Diploma holders across Andhra Pradesh chasing a B.Tech seat through lateral entry deserve more than a repeated list of college names – they deserve actual fee numbers they can plan around. AP ECET 2026 counselling is being conducted by APSCHE, with rank cards issued by JNTU Anantapur, for lateral-entry admission directly into the second year of B.Tech and B.Pharmacy programmes. This guide has been built by tracing the actual AFRC (Admission & Fee Regulatory Committee) fee notification behind these colleges – the same government body that fixes tuition for every private engineering college in the state. For counselling coverage built on verified government sources, Manabadi continues to be the trusted name across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Contents
- 1 Important Context: Why Fee Figures Confuse Everyone
- 2 Official Counselling Portals
- 3 Counselling Processing Fee
- 4 Actual AFRC-Notified Annual Tuition Fees
- 5 What ECET Lateral-Entry Students Actually Pay
- 6 One-Time and Additional Charges (AFRC-Notified)
- 7 Eligibility to Enter Counselling
- 8 Seat Distribution – Merit vs Management Quota
- 9 Branch Preference Rules
- 10 Counselling Process
- 11 Documents Required
- 12 Quick Action Points
- 13 FAQs
Important Context: Why Fee Figures Confuse Everyone
Here’s something almost no portal explains clearly: tuition fees for private engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh are not decided by the colleges themselves – they’re fixed once every three years by the AP Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (AFRC) for a “block period,” and every AFRC-affiliated college must charge exactly the notified amount, no more. For the 2026-27 academic year, the government has confirmed that admissions will initially proceed under the previous block’s fee structure, since the revised three-year fee notification has been delayed administratively. This means the figures below — while drawn from the last officially notified block – are the actual operative fee ceiling colleges are permitted to charge until the revised notification is issued.
Official Counselling Portals
| Purpose | Official Link |
|---|---|
| Exam application | cets.apsche.ap.gov.in/ECET |
| Counselling registration, web options, seat allotment | cap.apcfss.in |
| Legacy/reference counselling portal | ecet-sche.aptonline.in |
| Fee regulation authority | AP Admission & Fee Regulatory Committee (AFRC) |
Counselling Processing Fee
| Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| BC/OC | ₹1,200 |
| SC/ST | ₹600 |
Non-refundable, payable online at cap.apcfss.in. An additional fee applies for spot-round counselling, if conducted.
Actual AFRC-Notified Annual Tuition Fees
This is the real number most students are searching for. Below is a representative spread across the fee range, sourced directly from the AFRC gazette notification (G.O.Ms.No.39) governing private un-aided engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh:
| College | Annual Tuition Fee (₹) |
|---|---|
| S R K R Engineering College | 95,000 |
| V R Siddhartha Engineering College | 1,02,000 |
| R V R & J C College of Engineering | 1,08,000 |
| Gudlavalleru Engineering College | 81,600 |
| Prasad V Potluri Siddhartha Institute of Technology | 97,000 |
| G M R Institute of Technology | 1,01,000 |
| Gayathri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering | 1,03,700 |
| Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology and Sciences | 76,300 |
| Vignan’s Institute of Information Technology | 99,000 |
| Raghu Engineering College | 85,000 |
| Sasi Institute of Technology and Engineering | 85,000 |
| Aditya Engineering College | 75,000 |
| Narayana Engineering College | 75,000 |
| Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology | 80,000 |
| Lakireddy Balireddy College of Engineering | 78,800 |
| Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (Guntur unit) | 50,200 |
| Sri Vasavi Engineering College | 63,000 |
| Bapatla Engineering College | 75,000 |
| Godavari Institute of Engineering and Technology | 79,300 |
| Andhra Loyola Institute of Engineering and Technology | 50,200 |
Fee range across all 273 AFRC-affiliated colleges: ₹35,000 (floor fee) to ₹1,08,000+ (premium autonomous colleges) per year. Government/university colleges like JNTUK, JNTUA, and Andhra University charge separately under their own university fee structure, generally lower than this private-college band.
Important: These figures reflect the last officially gazetted AFRC block. Since 2026-27 admissions are proceeding under this same structure pending the revised notification, they remain the applicable ceiling – but candidates should verify the exact current-year figure for their shortlisted college via the AFRC/APSCHE portal before finalizing web options, as individual colleges may fall under a revised block once notified.
What ECET Lateral-Entry Students Actually Pay
Since AP ECET places diploma holders directly into the second year of a 4-year B.Tech program, the AFRC-notified annual fee above applies for the remaining 3 years (2nd, 3rd, and 4th year) – not the full 4-year cycle. This is a detail lateral-entry candidates specifically need, since fee comparisons built for fresh EAPCET/EAMCET entrants (who pay for all 4 years) don’t directly apply to ECET students.
| Entry Type | Years of Fee Payment |
|---|---|
| Fresh B.Tech entrant (via EAPCET) | 4 years |
| ECET lateral-entry student | 3 years (2nd, 3rd, 4th year only) |
One-Time and Additional Charges (AFRC-Notified)
| Charge | Amount | When Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Admission/Registration/Recognition fee | ₹2,000 | One-time, at admission |
| University common services fee | ₹1,850/year | Annually |
| Library caution deposit (refundable) | ₹500 | One-time |
| Laboratory caution deposit (refundable) | ₹500 | One-time |
Colleges are not permitted to charge any capitation fee or unauthorized amount beyond what AFRC has fixed — any such collection is treated as an illegal capitation fee under the governing G.O.
