Hyderabad: Four educational institutes — an engineering college and three business management schools — in Telangana were closed “progressively” by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in the 2025-26 academic year. In other words, these institutes cannot enrol students from the new academic year. However, students already enrolled will be allowed to complete their degrees, officials said on Monday.Low enrolment, faculty shortage, inadequate infrastructure and failure to meet regulatory standards reportedly pushed the four institutions — Priyadarshini Institute of Science and Technology in Medak, Avanthi’s School of Business Management in Hyderabad, NICMAR Institute of Construction Management and Research in Rangareddy, and Sana PG College in Kodad, Nalgonda district —into AICTE’s list of institutions approved for “progressive closure” for the 2025-26 academic year, the officials added.Speaking to TOI, Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) chairman Prof V Balakista Reddy said the closures were mainly driven by changing student preferences and the”inability of some institutions to keep pace with quality expectations”.“Students today look for good placements, quality faculty, infrastructure and industry-oriented education. If colleges fail to provide these, admissions naturally decline. Once student strength falls, institutions face multiple challenges in sustaining themselves,” he said.He said AICTE typically weighs low enrolment, faculty shortages, poor laboratory and infrastructure standards, and other regulatory gaps before approving a closure. He added that only one engineering college from Telangana figured in the list and said that should not be read as a sign of weakness in the state’s engineering education sector.A representative of one of the affected management institutes told TOI the institution did not apply for closure, but received the order after failing to attract any fresh students.The TGCHE chairman clarified that progressive closure does not affect students already enrolled, who would be allowed to complete their courses. He added that TGCHE would continue to focus on curriculum modernisation, industry partnerships, faculty development, research, innovation and skill development in line with the National Education Policy 2020 to improve quality and employability in higher education.
