Chemistry Courses Surge in Popularity at Tamil Nadu Colleges

As of October 23rd, 2025, government arts and science colleges in Tamil Nadu have seen a surge in the popularity of BSc chemistry courses. Of the 6,786 sanctioned seats in these colleges, 5,890 seats (87%) were filled during admissions, which concluded on September 30th.

The trend is particularly notable at Presidency College, where BSc chemistry received the most applications, overtaking the traditionally popular BCom program. The college received over 15,000 applications for just 200 chemistry seats. A similar pattern was observed at the Government Arts College in Nandanam.

Experts attribute the increased interest in chemistry to the diverse career opportunities it offers beyond teaching. Students can now find jobs as researchers in the pharma, food, and other allied industries. Additionally, chemistry graduates can also work as trainers in private schools for entrance exams.

In contrast, admissions to BSc math and physics courses have remained poor, with 45% and 36% of seats, respectively, left vacant this year. The growing preference for engineering courses is cited as a primary reason for the lack of interest in these basic science programs.

To address this, some private and aided colleges have tried to combine emerging areas like data science with math to attract more students. Teachers believe that teaching such interdisciplinary programs can help increase admission rates in the traditionally less popular math and physics courses.