This year, 144 students have secured a perfect cut-off score of 200, more than double the figure of 65 last year, according to the merit list released by the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) 2025 committee. The increase signals a stiffer competition for coveted seats across the State.
As cut-offs fall slightly overall, more students are clustering in tighter score bands. For example, students with a cut-off of 198 this year will find themselves ranked similarly to those with 197 last year. But they will now be competing against 1,035 more candidates.
The disparity is even more pronounced in the lower score ranges. A candidate with a 145 cut-off this year holds the same relative rank as someone with a 129.5 cut-off last year — a 15.5-mark difference. In this bracket, 1,74,740 students are competing for seats, up from 1,32,337 in 2024, an increase of 42,403 applicants, said R. Ashwin, an independent career guidance counsellor.
“In 2024, only 78% of the candidates who scored 200 or above 198 took up the seats allotted to them. Among those with cut-offs between 199 and 195, just 74% opted to join. Overall, the percentage of candidates accepting seats has dropped at every level. Notably, only 40% of TNEA-registered candidates scoring below 130 took part in counselling,” he added.
