TNEA Counselling 2025: Complete Guide to Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions, Dates, Cut-offs and Process

TNEA Counselling 2025 is the centralized online process conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE), Tamil Nadu, for admissions into B.E./B.Tech programs across government, government-aided, and private engineering colleges in the state.

Starting from registration on May 7, 2025, through various phases including certificate verification, rank list publication, and multiple rounds of choice filling and seat allotment, the counselling ensures merit-based, transparent admissions. Eligibility requires candidates to have passed Class 12 with PCM subjects, with different minimum marks for reserved categories and specific nativity requirements.

The counselling process includes online registration, document uploads, fee payment, choice locking, and seat confirmation through “Accept & Join” or “Accept & Upward” options.

A total of 1,72,388 seats are available, and cut-off scores vary by college, branch, and category, with top colleges like Anna University CEG and PSG Tech having high cut-offs. Fee structures differ for accredited and non-accredited colleges, and detailed updates, including seat matrices, are available on the official TNEA portal.

TNEA Counselling 2025: Your Comprehensive Guide to Engineering Admissions in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) 2025 counselling is the gateway to undergraduate engineering programs (B.E./B.Tech) in various government, government-aided, and private engineering colleges across Tamil Nadu. Conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE), Tamil Nadu, the entire counselling process is online, ensuring a merit-based and transparent admission system.

As of July 17, 2025, the TNEA 2025 Round 1 choice filling is underway, with significant developments already taking place.

Key Dates and Important Updates (as of July 17, 2025)

• TNEA 2025 Registration Commencement: May 7, 2025
• Last Date for Counselling Registration: June 6, 2025
• TNEA Random Number Release: June 11, 2025
• Certificate Verification: June 10 to June 20, 2025
• TNEA Rank List Publication: June 27, 2025
• Online Counselling for Special Categories (Ex-servicemen, Sports Quota): July 7 to July 8, 2025
• Online Counselling for General Special Reservation Categories: July 9 to July 11, 2025
• Round 1 Choice Filling (Ranks 1 to 39,145): July 14 to July 16, 2025
• Tentative Seat Allotment Result for Round 1: July 17, 2025 (Expected to be released today)
• Tentative Allotment Confirmation for Round 1: July 17 to July 18, 2025
• Provisional Allotment for Accept & Join Candidates and Tentative Allotment for Accept & Upward Candidates (Round 1): July 19, 2025
• Round 2 Choice Filling (Ranks 39,146 to 137,710): July 26 to July 28, 2025
• Round 3 Choice Filling (Ranks 137,711 to 239,299): August 7 to August 9, 2025
• Supplementary Counselling: August 21 to August 23, 2025
• SCA to SC Counselling: August 25 to August 26, 2025
• End of Counselling: August 26, 2025

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for TNEA Counselling 2025, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Academic Qualification: Passed Class 12 or equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as core subjects.
• Minimum Aggregate Marks:
  • General Category (OC): 45% in PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics)
  • Reserved Categories (BC/BCM/MBC/DNC/SC/SCA/ST): 40% in PCM
  • Vocational Stream: 50% in related subjects (with related theories and practicals)
• Nativity:
  • Candidates who have passed Class 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 from Tamil Nadu schools generally do not need to submit nativity proof.
  • Candidates who have passed any of these classes from schools outside Tamil Nadu must submit a Nativity Certificate (electronic or digitally signed e-certificate).
  • Children of Central Government Employees/Public Sector/Government Recognized Institutes serving continuously in Tamil Nadu for the past 5 years need to provide a certificate from their employer.
  • Srilankan Tamil Refugees studied in Tamil Nadu need to provide an identification certificate from the Headquarters Tahsildar or a copy of passport, visa, and police registration letter.
• Age Limit: Minimum 18 years, Maximum 25 years (for Marine Engineering, specific criteria apply: Min. Height – 157 cm, Min. Weight – 48 kg, Normal Colour Vision).

