TNEA Reservation Criteria 2025: Category-Wise Seats & Quota

The Directorate of Tamil Nadu Education has set the TNEA reservation criteria 2025 for students from the backwards classes, disabilities and special categories to have a fair share of opportunity in the TNEA counselling. The authorities released the criteria with the information brochure.

As per the TNEA reservation criteria 2025, the general category will have 31% of the seats reserved at the TNEA participating institutions. On the other hand, the Backwards Class will have 26.50% of seats. Students from different backgrounds can check the detailed reservation details in the article below.

Category-wise TNEA Reservation Breakdown 2025

As per the authorities, the seats are distributed among several categories. The TNEA 2025 reservation policy allocates seats among various communities as follows:

Such social categorisation is done to achieve representation during the counselling session and helps integrate people from various social strata.

Also Read: TNEA Eligibility Criteria 2025

TNEA Reservation Criteria for Special Categories

Apart from providing community-based reservations, TNEA 2025 makes provision for special category reservations for certain groups, including persons with disabilities, children of servicemen, and more. Students can find the detailed information on the TNEA reservation criteria for special categories below:

1) TNEA Reservation Criteria 2025 Differently Abled Persons

5% of available seats for the course are reserved for candidates with benchmark disabilities, which are further classified as follows:

2) TNEA Reservation Criteria for Children of Ex-Servicemen

Seats for this category are fixed at a total of 150 for the children of ex-servicemen. Here's how the seats are distributed:

3) TNEA Reservation Criteria 2025 for Children of Freedom Fighters

The children of freedom fighters are also offered seats under the TNEA counselling. Here's how they are provided with seats across different types of institutions:

4) TNEA Reservation Criteria 2025 for Eminent Sports Persons

A total of 500 seats are reserved for eminent sports persons. The following table shows how the seats are reserved at different types of institutions under TNEA 2025 for eminent sports persons:

Documents Required for TNEA Reservation Proof

To avail of the TNEA reservation criteria 2025, candidates must furnish valid community certificates issued by the designated authorities. The following is the list of certificates to be shown during the TNEA counselling for category-wise TNEA reservation:

Also Read: TNEA 2025 Selection Process for Sports Quota

TNEA Eligibility Criteria for Differently Abled Persons

The criteria TNEA 2025 reservation policy are defined for students of engineering. The criteria list defining features for pupils marked for physical challenges, which need bounded documents to prove set obstacles to cross, and aged documents tend to prove. Below are the details:

1) Visual Impairment (Blindness and Low Vision)

Pertain such members as penetrate minima disability ought with sight it out to be legislated with certain tropes of suffer methodology of substituting from basic to final 40% disability (40%).

• Blindness: Total absence of sight or a visual acuity of less than 3/60 or less than 10/200 in the better eye with the best possible correction.
• Low Vision: A condition where a person has visual acuity not exceeding 6/18, but not less than 3/60 in the better eye, even after correction. In simpler terms, candidates who can see partially but not clearly enough for day-to-day activities without visual aids fall under this.

These candidates may require assistive technologies, magnifiers, or screen-reading software to support their learning.

2) Hearing Impairment (Deaf and Hard of Hearing)

To qualify under this category:

• Candidates must have a minimum hearing loss of 40 decibels (dB) in the better ear, and
• A speech discrimination score of 50% or above.

Definitions:

• Deaf: Individuals with hearing loss of 70 dB or more across speech frequencies in both ears.
• Hard of Hearing: Individuals with hearing loss between 60 dB to 70 dB across speech frequencies in both ears.

These students might need hearing aids, speech therapy support, or classroom accommodations like real-time captioning or sign language interpreters.

3) Locomotor Disability

This includes candidates who have:

• A permanent physical impairment of 40% or more in mobility or movement-related functions.

Conditions under this category can include:

• Cerebral palsy
• Polio residual paralysis
• Amputation
• Club foot
• Muscular dystrophy
• Dwarfism
• Spinal cord injury
• Accident-related impairments

Candidates may use assistive devices such as crutches, wheelchairs, or prosthetics and are eligible for infrastructural accommodations such as ramps and accessible classrooms.

4) Multiple Disabilities

This category is for candidates who have:

• Two or more disabilities affecting physical, sensory, or mental capabilities.
• With a combined permanent impairment of at least 40%.

It includes individuals with a combination of:

• Blindness or low vision
• Locomotor disability
• Speech and hearing impairments
• Autism
• Intellectual disabilities
• Specific learning disabilities
• Mental illness
• Deaf-blindness

Candidates under this category may require a combination of physical, sensory, and learning aids and are eligible for special support services throughout their education.

Documentation Required by PwD Candidates for TNEA Reservation Criteria 2025

To avail of the TNEA reservation for differently abled persons, candidates must produce the following documents:

• Candidates must produce a valid Disability Certificate issued by a competent Medical Board authorised by the Government of Tamil Nadu.
• The certificate must clearly state the percentage of disability and the type of disability, as per the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 or the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

Also Read: TNEA 2025 Certificate Verification

Application Process for TNEA 2025 Special Reservations

The Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions (TNEA) 2025, administered by the Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE), ensures inclusive access to engineering education through both community and special reservation categories. If you belong to a special reservation category such as Children of Ex-Servicemen, Eminent Sports Persons, Children of Freedom Fighters, or Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, it is essential to follow the right procedure during the TNEA application process to claim your reservation benefit.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you through it:

1) Indicate the Special Reservation Category at the Time of Registration

• While filling out the online TNEA 2025 application form, you must explicitly select your special reservation category from the options provided.
• Categories may include:
• Sons/Daughters of Ex-Servicemen
• Sons/Daughters of Freedom Fighters
• Eminent Sports Persons
• Persons with Benchmark Disabilities

Failing to indicate your special category during registration will result in loss of claim, even if you later provide the necessary documents.

2) Upload Required Certificates Online

Once you've selected the category:

• You must upload scanned copies of valid documents that verify your eligibility.
• These certificates must be issued by the appropriate competent authorities. Some examples include:
• Ex-Servicemen Certificate from the Zilla Sainik Board
• Disability Certificate from a Government-recognised Medical Board
• Sports Certificate from the SDAT (Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu)
• Freedom Fighter Certificate issued by the appropriate government authority

Ensure that:

• The documents are clear, legible, and not expired
• The file formats and sizes match the specifications provided on tneaonline.org.

3) Attend Document Verification (If Required)

• In some cases, special category applicants may be called for a separate TNEA document verification session.
• For example, sports quota candidates might need to appear before the sports authority panel for certificate authentication and point-based ranking.
• Similarly, differently abled candidates may need to appear in person for medical verification by designated boards.

Make sure to follow the schedule published on the official TNEA website and carry original documents during any in-person verification.

4) Ensure Validity of All Documents

• Submitting outdated or incorrect documents can lead to rejection of your special reservation claim.
• Cross-check whether your certificate:
• Is issued by the correct authority
• Mentions accurate details
• Falls within the validity period

Candidates are solely responsible for the authenticity and correctness of the documents uploaded.

5) Monitor Status and Counselling Dates

After submission:

• The TNEA portal will show the status of your reservation claim.
• If your claim is accepted, you'll be eligible for seat allocation under the respective special reservation quota during the counselling phase.
• Make sure to monitor updates and the counselling schedule for your category.

The TNEA reservation criteria 2025 aim to foster an inclusive educational environment by providing equitable opportunities to candidates from diverse backgrounds. Understanding these criteria is crucial for applicants to navigate the admission process effectively and secure their rightful place in engineering institutions across Tamil Nadu.