Hello

Lateral entry lets you join the 2nd year of the B. Tech course if you’ve already done a 3 year diploma in engineering (or B. Sc with Maths). You don’t have to do the full 4 year B. Tech again. It becomes a 3 year course for you.

How to get in>
You must have passed your diploma with good marks (usually around 50% or above, lower for reserved categories).
You have to apply through the state counselling process (UPTAC) for lateral entry seats. They make a merit list based on your diploma/entrance rank.

Is it merit based?
Yes your selection mostly depends on merit either your score/rank from the counselling (like UPTAC) and your diploma marks. There isn’t a separate interview it’s all rank/merit based.

How hard is it?
It’s not very easy but not super hard either. You don’t need to prepare like JEE mains for first year entry. But you do need a good rank in lateral entry counselling to get into a good branch at KNIT because seats are limited and quite competitive.

I hope i could help you out. Thank you!