  COVID19 has impacted Indian engineering institutions (EIs) enormously. It has
tightened its knot around EIs that forced their previous half shut shades
completely down to prevent the risk of spreading COVID19. In such a situation,
fetching new enrollments on EI campuses is a difficult and challenging task, as
students behavior and family preferences have changed drastically due to mental
stress and emotions attached to them. Consequently, it becomes a prerequisite
to examine the choice characteristics influencing the selection of EI during
the COVID-19 pandemic to make it normal for new enrollments.
  The purpose of this study is to critically examine choice characteristics
that affect students choice for EI and consequently to explore relationships
between institutional characteristics and the suitability of EI during the
COVID19 pandemic across students characteristics. The findings of this study
revealed dissimilarities across students characteristics regarding the
suitability of EIs under pandemic conditions. Regression analysis revealed that
EI characteristics such as proximity, image and reputation, quality education
and curriculum delivery have significantly contributed to suitability under
COVID19. At the micro level, multiple relationships were noted between EI
characteristics and the suitability of EI under the pandemic across students
characteristics. The study has successfully demonstrated how choice
characteristics can be executed to regulate the suitability of EI under the
COVID19 pandemic for the inclusion of diversity. It is useful for policy makers
and academicians to reposition EIs that fetch diversity during the pandemic.
This study is the first to provide insights into the performance of choice
characteristics and their relationship with the suitability of EIs under a
pandemic and can be a yardstick in administering new enrollments.
