Ahmedabad: Academic excellence has hit a new high in Gujarat as the number of students securing top-tier grades in the Class 12 science stream more than doubled this year. With A-1 grade achievers jumping from 429 to 930, the state is seeing an influx of high-performing candidates ready to battle for seats in prestigious govt and self-financed engineering colleges.This upward trend in quality performance extended across all top brackets, as A-2 grade earners rose from 4,190 to 6,663, while those in the B-1 category increased from 7,618 to 10,067. Overall, the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) reported that approximately 95,000 students, including regular and repeat candidates, passed the exam, with a particularly strong showing in the A Group, which qualifies students for engineering and pharmacy admissions. In this group, 41,185 out of 45,362 students passed, reflecting a robust 90.79% pass rate and marking an increase of 7,714 successful candidates compared to the previous year.The sharp rise in successful A Group students is expected to reshape the state’s technical education ecosystem. With roughly 78,611 engineering seats available across across 16 govt, three grant-in-aid, and 120 self-financed colleges, the higher volume of qualifiers suggests that the nearly 40,000 seats left vacant in 2025 may finally see a reduction. However, board officials noted that the vacancy gap could still fluctuate if new institutions receive approval this year.In the smaller AB Group, 25 out of 36 appearing students cleared the exam. Ultimately, the significant leap in high-grade achievers points toward a much more competitive admission season, with a projected surge in demand for the state’s most reputed technical and pharmacy institutions.
