As many as 30,096 candidates were allotted seats in the first round of counselling under the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA). A total of 41,807 candidates from the general category, including academic and vocational streams, and those under the 7.5% preferential reservation for government school students, were called. The second round of counselling began on Saturday for 98,565 candidates, according to officials.

This year 425 colleges participated with a total of 26,719 seats allotted in the general counselling under academic stream out of the 1,72,241 seats available. Private colleges have seen the most number of seats filled at 20,540 in 387 colleges across the State.

Computer science and information technology related courses are preferred by the students while mechanical and civil engineering seems to have reduced interest with only 745 seats filled in civil engineering. Further, emerging technology branches such as artificial intelligence and data science are seeing an increased demand.

Career guidance expert R. Ashwin’s analysis shows that 91% of seats in autonomous colleges have been filled. Colleges in Coimbatore zone have filled over 44% seats with Chennai zone being the second preference.

According to education consultant Jayaprakash Gandhi’s analysis the Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CECRI) Karaikudi has filled all of its seats while Anna University’s College of Engineering, Guindy, has filled 98.4% of its sanctioned seats. Anna University’s departments at Madras Institute of Technology, Chromepet, has filled 96.9% of its available seats. Meanwhile, SSN College of Engineering in Kalavakkam had filled 98% of its seats in the first round leaving 10 seats vacant.

Students who got provisional allotment through upward movement should join the colleges by August 4. The fee paid by the candidates and their certificates surrendered to the TNEA Facilitation Centres would be sent to the respective colleges, officials said.