JEE-Mains registrations fall for 4th straight year

Registrations to the Joint Entrance Examination Mains (JEE-Mains), one of the most sought after competitive exams for entering the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology and other premier engineering colleges, ended earlier this week and once again, the number of applications have decreased from the previous year.

In the last four years alone, the total registrations have dropped by 15.3%. However, the number of applications from Maharashtra marginally went up this year.

According to figures shared by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), close to 11.48 lakh students across the country have registered for the exam this year, a drop of 51,000 compared to last year, when the total registrations stood at 11.99 lakh.

The figure stood at 12.07 lakh in 2016 and 13.04 lakh in 2015. Registrations

had increased from 12.82 lakh in 2013 to 13.56 lakh in 2014.

“Students are very smart these days and know that a degree alone is of no use if it does not assure a lucrative job thereafter. Courses such as management and law are becoming increasingly popular among the youth these days whereas a degree in

medicine or engineering seem to have taken a back seat,” said the director of a state-based engineering institute. Maharashtra has been one of the top three states from where engineering hopefuls turn up for JEE-Mains. However, the declining demand for engineering admissions has reflected on the numbers.