Fact Check: Can commerce students pursue engineering?

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Fact Check

The claim is misleading.

NewsMeter found an article by Indian Express, explaining about new norms of The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)- the apex body for technical education programmes such as engineering and management.

According to the article, previously, an engineering aspirant had to have completed high school with Physics and Mathematics as required subjects. Chemistry, Biotechnology, Biology, Computer Science, Information Technology, Informatics Practices, Agriculture, Engineering Graphics, Business Studies, and technical vocational subjects could have been the third subject. A general category candidate must have received at least 45 percent in all three subjects.

Under the AICTE Approval Process Handbook 2021-22, engineering aspirants from Class XI and XII need not mandatorily study PCM and PCB. These students have been given the flexibility to choose from an array of subjects, as per the Money Control report.

"The handbook states that students will be eligible for an undergraduate engineering programme by passing their Class XII board exam with any three subjects from the following: Computer Science, Biotechnology, Agriculture, Engineering Graphics, Business Studies, IT, Entrepreneurship, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology Informatics Practice, Technical Vocational Subject (from the CBSE list, including Marketing, Consumer protection, Floriculture, Food preparation, and Fashion design)."

Individual institutes, however, will have the authority to decide whether students can be admitted without having studied these subjects, depending on the engineering stream they choose.

Moreover, Universities or institutions will provide bridge courses to help students from commerce or art background to polish their basics in subjects like Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.

Hence, the claim is misleading.