From 10 Lakh in 2019 to 6.5 Lakh in 2021, what is the reason behind the drop in JEE Main registrations?

JEE Mains, one of the toughest exams in India, has been the soul of engineering students to get into an indigenous world-ranked technical institutions. However, having a look at the recent trends for JEE suggests a drift. Students are more likely to opt for regional engineering tests than JEE. In a nation that produces more than 1 million engineering graduates annually, it is difficult to believe in the sudden unlikeliness towards JEE.

The everlasting love for engineering!

With 3500 engineering colleges, 3400 polytechnics, and 200 schools of planning and architecture, India stands number 1 in engineering education infrastructure in the world. At the core and heart of these institutions are IITs (which also stand at the top in world rankings), NITs, and many more institutes. A combination of these imparts undergraduate and graduate courses in architecture, engineering, applied engineering and sciences.

Why is the preference for JEE declining?

Though the number of JEE registrations crosses 10 lakh every year, the total number of students who appear for the test is declining since 2015. According to a recent survey, students' preference for private college entrance examinations like MET of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (formerly Manipal University), KIITEE of Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, etc., have increased by 20% over JEE.

Reasons for decline

Following may prove to be the reasons for the decline in preference to JEE:

• Engineering aspirants opt for the independent review conducted for private colleges over JEE Main
• Free registration in other engineering tests.
• When it comes to the choice of engineering college location, 42% of students prefer metro cities, like Delhi, Mumbai, and large cities in their home states. Private college exams like BITSAT, VITEEE, MET, KIITEE, etc. give students an opportunity to be in the city of their choice.
• Students from the southern region continue to prefer studying in colleges of their region rather than traveling to any other part of the nation.

How popular has JEE Main 2021 been?

Under the current COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty over lockdown situations and conduction of JEE Main 2021 persisted. However, in a recent announcement, NTA has shed all doubts by announcing the dates for JEE Main 3rd and 4th session. While the 3rd session of JEE Main will be conducted from July 20 to 25, 2021, the 4th session is scheduled for July 27 to August 2, 2021. The February and March sessions of JEE Main have already been conducted, in which fewer students were reported at the centers.

No. of candidates registered for JEE Main March 2021

It is expected that the number of students registering for the next 2 sessions will be more than 6.8 Lakh (April session postponed to July) and 6.1 Lakh (May session postponed to August). Though the number of registrations may be declining, JEE Main still remains the central exam conducted for admission to engineering institutions by NTA. Does the pandemic have any role to play in this fall? How it turns out, we’ll have to find out!

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