Mathematics, Physics No Longer A Must For Engineering!

New Delhi: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made Class XII subjects — Physics and Mathematics — optional for admission to undergraduate engineering courses like BE and BTech. The technical education authority has said this in its approval handbook for 2021-2022.

According to AICTE’s approval process handbook, now the students have to clear Class XII with Physics /Mathematics /Chemistry/Computer Science / Electronic Science/
Information Technology/Biology/Informatics Practices/Biotechnology/Technical vocational subject/Agriculture/Engineering Graphics/Business Studies or Entrepreneurship to be eligible for admission to BE and BTech courses.

Unreserved category candidates will have to score a minimum of 45 per cent in Class XII while reserved category students will need to score a minimum of 40 per cent marks.

The technical education body said that this call is being taken in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) to bring flexibility in the eligibility criteria. “The universities will offer suitable bridge courses such as mathematics, physics, engineering drawing for students coming from diverse backgrounds to achieve learning outcomes of the programme,” the AICTE said in the handbook.

Going by the new rules, AICTE has opened doors for students from medicine and commerce to pursue engineering programmes.

Students with a three-year diploma examination having 45 per cent marks are also eligible for the BE and BTech courses. “Their admissions will be subject to vacancies in the first year, in case the vacancies at the lateral level are exhausted,” AICTE said.

Till now, admission to engineering courses is done on the basis of Class XII-level Mathematics and Physics subjects along with one of the Chemistry/ Biotechnology/ Biology/Technical Vocational subjects.