Andhra Pradesh Ends Non-Local Quota in Higher Education Admissions
In a major overhaul of admission regulations, the Andhra Pradesh government has officially scrapped the 15% non-local quota in higher education admissions, effective from the academic year 2025–26. The revised policy reserves all professional course admissions exclusively for local students, limiting access for applicants from other states, including Telangana.
This move follows the completion of a 10-year common admission arrangement between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana that was implemented after the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh in 2014. The arrangement had allowed Telangana students to seek admission under the non-local quota across institutions in Andhra Pradesh. The common admission period ended on June 2, 2024, prompting the state to update its educational admission policies.
Policy Shift to Benefit Local Students
The government stated that the new rules are intended to protect the educational interests of Andhra Pradesh students and to respond to multiple representations from students and parents requesting fairer access to professional courses. The policy change is also aimed at avoiding potential legal complications arising from ambiguous regional eligibility in the admission process.
Under the updated rules, admissions to a wide range of professional courses — including engineering, pharmacy, architecture, business administration, computer applications, law, education, and physical education — will be open only to local candidates.
Local vs. Non-Local Classification Explained
The state continues to recognize the existing jurisdiction of two major universities:
- Andhra University (AU), which covers students from Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, and Prakasam
- Sri Venkateswara University (SVU), covering Anantapur, Kurnool, Chittoor, Kadapa, and Nellore
Students from AU districts will be considered non-local in SVU territory, and vice versa.
For statewide institutions not affiliated with AU or SVU, 85% of seats will still be reserved for local students — with 65.6% allotted to AU region students and 34.3% to SVU region students. The remaining 15% non-local quota in these cases will be distributed following the same proportional formula.
Exceptions to the Rule
Despite the elimination of the general non-local quota, special categories, such as the children of Central government employees, may still be eligible for admission under separate provisions outlined in the new order.
Implications for Telangana and Other States
The most immediate impact will be on students from Telangana, who previously benefited from the common admission process. From the 2025–26 academic session, they will no longer be eligible to apply under the non-local quota in Andhra Pradesh unless they qualify under special categories.
This decision marks a significant policy shift as Andhra Pradesh focuses on prioritizing state-local students in educational planning, aligning with its broader goals of regional equity and administrative clarity in higher education.
The change is expected to reshape the student intake demographics of many institutions and may also influence how other Indian states manage regional quotas in the coming years.
