Academic Year 2020-21: JNTU-Hyderabad to grant online affiliation to private colleges

Considering the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic situation, the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU)-Hyderabad has decided to grant online affiliation to the private colleges under its ambit, this year. The university has already received online applications for the grant of affiliation for the academic year 2020-21. These applications will be scrutinized and private colleges, including the ones offering engineering courses, will be granted affiliation.

Every year, after receiving the online applications, the university conducts inspections of the colleges by constituting fact-finding committees. The colleges are inspected to assess their facilities, including infrastructure, laboratories, faculty, and faculty-student ratio among others. In view of the prevailing situation arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic in the State, the authorities have decided not to inspect the



colleges.

For the academic year 2020-21, the JNTU-Hyderabad has introduced six new courses namely Computer Engineering (Software Engineering), Computer Science and Engineering (Cybersecurity), Computer Science and Engineering (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning), Computer Science and Engineering (Data Science), Computer Science and Engineering (Internet of Things) and Computer Science and Engineering (Networks).

Accordingly, about 150 private engineering colleges have applied for grant of these courses with a total intake of close to 15,000 seats at the undergraduate level this year. Most of these college managements have sought to introduce artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, and data science programmes at the undergraduate level from the academic year 2020-21.

The JNTU-Hyderabad has granted affiliation to 93,790 seats in 187 private engineering colleges in the State.