New Delhi, August 10: The choice of course of the candidates seeking admission to the five Indian Institutes of Technology does not appear to be related to their aptitudes or interest. They are guided much more by their assessment of job opportunities that will be available at the end of the five-year course, according to Prof. A.K. Basu Chairman of Admissions.He told Samachar, however, the assessment in most cases was not based on facts. The pattern of choice of courses, on the whole, remained the same this year as in the last year with electrical (electronics), mechanical and chemical engineering being the top three popular courses respectively. Ample opportunities were available in these institutes for teaching and research in all courses including the so-called unpopular ones and there was good scope of securing jobs on completion of the courses, he said. A total of 4,531 candidates applied for the joint entrance examination this year. Of them, 282 came on the merit list. The corresponding figures for the last year were 3,936 and 216. Published - August 11, 2026 02:44 am IST