Engineering admissions in Chhattisgarh get underway from Monday, with the Directorate of Technical Education releasing the full counselling schedule for BTech courses across 34 colleges in the state. A total of 11,514 seats will be filled through three rounds, and in a significant change this year, the earlier age cap of 30 years for engineering admissions has been removed entirely.

The first phase opens for online registration from June 30 to July 6. The merit list will be published on July 7, with objections accepted until July 8. Seat allotment results will be declared on July 10, and selected candidates will need to complete admission at their respective colleges between July 11 and 15.

The second phase follows shortly after. Registration runs from July 17 to 21, merit list on July 22, objections until July 23, seat allotment on July 25, and admission from July 26 to 30.

If seats remain vacant after both phases, institution-level counselling will be held. Registrations for that round open August 1 and close August 6, with the merit list on August 9. Candidates will need to be physically present at the institution by 10 am on August 10, and the admission window runs until 1 pm on August 13. A further merit-based admission opportunity will be available from 1:30 pm on August 13 through 5:30 pm on August 14 for any remaining seats.

A few rules candidates should note: only one online application per phase per course is valid. If a candidate secures a new seat in the second phase, their first-phase admission is automatically cancelled. At the institution-level round, applicants can choose only one institution but may fill preferences for all available branches within it. Merely applying at the institution level does not cancel an earlier admission — only actually accepting a new seat triggers cancellation of the previous one.

The Directorate of Technical Education has also made clear that a domicile certificate remains mandatory for admission. No exceptions will be made on this requirement.The removal of the age limit is likely to open the process to a wider pool of applicants — working professionals, career changers, or those who had previously been kept out due to the 30-year ceiling.