What Are the AKTU B.Tech Branch Change Rules for 2026–27? Check Eligibility, Vacancies & Last Date

Aug 17, 2026, 11:10 AM -Admin

If you are a B.Tech student looking for a branch change in AKTU from the 3rd semester, there is an important update for the 2026–27 academic session.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) has issued a notification regarding branch change in the 3rd semester of 2nd year for B.Tech courses.

The notification explains the eligibility criteria, vacant-seat calculation, merit list rules, Fee Waiver (FW) and EWS provisions, submission deadlines, and the formats that institutions need to submit.

Important: This blog explains the notification in simple language. For the complete rules, conditions and official formats, students and institutions should read the original notification carefully.

Read the Complete Official AKTU Branch Change Notification PDF

AKTU B.Tech Branch Change 2026–27 — What Has AKTU Announced?

The notification is related to branch change in the 3rd semester of 2nd year for B.Tech courses for the academic session 2026–27.

Notification Details

Reference No.: AKTU/Exam Controller/2026/Exam Circular/3165
Date: 17 August 2026
Academic Session: 2026–27
Subject: Branch change in the 3rd semester of 2nd year for B.Tech courses

In simple words, eligible first-year B.Tech students can be considered for changing their branch before entering the 3rd semester, but the change is subject to vacant seats and the conditions mentioned by AKTU.

If you want to check the complete official rules, read the notification here:

Read the Official AKTU Notification PDF

Who Can Apply for AKTU B.Tech Branch Change 2026–27?

AKTU has specified several conditions that students need to satisfy for branch change.

Academic Eligibility

According to the notification, a student must have:

A minimum 6.5 YGPA or higher in the first year.
No Carry Over Papers.
Passed all subjects in a single attempt.

So, having a good YGPA alone is not enough. The student also needs to satisfy the other conditions mentioned in the notification.

Which Students Are Not Eligible?

The notification states that the following students are not eligible for branch change:

Re-admitted students
Ex-students
Lateral-entry students
Students having Carry Over Papers

Therefore, students should check all eligibility conditions before assuming that they can apply for a branch change.

How Many Students Can Change Their B.Tech Branch?

Branch change is not unlimited. AKTU has specified restrictions based on the available seats and approved intake.

25% Branch Change Limit

The maximum number of students allowed to change branches is up to 25% of the students enrolled in the first year.

This means an institution cannot change the branch of an unlimited number of students.

75% Minimum Class Strength Rule

The strength of any class must not fall below 75% of the intake approved by AICTE.

This condition is important because students moving out of a branch cannot reduce the remaining class strength below the specified limit.

AKTU Approved Intake Limit

The final intake after branch changes must not exceed the approved AKTU intake for UPTAC counselling.

So, branch change depends on the actual vacant seats available under the applicable rules.

How Are Vacant Seats Calculated for AKTU Branch Change?

One of the most important parts of the notification is the formula used to calculate vacant seats.

AKTU has provided the following formula:

Vacancy (V) = I - (Reg + Rep)

Where:

I = AICTE-approved intake for the branch
Reg = Number of regular students promoted to the 3rd semester
Rep = Number of students re-admitted in the 3rd semester

The vacancy is therefore calculated by subtracting the number of regular and re-admitted students from the applicable approved intake.

When Are Branch Change Vacancies Calculated?

The notification states that vacancies will be calculated in every branch within 7 days after the declaration of first-year results.

The calculation will be based on the academic status as on:

17 July 2026

Another important point is that subsequent Carry Over Examination result changes will not alter the vacancies already calculated.

How Does AKTU Prepare the Branch Change Merit List?

Branch change is based on merit, and AKTU has specified how the merit list should be prepared.

Merit Is Based on First-Year YGPA

The merit list will be prepared strictly on the basis of the YGPA obtained in the first year.

Therefore, first-year academic performance is important for students seeking branch change.

What Happens If Two Students Have the Same YGPA?

