The Andaman & Nicobar Administration has announced that counselling for a wide range of reserved seats in professional, technical, and non-technical courses at mainland institutions will be conducted on August 20, 2025, at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of Tagore Government College of Education (TGCE), Sri Vijaya Puram. The session will cater to candidates from the islands who have applied for the 2025-26 academic year, covering both regular and surrendered or vacant seats across multiple disciplines.
The list of available seats includes one MBBS seat for candidates of Malayalee origin, two BDS seats, one BAMS seat for Malayalee origin candidates, and one B.Sc Agriculture seat for Malayalee origin. Additionally, there are two seats in B.Sc Nursing, eight in B.Sc Agriculture, five in B.Sc Horticulture, and two in Bachelor of Fisheries Science (B.F.Sc). In the technical domain, the allotment includes one B.Tech seat in Fisheries Engineering, one in Biotechnology, and one in Food Technology. Two B.A.LL.B seats are also on offer, along with paramedical course seats comprising two in Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technology (DMLT), one in Diploma in Radiology and Radiotherapy Technology (DRRT), one in Diploma in Ophthalmic Assistant (DOA), one in Diploma in Medical Care (DMC), and one in Diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharm).
The counselling will also include three surrendered seats for the B.Ed course and several vacant lateral entry seats in B.E/B.Tech programmes, two each in Mechanical Engineering and Electronics & Communication Engineering, and two in Civil Engineering.
Eligible candidates listed in the final merit list for these courses have been directed to attend in person, bringing all required documents, including original educational qualification certificates, five passport-sized photographs, two permanency certificates for sureties, and supporting documents for their category. The administration has made it clear that failure to attend in person or to produce the original certificates at the time of counselling will result in the forfeiture of the seat, regardless of merit position.
The seat allocation process will prioritise candidates within the respective reserved categories. If seats remain unutilised, they will first be reassigned to Category-V candidates based on merit. Should vacancies persist after this stage, they will be allotted to fresh eligible candidates present at the counselling session in order of merit.
The inclusion of surrendered and vacant seats in the counselling process is intended to maximise utilisation and ensure that no available opportunity goes unfilled. This approach reflects the administration’s efforts to address the aspirations of island students seeking higher education in specialised fields at reputed mainland institutions.
The range of courses on offer spans essential sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, technology, fisheries, and law, providing students from the islands access to professional training that can directly benefit the local economy and public services. Medical and paramedical seats are particularly significant for strengthening healthcare infrastructure in the islands, while agriculture and fisheries programmes address primary sector needs. Technical courses in engineering and biotechnology cater to modern industry demands, while law and education programmes aim to build institutional capacity in governance and teaching.
The administration has also indicated that the counselling process will be conducted in an orderly manner to ensure transparency and fairness. By concentrating multiple courses into a single, structured counselling date, the authorities aim to simplify the process for candidates and avoid delays in admissions.
This counselling session is a crucial gateway for many island students whose aspirations for higher education rely on the limited number of reserved seats in mainland institutions. The outcome will determine the next academic steps for dozens of candidates, making August 20 a key date in the educational calendar of the territory.
