The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is ordering progressive closure of 58 engineering and technical colleges across India during the 2025–26 academic year. Under progressive closure, institutions are not allowed to admit students into the first year for the academic year in which the closure is granted, but existing enrolled students are allowed to continue their degrees. The AICTE also reports that over 950 courses offered in technical and engineering colleges are being discontinued during the same period.

Both outlets report that the closures are linked to factors such as low student intake, inability to maintain required faculty, and non-compliance with infrastructure and other operational norms. The institutions are shut progressively rather than immediately closing entirely.

The highest number of closures is reported in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, with 12 colleges each. Madhya Pradesh follows with eight, while Telangana and Punjab have four each. Three colleges are reportedly closed each in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, and two each in Gujarat, Karnataka, Pune and Tamil Nadu. Haryana, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal have one closure each. Among the 58 institutions, three are government-aided and the remainder are privately financed.