AKTU has also provided a tie-breaking rule.

If two or more students have identical YGPA, the student who has secured a greater number of higher grades will be placed higher in the merit list.

So, when YGPA is the same, the number of higher grades becomes the deciding factor.

Are Fee Waiver and EWS Students Eligible for Branch Change?

The notification contains separate provisions for Fee Waiver (FW) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) students.

Fee Waiver (FW) Students

For FW category students:

Branch change is permitted only against the approved intake for fee waiver in a particular branch.
The applicable branch-change rules also apply to FW students.
FW students have to be reported separately according to the prescribed instructions.
FW students should not be included in Format 01 calculations.

The notification also states that branch change is not permitted to any course where:

Reg + Rep > I

There is no exception to this rule.

EWS Students

For EWS students:

Branch change will follow the AICTE-approved EWS intake rules.
EWS vacancies will not be merged or calculated with any other category.

Which B.Tech Branches Are Excluded From Branch Change?

According to the notification, the branch-change facility is not applicable to:

B.Tech Agriculture Engineering
B.Tech Biotechnology

Students from these programmes should therefore carefully check the notification before considering branch change.

Can a Student Change From B.Tech to Another Degree Programme?

No.

The notification states that transfer from one degree programme to another is not permitted.

For example, a transfer from B.Tech to another undergraduate degree programme is not allowed under these branch-change provisions.

The notification deals with branch change within the applicable B.Tech programme.

What Happens If Your Result Is Pending Due to Re-evaluation or Scrutiny?

This is another important condition mentioned in the notification.

If a student's result has not been declared at the time of branch change because of re-evaluation or scrutiny, the student will not be entitled to branch change based on a subsequently revised result.

In simple words, students should not assume that a later result revision will automatically make them eligible for branch change.

When Will the Branch Change Become Effective?

The branch change becomes effective from the 3rd semester of B.Tech.

The process must be completed by:

25 August 2026

The notification states that no further branch changes will be permitted after the specified deadline.

What Is the Submission Process for Colleges?

The notification specifies separate deadlines for submitting the required branch-change information.

Soft Copy Submission

The signed formats must be emailed to:

`coeoffice@aktu.ac.in`

Deadline: 25 August 2026 at 5:00 PM

Hard Copy Submission

Signed physical copies must reach the Controller of Examination office by:

30 August 2026

Proposals submitted after this date will be automatically invalid according to the notification.

Important: Don't Confuse the Two Deadlines

There are two different deadlines:

25 August 2026, 5:00 PM — Soft-copy email submission
30 August 2026 — Hard-copy submission

So, institutions should carefully follow both deadlines.

What Are Praroop 01, 02 and 03 in the AKTU Branch Change Notification?

The notification includes three prescribed formats:

Praroop-01
Praroop-02
Praroop-03

These formats are related to the institutional submission and verification of branch-change information.

Praroop 01 — Branch and Seat Information

Praroop-01 is the format for sending information regarding branch change for B.Tech 2nd Year / 3rd Semester for the 2026–27 session.

It contains institution-level and branch-wise seat information.

The format includes details such as:

Institution Name
Institution Code
Name of Branch
Branch Code
AICTE-approved seats
AKTU-approved seats for UPTAC counselling
First-year enrolled students, including readmitted students
Students promoted and readmitted in the 3rd semester
Total vacant seats in the 3rd semester
Branch-wise student count after branch change
Remarks

Where Can You Find Praroop-01?

If you want to see the actual prescribed format, open the official notification PDF and go to Page 3.

Open the Official AKTU Notification PDF

Then go to Page 3 to view the complete Praroop-01 table.

Praroop 02 — Branch-Changed Student Details

Praroop-02 contains the details of students whose branches have been changed.

The format is filled branch-wise and includes information such as:

Serial number
Roll number
Student name
Existing branch name
Existing branch code
Total marks / YGPA out of 10
Merit based on YGPA
Changed branch name
Changed branch code
Remarks

The notification specifies that the students included in this format should be students who do not have a Carry Over Paper in any semester or subject.

