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Hyderabad: Despite several rounds of counselling, more than half of the undergraduate degree seats offered through the Degree Online Services, Telangana (DOST) admission system remain vacant this year.

Colleges retaining surplus and unused seats are one of the major reasons for the high number of vacancies.

Nearly 1.89 lakh DOST degree seats vacant in Telangana

After the latest DOST special drive phase, the total number of students admitted this year reached 1,84,375.

The total number of degree seats available was 3,73,149. This means 1,88,774 seats, or nearly 51 per cent of the total intake, remain vacant.

Some colleges are continuing to keep courses open despite recording no admissions for several years.

As colleges sometimes avoid formally closing such courses due to the costs of closing or reopening them, courses with little or no demand continue to be part of the available intake.

Students opting professional courses

Changing preferences among students are also contributing to the vacant seats in DOST degrees in Telangana.

A large number of students are choosing professional fields such as engineering, medicine, pharmacy and agriculture instead of conventional degree courses.

A committee has been formed to examine courses that have not received even a single admission for three consecutive years.

The panel will consider whether such courses should have their intake reduced or be closed across the state.

Most students get first choice

In the latest DOST special drive, 12,069 students received their first-choice course or college.

Another 2,906 students were allotted seats based on their second or later preferences.

Commerce courses recorded the highest number of allotments in the latest special drive, with 6,198 seats.

Life sciences accounted for 3,080 allotments, followed by arts with 2,878 and physical sciences with 2,798. Other faculties together accounted for 21 allotments.