Eligibility to Enter Counselling
- Minimum 25% marks in AP ECET required.
- Eligible categories: Diploma holders in Engineering/Pharmacy/Agriculture, and B.Sc. (Mathematics) graduates.
- Mandatory Aadhaar e-KYC verification during registration.
Seat Distribution – Merit vs Management Quota
| Quota | Share |
|---|---|
| APSCHE/ECET merit seats (covered by this counselling) | 70% |
| Management/NRI quota (handled directly by institutions) | 30% |
Branch Preference Rules
| Course Applied For | Preference Given To |
|---|---|
| Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) | Diploma holders who studied CSE |
| Information Technology (IT) | Diploma holders who studied IT |
| Textile Technology | Diploma holders in Textile Technology (Design & Manufacturing / Knitting) |
| Bio-Technology | Diploma holders with a Diploma in Bio-Technology |
B.Sc. (Mathematics) candidates are considered only after all diploma-holder branches are filled.
Counselling Process
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Register on cap.apcfss.in, complete Aadhaar e-KYC |
| 2 | Receive login credentials via registered mobile |
| 3 | Pay counselling processing fee online |
| 4 | Complete certificate verification (online / Help Line Centre for special categories) |
| 5 | Exercise web options in order of preference |
| 6 | Check seat allotment result |
| 7 | Complete self-reporting and pay applicable fee |
| 8 | Report physically to the allotted college with original documents |
Documents Required
- AP ECET rank card and hall ticket
- Diploma/B.Sc. (Mathematics) provisional certificate and consolidated marks memo
- SSC certificate (date of birth proof)
- Study/residence certificate
- Caste, income, EWS certificates (if applicable)
- PH/PWD certificate (if applicable)
- NCC/CAP/Sports/Scouts & Guides/Anglo-Indian certificate (if claiming special category)
- Passport-size photographs, Aadhaar card, valid photo ID
Quick Action Points
- Cross-check your shortlisted college’s fee against the AFRC table above but confirm the live figure on the official portal before locking web options.
- Remember lateral-entry students pay for only 3 years, not 4 – factor this into your total cost comparison.
- Diploma holders get branch-matching preference in CSE, IT, Textile Technology, and Bio-Technology – use this to your advantage.
- Never pay anything beyond the AFRC-notified fee, one-time admission charges, or caution deposits – any additional demand is illegal capitation fee.
FAQs
Q1: What is the official AP ECET 2026 counselling portal?
cap.apcfss.in is the current live portal for registration, web options, and seat allotment.
Q2: What is the AP ECET counselling processing fee?
₹1,200 for BC/OC and ₹600 for SC/ST candidates.
Q3: Who fixes the tuition fee for private engineering colleges in AP?
The AP Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (AFRC), which notifies fees for a 3-year block period across all private un-aided colleges.
Q4: Why are private colleges still charging the old fee structure in 2026?
Because the revised AFRC block-period notification has been delayed; the government has confirmed admissions will proceed under the previous fee structure until it’s finalized.
Q5: How many years of tuition fee does an ECET lateral-entry student pay?
Three years — 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year — since ECET students join directly in the second year of B.Tech.
Q6: Can colleges charge extra fees beyond the AFRC-notified amount?
No. Any additional or unauthorized charge is treated as illegal capitation fee under the governing G.O.
Q7: What percentage of seats is filled through AP ECET merit counselling?
70%; the remaining 30% is Management/NRI quota, handled directly by the institution.
Q8: Is there a branch preference rule for CSE and IT seats?
Yes — diploma holders in the matching specialization get preference for CSE, IT, Textile Technology, and Bio-Technology seats.
Q9: What is the minimum qualifying mark for AP ECET counselling?
25% marks in the AP ECET exam.
Q10: What is the one-time admission fee charged separately from tuition?
₹2,000 (Admission/Registration/Recognition fee), part of which is remitted to the university.
Q11: Are library and lab deposits refundable?
Yes, ₹500 each (₹1,000 total), collected as refundable caution deposits at admission.
Q12: Where can the confirmed 2026-27 fee for a specific college be checked?
On the AFRC/APSCHE portal or the concerned university’s official website, since the revised block notification is still pending confirmation.
Real admission planning needs real numbers, not vague fee disclaimers – and that’s exactly the gap this guide has tried to close, using the actual AFRC-notified tuition structure behind AP ECET’s participating colleges. Between the 70:30 merit-management split, the branch preference rules for diploma holders, and the three-year fee cycle unique to lateral-entry students, small details here carry a big financial impact. The official portal, cap.apcfss.in, remains the final word on live seat allotment, but for verified, number-backed context at every stage, Manabadi will continue tracking this AP ECET 2026 cycle right through final reporting.