16,800 engineering seats vacant in Karnataka; CSE highest with over 4,400

Has Computer Science become less popular in Karnataka colleges? What numbers show (AI Image)

As engineering admissions move through the final stages of the COMEDK UGET 2026 counselling process, 16,855 engineering seats remained vacant after Round 4 seat allotment results, according to the latest seat matrix data. The figure is spread across hundreds of course offerings at engineering institutions participating in the Karnataka admission process. The Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK), which conducts the Undergraduate Entrance Test (UGET) for admission to private engineering colleges,  lists the document as the vacancy position after Round 4 decision-making.

The vacancy data shows that the largest share of unfilled seats is concentrated in conventional engineering branches as well as newer computing branches. Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) accounts for 4,411 vacant seats, or about 26.2% of the total. Electronics & Communication Engineering follows with 2,566 seats, while Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning has 1,527 vacant seats. Mechanical Engineering accounts for 1,245 seats, followed by Civil Engineering with 969 seats.

Rank	Course	Vacant seats	Share out of total unfilled seats
1	Computer Science & Engineering	4,411	26.2%
2	Electronics & Communication Engineering	2,566	15.2%
3	Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning	1,527	9.1%
4	Mechanical Engineering	1,245	7.4%
5	Civil Engineering	969	5.7%

The CSE numbers are particularly notable because the vacancies are not confined to newer or specialised programmes. The standard CSE course alone has more than 4,400 seats still listed as vacant across the institutions listed in the document. The document records 147 separate college-course entries for the CSE code, with vacancies ranging from a handful of seats at some institutions to more than 100 at others.

Bapuji Institute Devangere tops the list

Among individual CSE programmes, Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology, Davangere, has the highest number of vacant seats at 121. It is followed by Atria Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, with 82 seats, and AMC Engineering College, Bengaluru, with 76 seats.

Rank	College	Location	CSE vacant seats
1	Bapuji Institute of Engineering and Technology	Davangere	121
2	Atria Institute of Technology	Bengaluru	82
3	AMC Engineering College	Bengaluru	76
4	Dr ACS College of Engineering	Bengaluru	72
5	Navkis College of Engineering	Hassan	72

The data also shows that high CSE vacancies are not restricted to Bengaluru. Dr ACS College of Engineering has 72 vacant CSE seats, while Navkis College of Engineering in Hassan also has 72. Ballari Institute of Technology and Management has 71, while Alvas Institute of Engineering and Technology and BMS College of Engineering each have 69.

At the same time, several institutions have comparatively few vacant CSE seats. MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology has five vacant CSE seats, Siddaganga Institute of Technology has four, and CMR Institute of Technology has three.

Some programmes have no vacancy recorded at all; for example, the CSE programme at Alliance College of Engineering and Design, Alliance University, is listed with zero vacant seats.

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Bengaluru accounts for the largest concentration

Bengaluru remains the largest concentration of vacant engineering seats in the dataset, reflecting the large number of participating institutions located in and around the city. The PDF includes institutions across Bengaluru, Bengaluru Rural and other Karnataka districts, with sizeable vacancy pools also visible in Mangaluru, Belagavi, Tumakuru, Mysuru and other engineering education hubs.

Mangaluru alone accounts for 1,311 vacant seats in the document, while Belagavi accounts for 1,111. These totals include all listed engineering courses, rather than CSE alone. For example, Mangalore Institute of Technology and Engineering has 67 vacant CSE seats, while Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management has 68.

The spread across branches is also significant. Vacancies are visible not only in CSE and electronics but in AI/ML, mechanical, civil, information science, electrical and electronics, data science, cybersecurity and other specialised programmes. At some institutions, several branches have substantial vacancies simultaneously. Ballari Institute of Technology and Management, for instance, has 72 vacant AI/ML seats, 71 CSE seats and 72 ECE seats.

The figures should be read as a Round 4 decision-making vacancy position, rather than as a final count of seats that will remain unfilled after students physically report to colleges. COMEDK published the Round 4 engineering allotment result on September 1, with decision-making and fee payment initially scheduled until September 3, while college reporting for candidates continued until September 8.