Hyderabad: Mancherial and Adilabad recorded the highest number of degree colleges with zero admissions in the state this year, Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) 2026-27 data showed. The districts had six private unaided colleges failing to secure a single student.They were followed by Khammam (5), Nirmal (4), Ranga Reddy (4) and Kamareddy (4). Across the state, 56 private unaided degree colleges drew no admissions at all, with a combined approved intake of 16,460 seats sitting entirely vacant.The problem is concentrated outside major urban centres. Bhadradri Kothagudem, Nizamabad and Siddipet had three such colleges each.
University-wise, Kakatiya University accounted for 34 of the 56 colleges, followed by Telangana University (7), Osmania University (6), Palamuru University (4), Mahatma Gandhi University (3) and Satavahana University (2).The shift from last year is not huge. In 2025-26, 54 colleges had recorded zero admissions, with Khammam topping the list.TGCHE chairperson Prof V Balakista Reddy attributed the trend to a wide variety of reasons. “Students prefer some colleges and their seats get filled immediately. Particularly in rural areas, these degree colleges are not doing well because they don’t have faculty or infrastructure,” he told STOI. He further said, “We make sure that if a college doesn’t get admissions for three consecutive years, we can close it or cancel its affiliation,” he said.K Ramdas, secretary of the Federation of Associations of Higher Institutions (FATHI), Telangana, pointed to two reasons: govt degree colleges steadily adding seats, and fee reimbursement dues to private colleges remaining stuck. “Govt degree colleges have abnormally expanded their intake over the years, while fee reimbursement dues continue to remain pending. Many students who are eligible for reimbursement are opting for govt colleges instead of private institutions, where there is uncertainty over reimbursement. Unless the fee reimbursement issue is addressed, private colleges will continue to struggle with admissions,” he said.The zero-enrolment colleges are part of a bigger admissions gap in the state. DOST special phase data, released recently, reveals that 783 colleges in the state together offered 3,73,149 undergraduate seats. Of these, 1,15,433 seats had already been confirmed before the special phase, while another 53,967 students were allotted seats in the special phase, taking the total to 1,69,400. Even after this, over 2 lakh seats remain vacant across Telangana’s degree colleges.