Tie-Breaking Rule in Praroop-02

The format also mentions that if more than one student has an identical first-year YGPA, the student securing a greater number of higher grades will be placed higher in the merit list.

Where Can You Find Praroop-02?

Open the official notification PDF and go to Page 4.

Open the Official AKTU Notification PDF

Then go to Page 4 to view the complete Praroop-02 format and its instructions.

Important Instructions for Filling Praroop-02

The notification provides several instructions that institutions need to follow.

1. Calculate Vacancies Using the Prescribed Formula

Vacant seats must be calculated strictly according to the formula provided in the notification.

2. Match Names and Roll Numbers Carefully

Student names should be matched with their roll numbers before entering the information.

3. Do Not Include Lateral-Entry Students

Students admitted to the 3rd semester through lateral entry should not be included in the relevant calculations.

4. Report FW Students Separately

FW students must be reported according to the applicable ordinance and the directions given by the Examination Controller.

The notification specifically states that FW students should not be included at any level in Praroop-01 calculations.

Praroop 03 — Principal/Director Certificate

Praroop-03 is the certificate that has to be signed by the Principal/Director.

The certificate confirms that the institution has personally verified the facts and figures provided and is satisfied that the information is correct.

It also confirms that branch changes have been made according to the prescribed merit and eligibility conditions.

The certificate covers students admitted in the 2025–26 session who:

Passed the first-year examination.
Passed both semesters in the first attempt.
Have no Carry Over Paper in any semester or subject.
Were granted branch change according to the applicable merit order.

It also certifies that no student having a Carry Over Paper was granted branch change.

Where Can You Find Praroop-03?

To see the actual certificate format, open the official notification PDF and go to Page 5.

Open the Official AKTU Notification PDF

Then go to Page 5 to view the complete Praroop-03 certificate.

Important Dates for AKTU B.Tech Branch Change 2026–27

Activity	Date / Deadline
Academic status considered for vacancy calculation	17 July 2026
Branch change process completion	25 August 2026
Soft-copy email submission	25 August 2026, 5:00 PM
Hard-copy submission	30 August 2026

Important: The branch-change completion date and the document-submission dates are different. Students and institutions should not confuse them.

Where Can You Read the Complete AKTU Branch Change Notification?

This blog explains the major points of the notification in simple language, but the official AKTU notification should be treated as the primary source for the complete rules, conditions and prescribed formats.

If you are a student or your college is processing branch changes, make sure you read the official PDF before taking any action.

Official Notification PDF

Read the Complete Official AKTU Branch Change Notification PDF

Which Pages Should You Check?

If you are specifically looking for the prescribed formats, check these pages:

Page 3: Praroop-01 — Branch and seat information
Page 4: Praroop-02 — Branch-changed student details and instructions
Page 5: Praroop-03 — Principal/Director certificate

So, if you want to see exactly what the college has to fill, open the official PDF and directly check Pages 3, 4 and 5.

Final Takeaway

AKTU has issued the B.Tech branch change notification for the 2026–27 academic session, covering branch changes from the first year into the 3rd semester.

The most important points to remember are:

Minimum 6.5 YGPA is required.
Students must have no Carry Over Papers.
Students must have passed their subjects in a single attempt.
Branch changes are subject to vacant seats.
Merit is based on first-year YGPA.
A greater number of higher grades is used as the tie-breaker when YGPA is identical.
B.Tech Agriculture Engineering and Biotechnology are excluded from the branch-change facility.
FW and EWS students have separate provisions.
The branch-change process must be completed by 25 August 2026.
Signed soft copies must be emailed by 25 August 2026 at 5:00 PM.
Signed hard copies must reach the Controller of Examination office by 30 August 2026.
Praroop-01, Praroop-02 and Praroop-03 are provided in the official notification.