West Bengal engineering admissions jump 75.4% as 3.9 lakh students take college seats

By TUF News Desk · Published 12 October 2026 · 4 min read

Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy

27,599 students took admission to engineering and pharmacy courses through West Bengal’s state counselling this year, up 75.4 per cent from the 15,729 admitted last year. The figures were released by Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay, who called it a sign that students are returning to the state’s higher education system.

Undergraduate degree courses told a similar story. Admissions through the state’s centralised and decentralised portals rose 49.9 per cent, from 2,61,692 in 2025 to 3,92,227 this year, across 460 colleges.

Engineering and pharmacy: the numbers

WBJEEB counselling covers undergraduate engineering, technology and pharmacy courses. Of the 27,599 admissions this year, 16,409 came through centralised counselling and 11,190 through the decentralised process. That is an increase of 11,870 students over 2025.

The decentralised rounds also gave students a second shot at better options. 2,156 students who had already secured admission through centralised counselling upgraded to their preferred choices during the decentralised rounds. These upgrades were counted within the 11,190 decentralised admissions.

State institutions such as Jadavpur University admit students through the WBJEEB counselling process. The board’s counselling determines seats across government, government-aided and participating private engineering and pharmacy institutes.

Degree colleges: nearly 3.9 lakh admissions

For general undergraduate degree courses, the West Bengal Centralised Admission Portal (WBCAP) and the West Bengal Decentralised Admission Portal (WBDAP) handled the process. WBCAP accounted for 3,78,931 admissions and WBDAP for 13,296, taking the combined total to 3,92,227. Last year’s combined figure was 2,61,692, so the increase this year is about 1.31 lakh students.

Around 2.6 lakh of these students took admission in government and government-aided colleges through the online portal, which is roughly 1.3 lakh more than last year. Institutions in Kolkata, including the University of Calcutta shown above, admit large numbers of students through these portals each year.

What the government said

Releasing the data, the higher education minister said students in Bengal had lost faith in the state’s higher education infrastructure over the past 15 years, and that the new government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was bringing renewed confidence. He said the government hopes to bring in more positive changes in the coming years.

The final phase of admissions through the decentralised portal closed after the de-reservation of seats, and officials indicated that this is likely the end of undergraduate admissions for the year.

What students should take away

If you missed a seat this year, the pattern is worth noting. WBJEEB runs multiple rounds, including decentralised rounds that fill leftover seats, and thousands of students improved their options this year simply by staying in the process. The official WBJEEB portal publishes the counselling schedule, seat matrices and round-wise results, so tracking it directly is the safest way to avoid missing a round.

For students preparing for the 2027 cycle, keep your documents ready well before counselling begins. Our admission documents checklist lists the certificates and scans you will need for college reporting, since a missing document at reporting time can cost you an allotted seat.

Frequently asked questions

How much did West Bengal engineering admissions grow in 2026?

Admissions through WBJEEB counselling rose from 15,729 in 2025 to 27,599 in 2026, a 75.4 per cent increase. Of these, 16,409 came through centralised counselling and 11,190 through decentralised counselling.

How many students took admission in West Bengal UG colleges this year?

About 3.92 lakh students took admission across 460 colleges through the centralised (3,78,931) and decentralised (13,296) portals, up 49.9 per cent from last year’s 2.62 lakh.

Which board conducts engineering counselling in West Bengal?

The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board (WBJEEB) conducts the state-level entrance examination and counselling for undergraduate engineering, technology and pharmacy courses.

Is the UG admission process in West Bengal over for 2026?

The final phase through the decentralised portal closed after seat de-reservation, and officials have indicated that UG admissions for the year are effectively complete.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: The Times of India, Millennium Post