be able to complete their courses.“A total of 58 engineering and technical colleges were closed progressively during 2025-26. Progressive closure means institute cannot admit the students for the first year during the academic year for which progressive closure is granted. However the existing students will continue,” a senior AICTE official told PTI.
What progressive closure means
Unlike complete closure, progressive closure does not immediately shut an institution. Instead, admissions are stopped for new students while existing batches continue until they graduate.According to AICTE, complete closure is different because courses are discontinued altogether and affected students are shifted to other institutions.The regulator said it follows this approach to avoid disrupting the education of students already pursuing their degrees.
Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra record the highest closures
The closures were spread across several states, with Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra recording the highest number at 12 institutions each.
| State | Colleges closed |
|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 12 |
| Maharashtra | 12 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 8 |
| Telangana | 4 |
| Punjab | 4 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 3 |
| Rajasthan | 3 |
| Gujarat | 2 |
| Karnataka | 2 |
| Tamil Nadu | 2 |
| Haryana | 1 |
| Odisha | 1 |
| Uttarakhand | 1 |
| West Bengal | 1 |
Among the 58 institutions, only three were government aided, while the remaining colleges were privately financed, according to information shared with PTI.
More than 950 courses also discontinued
The closures have also affected academic programmes offered by technical institutions.“Over 950 courses being offered in technical and engineering colleges across the country were also closed during the period,” the AICTE official told PTI.The discontinuation of courses adds to the shrinking number of programmes available in some institutions, particularly where admissions have remained low over successive years.
Why AICTE orders closures
According to AICTE, institutions may be closed for several reasons, including low student intake, inability to maintain the required number of faculty members and failure to comply with infrastructure and operational requirements.The regulator oversees technical education across engineering, architecture, management and pharmacy institutions, and is responsible for maintaining academic standards and regulating approvals.The latest closures suggest that many institutions continue to face challenges in attracting students and meeting regulatory requirements. While the colleges approved for progressive closure will continue teaching their existing batches, they will no longer admit new students, gradually bringing their operations to an end, PTI reports.
