AP Students Lose Telangana Non-Local Quota in Higher Education

The Telangana government has officially discontinued the 15 per cent non-local quota for students from Andhra Pradesh in professional courses. With this move, only students who qualify as Telangana locals based on their education history will be eligible for state quota admissions.

As per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, a 10-year period was allotted for joint admissions, which ended in June 2024. Although the policy continued through 2024 due to prior notifications, the government has now clarified that AP students will no longer have a reserved quota in Telangana’s higher education system.

A fresh order issued by Education Secretary Yogita Rana through GO 15 states that the 85 per cent quota in convener seats will be reserved for Telangana locals, with the remaining 15 per cent no longer available to non-local applicants from Andhra Pradesh.

Previously, students from Osmania University (OU), Andhra University (AU), and Sri Krishnadevaraya University (SKU) were eligible to apply under the non-local quota. The revised rule limits eligibility strictly to OU-region candidates, effectively removing the opportunity for students from AU and SKU regions.

To qualify as a local candidate in Telangana, a student must have completed schooling from grades 6 to 12 in the state. Those who do not meet this requirement must seek admission through the management quota.

With this change, Andhra Pradesh students will need to reconsider their options for professional courses, including engineering, pharmacy, agriculture, and law, among others. Many AP students traditionally applied for seats in Telangana, particularly in institutions around Hyderabad.

In 2024, around 60,000 students from Andhra Pradesh applied under the non-local quota through Telangana EAPCET, with 49,071 seeking engineering seats and 12,349 applying for agriculture and pharmacy courses. The removal of the quota will significantly impact these applicants.

With non-local admissions no longer available, there is an expected rise in demand for engineering and professional course seats in Andhra Pradesh.

AP students who previously relied on Telangana’s institutions will now need to secure admissions within their own state or opt for private institutions through management quotas.