IITs and NITs are working together on a new software that will make possible common counseling.

As for common counseling, the HRD ministry has to submit affidavit in the Delhi High Court on November 30. On August 1, the HC had directed the ministry to set up a technical committee for regular sittings/consultations to sort out the process of common counseling for NITs and IITs so that it can be implemented from 2015-16. HC had asked the HRD ministry and IITs to consider whether the reserved category seats in the IITs, if unfilled, can be transferred to the general category. The ministry was also asked to find out if there exists any provision for lateral entry into IITs in the second year. 

HC had asked petitioner Rajeev Kumar to make suggestions on common counseling to the ministry. In a detailed note, Kumar has suggested that a Common Board for Admission to IIT and NITs be constituted and it should maintain a web-portal as a single interface with the candidates for admissions to IITs and NITs. Kumar has suggested that candidates who qualify in JEE (advanced) and are given ranks that make them eligible for admission in IITs must be automatically registered by the common board. 

Candidates, Kumar suggested, will submit common preference list of their choices through the web-portal maintained by the common board. Seats will be allotted by the common board as per the admission norms of IITs and NITs.