Mumbai: Admissions to undergraduate colleges are about to turn into a full-blown sprint, but as always, the real race will be for the few campuses and courses that everyone wants a ticket to.This year, the contest comes with a twist, said principals. It isn’t just the toppers in the fray; joining them will be a swelling tide of students turning their backs on traditional engineering degrees, discouraged by a season of lacklustrecampus placements.With all Class 12 results now declared, principals are already reading between the lines of application trends. The safe and sturdy regular BCom and BSc courses are likely to take a backseat, as a growing number of students veer toward innovative, future-ready programmes—many offered at autonomous colleges. “Going by the past few years, students have been opting for innovative programmes, especially those with a blend of finance or technology.Courses like plain commerce and science have fallen behind in the popularity charts,” said Parag Ajagaonkar, principal of NM College.Mumbai University has also started its admission process. Admission forms will be available till May 23, with pre-admission online enrolment closing the same day. The first merit list will be out on May 27. College heads are bracing for heavier footfalls across commerce, arts and science streams as engineering’s once unshakeable allure fades.Pooja Ramchandani of HSNC University put it plainly: “We have seen that students wanting to pursue engineering are also turning towards courses offered in our colleges owing to poor placements in engineering. Many want to opt for courses that offer a blend of analytics and AI. Also, those in arts want to shift to courses in commerce.”