Application Process and Choice Filling

The TNEA 2025 application and counselling process is entirely online. Here’s a general overview:

1. Registration: Candidates registered on the official portal tneaonline.org by providing basic details like name, mobile number, email ID, date of birth, etc.
2. Application Filling: Detailed academic and personal information, including Class 12 marks, were filled. Special reservation category details (if applicable) were also included.
3. Application Fee Payment: A non-refundable application fee was paid online.
   • General Category (OC/BC/BCM/MBC&DNC): ₹500
   • SC/SCA/ST Category: ₹250
4. Document Upload: Scanned copies of all required community and academic certificates were uploaded within specified size limits (JPG/JPEG/PNG format, 150 KB to 1 MB per document; 20 KB to 50 KB for photo and signature). After uploading, candidates had to “Freeze Upload” which prevents further changes.
5. Certificate Verification: DoTE verifies the uploaded certificates. Candidates can track their verification status online.
6. Rank Publication: The TNEA rank list is published for eligible candidates.
7. Choice Filling: This is a crucial step where candidates log in to tneaonline.org and select their preferred colleges and courses in order of priority.
   • Candidates are advised to fill as many choices as possible to maximize their chances.
   • The choices must be locked before the deadline. An OTP is sent to the registered mobile/email to confirm the lock. If not manually locked, choices are automatically locked.
8. Seat Allotment: Based on TNEA rank, community reservation, and filled choices, tentative seat allotment results are published.
9. Confirmation of Allotment: Candidates must confirm their tentative allotment by choosing “Accept & Join” or “Accept & Upward” (for those seeking a better option in subsequent rounds).
   • “Accept & Join” candidates must report to the allotted college and pay the college fees within 7 days. Failure to do so will result in cancellation of the allotment.
   • “Accept & Upward” candidates will pay a fee at a TNEA Facilitation Centre (TFC) and submit certificates to hold their current seat while participating in the next round.
10. Reporting to College: Candidates with confirmed provisional allotment must report to the allotted college with all required documents and pay the remaining tuition fees.

Seat Matrix 2025

DoTE has released the TNEA 2025 seat matrix, which details the category-wise distribution of seats across all participating colleges and courses. A total of 1,72,388 seats are available across all colleges for the general academic category.

The seat matrix is available on the official website, usually in an Excel format, providing a detailed breakdown for Open Category (OC), Backward Class (BC), Backward Class Muslim (BCM), Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities (MBC & DNC), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Caste (Arunthathiyar) (SCA), and Scheduled Tribe (ST).

For example, for University Departments of Anna University Chennai – CEG Campus, specific branches like Computer Science and Engineering (SS) have seats distributed among various categories.

Cut-off Scores (Expected/Previous Year Trends)

The TNEA cut-off scores vary based on the college, branch, category, and counselling round. The cut-off is calculated out of 200 marks, where:

TNEACutoffMarks=MathematicsScore+(PhysicsScore/2)+(ChemistryScore/2)

General Trends:

• For top branches in major universities like Anna University, CEG Campus (CSE), the OC cutoff is typically above 198.
• A relaxation of 5-10 marks is usually observed for BC and MBC candidates.
• Government colleges generally have higher cutoffs due to lower fees and better placement records.

Expected Cutoff Ranges for Top Colleges/Branches (General Category):

Participating Colleges

Over 500 engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu participate in TNEA Counselling. These include prestigious government institutions, government-aided colleges, and numerous private self-financing colleges.

Some prominent participating institutes include:

• College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai (CEG)
• Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai (MIT)
• PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore
• Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai
• Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore
• Kongu Engineering College, Erode
• Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore
• Government College of Technology, Coimbatore
• Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering, Sriperumbudur
• SSN College of Engineering, Kalavakkam
• Velammal Engineering College, Chennai
• St. Joseph’s College of Engineering, Chennai

Candidates can find a complete list of participating colleges and their offered courses on the official TNEA website.

Fee Structure

The TNEA fee structure for engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu for 2025 varies based on the candidate’s category and the type of college (accredited/non-accredited).

• Counselling Fee (Adjustable against tuition fee):
  • General Candidates: ₹5000
  • SC/ST Candidates: ₹1000
• Annual Tuition Fees (approximate, subject to change):
  • B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch (Category – I):
    • Non-Accredited: ₹50,000
    • Accredited: ₹55,000
  • B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch (Category – II):
    • Non-Accredited: ₹85,000
    • Accredited: ₹87,000

The fee is an all-inclusive annual fee, covering various charges like tuition, admission, special fees, laboratory, library, sports, placement, and other recurring expenses.

Refund Policy:

• If a candidate is not allotted a seat, they can claim a full refund of the initial deposit.
• If a candidate is allotted a seat but chooses not to join, 80% of the initial fee paid may be refunded upon application with the original allotment letter and payment receipt before the last date.

Candidates are strongly advised to regularly check the official TNEA website (tneaonline.org) for the latest updates, detailed schedules, and any changes in the counselling process. The TNEA counselling is a crucial step towards securing an engineering seat in Tamil Nadu, and informed decision-making is key to a successful admission.