ROURKELA : National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, the organizing institute of DASA/CSA 2025 is calling applications for Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) 2025 and Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB)-Special Round starting from 30^th July 2025. To make the process seamless, the Institute has announced the commencement of a common registration process for eligible candidates seeking admission to undergraduate programs at NITs, IIITs, IIEST, SPAs, other technical Institutions funded by Central or state governments and some other premier institutes for the academic year 2025-26. This single portal has been introduced to help candidates through a single-window seat allocation process and to prevent duplication of applications and avoid seat vacancies.

Speaking about the CSAB and DASA admissions, Prof. K. Umamaheshwar Rao, Chairperson, DASA & CSAB-Special 2025, and Director, NIT Rourkela, said, “We call applications from candidates who are seeking to pursue technical education from Institutes of national and international importance. This is a chance for the students to could not get admissions in NITs, IIITs, SPAs and other centrally or state operated technical institutions in earlier rounds. The newly introduced coordinated admission process exemplifies the Indian government’s commitment to simplifying global access to its higher education institutions. It not only reduces duplicity and confusion for students abroad but also positions India as a welcoming destination for international academic talent.”

Information on the registration portal for DASA 2025 and CSAB-Special 2025 are as follows:

Ø  Registration link: https://csab.nic.in

Ø  Registration open date: 30^th July 2025

Ø  Last date for payment and document upload: 3^rd August 2025 by 5:00 PM

Ø  Last date to respond to queries raised during DASA document verification: 6^th August 2025

Ø  Final deadline for locking seat choices: 7^th August 2025 by 8:00 PM

Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) 2025 facilitates direct admissions for eligible students having JEE (Main) 2025 rank to premier institutes through a transparent, merit-based system. Eligible students from many countries, including NRIs and OCI/PIOs, can apply for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and planning programs in India’s top institutes through this channel.

Through DASA 2025, the eligible candidates will be able to access top-tier institutes including:

Ø  30 National Institutes of Technology (NITs)

Ø  IIEST Shibpur

Ø  13 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)

Ø  3 School of Planning and Architecture (SPAs)

Ø  30 Technical Institutes funded fully or partially by the central or a state government (Other-GFTIs) and, a few other Premier Technical Institutes

On the other hand, CSAB-Special round serves Indian citizens (including those from all reservation categories such as GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD) and OCI/PIO(I) candidates. The candidates who could not get a seat via JoSAA, or withdrew, or want to upgrade after JoSAA can apply for CSAB Special round.

Through CSAB-Special 2025, the eligible candidates will be able to access top-tier technical Institutes including:

Ø  31 National Institutes of Technology (NITs)

Ø  IIEST Shibpur

Ø  26 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)

Ø  3 School of Planning and Architecture (SPAs)

Ø  44 Technical Institutes funded fully or partially by the central or a state government (Other-GFTIs)

The newly launched common registration portal will act as a single registration window for these two distinct admission processes. With the Unified Registration and Choice Option, candidates will be able to select any of the following options:

Ø  DASA-Only Participation

Ø  CSAB-Special-Only Participation

Ø  Combined DASA + CSAB-Special Participation

Eligible students will be able to log in to the portal using their JEE (Main/ Advanced/ JoSAA 2025) credentials. This initiative will also help in clearing timelines, simplifying documentation handling and onboarding processes.

Inviting the students from across the world to explore high-end technical education in India, Prof. Anindya Basu, Chairperson, Local Organising Committee DASA 2025 & CSAB 2025, and Professor, NIT Rourkela, said, “Students of Indian origin from across the world will now have access to a seamless, transparent, and integrated admission process. The joint portal will remove procedural overlaps, reduce candidate stress, and reflect India’s commitment to modernising education governance. We welcome students from across the globe to explore world-class technical education opportunities in India through this initiative. I advised the common candidates to consult the DASA 2025, CSAB-Special 2025 and the Common information brochures for detailed guidelines regarding eligibility, fee structure, document requirements, and seat allocation protocols.”

Seat Categories Under DASA 2025

1. DASA (Non-SAARC)

–       Students from all countries except SAARC nations

–       NRIs are also included in this category

1. DASA (SAARC)

–       Students from SAARC countries, excluding India

–       Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

1. CIWG Category (Children of Indian Workers in the Gulf)

–       NRIs whose parents work in any of the following Gulf countries: United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia. Details are available in the website.

Note: The CIWG seats are approximately one-third of the total seats allocated in DASA 2025.

Seat Categories Under CSAB-Special 2025

1. OPEN, GEN-Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Other Backward Classes – Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL), Scheduled Cast (SC) & Scheduled Tribes (ST)
2. Persons with Disabilities (PwD) variants of each category
3. Female supernumerary seats

Note: Reservation benefits are applicable only under CSAB-Special and not in DASA.

Important Dates

The seat allotment results will be announced on:

Ø  Round 1 – 9^th August 2025 at 5:00 PM

Ø  Round 2 – 14^th August 2025 at 5:00 PM

Ø  Round 3 – 19^th August 2925 at 5:00 PM

Candidates who have confirmed their seats must report physically at their allotted institutes between 20^th and 23^rd August 2025. (The physical reporting dates are tentative; candidates are advised to contact the respective institute for the actual dates of physical reporting).

Requirements for DASA 2025 Applicants

Ø  Students born on or after 1^st October 2000 are eligible for DASA 2025

Ø  Non-Resident Indian (NRI) applicants must have completed at least 2 years of education abroad (Classes XI and XII or equivalent) in the past 8 years.