Will Capping CS-Related Engg Seats in Karnataka Resolve Empl…

The Karnataka government is weighing steps to rein in the rapid expansion of computer science (CS) and allied engineering seats across the state, amid growing concerns that an unchecked supply of graduates in the stream could worsen unemployment among young engineers.

Speaking in the legislative council on December 16, Karnataka higher education minister M C Sudhakar acknowledged that engineering education in the state has become heavily skewed towards CS-related disciplines.

Karnataka currently has 229 engineering colleges, including 27 government engineering colleges. Together, they offer around 1.53 lakh engineering seats, the government said in response to a question raised by BJP MLC Dhananjaya Sarji.

A closer look at the distribution shows sharp imbalances, Sarji stressed. 

While 27 private universities alone account for nearly 33,000 engineering seats, government engineering colleges together offer only 6,495 seats. 

Even within these government institutions, only about 10% of seats are in CS-related branches, he flagged.

In contrast, Sarji highlighted that some private universities have concentrated a disproportionate number of seats in a single discipline. 

In one such university, out of 4,320 engineering seats, as many as 4,020 are in computer science and related branches, he said, seeking a response from the government.

Sudhakar said the government agrees that such concentration is becoming a problem. He pointed out that while medical colleges operate under strict caps, with limits such as 250 seats per institution, engineering colleges currently do not have similar restrictions.

Referring to AICTE norms, Sudhakar said institutions have justified the expansion by citing student demand. The minister noted that concerns over excessive engineering seats are not new, recalling that the Telangana government had flagged such a trend.

Karnataka, he said, is now in the process of rationalising seat allocations, especially where a single discipline dominates intake numbers.

According to Sudhakar, out of the total 1.53 lakh engineering seats in the state, nearly one lakh are now in computer science and related fields. This, he warned, could lead to an unemployment crisis as “everyone is doing computer science”.

Using a stark analogy, the minister said the current system risks becoming one where “big fish eat small fish”, signalling that aggressive expansion by a few institutions could crowd out balance and long-term sustainability in engineering education.

Reacting to the announcement, Krishna Kumar Gowda, general secretary of Greater Bengaluru IT Companies & Industries Association (GBITCIA), acknowledged the government’s concern, saying a seat mix heavily skewed towards computer science is unsustainable for students and the broader economy.

He noted that Bengaluru and Karnataka remain leading global tech and GCC hubs, with strong future demand for computer science, AI, and data talent. Any cap, he said, must be data-driven, calibrated, and regularly reviewed to avoid future talent shortages or pushing students to other states.

“The issue is not that Karnataka has ‘too many’ computer engineers, but that CS seat growth has outpaced demand in some branches and placement capacity. Rationalisation that restores balance while protecting tech leadership is welcome,” Gowda said.

He stressed that simply reducing seats will not solve unemployment. Industry, he said, needs strong fundamentals, updated curricula, internships, and closer campus–industry collaboration to make graduates job-ready. Gowda also suggested structured consultation between the government, VTU, AICTE, and industry bodies, and a differential approach, capping low-quality programmes while allowing monitored growth in high-demand areas such as AI, robotics, and machine learning, including in tier-2 and tier-3 locations.

A few months ago, CPS Prakash, former principal of Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, had issued a similar warning in a LinkedIn post, stating that many engineering colleges in Karnataka were adding computer science and allied branches without adequate planning. Most programmes lack trained faculty, feature outdated syllabi, and often duplicate the core CS curriculum, producing thousands of graduates with similar, misaligned skills, he had observed.

“The rapid adoption of AI is further reducing demand for human workers in tech, creating a looming mismatch between supply and demand,” Prakash wrote, adding that colleges may struggle to justify the proliferation of computer-related branches, risking high unemployment and a generation of graduates with obsolete skills, a crisis that administrators and regulators have failed to anticipate.

Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, said the proposal to reduce computer science seats in Karnataka needs careful consideration. Technology, she said, is no longer limited to the IT sector, and computer science graduates are not hired only by IT companies.

While IT firms increasingly recruit from multiple engineering streams, Sharma noted that sectors such as manufacturing, BFSI, healthcare, retail, and logistics are undergoing digital transformation and actively hiring tech talent. The recent slowdown in IT hiring, she said, reflects greater selectivity rather than shrinking demand for technology skills.

“The real concern that needs to be addressed is employability, not the number of students,” Sharma said, adding that instead of cutting seats, the focus should be on improving curriculum quality, practical exposure, and industry relevance across streams.

Karnataka became India’s tech capital by building a strong and diverse talent pipeline, she said, cautioning that reducing computer science seats could weaken that advantage over time.

“The answer lies in better skills and outcomes, not fewer technology graduates.”

The head of the computer science department at a private university, on condition of anonymity, said the government’s proposal should not be seen merely as an overflow of computer science seats, but in the context of evolving global demand for technology skills.

“AI is now central across sectors, not just IT,” the HoD said, adding that opportunities exist in areas such as healthcare, construction, manufacturing and infrastructure through automation and robotics. Rather than cutting seats, they said policymakers should focus on blending AI and machine learning with core engineering disciplines to create broader employment avenues.

They also flagged the concentration of seats in a few private institutions, calling for stronger regulatory oversight. 

“Approvals for intake increases and new programmes already require clearance from the Karnataka State Higher Education Council. The issue lies in enforcement,” he said.

Warning against arbitrary caps, the HoD said students determined to study AI and robotics would simply move to other states if opportunities shrink in Karnataka. 

“That would hurt admissions and weaken the state’s talent pipeline. The focus should be on curriculum reform and quality, not seat reduction,” he added.

Viraj Singh Randhawa, a third-year engineering student at Manipal Institute of Technology, said he is not in favour of the proposed plan, arguing that demand for computer science remains strong.

He said imposing a cap on computer science seats should not extend to private institutions and, if implemented at all, be limited to government colleges. 

Randhawa added that if the government moves to cap computer science intake, it should simultaneously increase seats in allied disciplines such as AI, data science and cybersecurity.

If expanding intake in these areas is not feasible, he said the state should consider increasing the number of engineering colleges, before imposing any cap on computer science seats.

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