Curious Anna university question ?

After this month, I will be starting my 8th-semester project at my college, which recently became autonomous. However, my project submission will still be under Anna University. My college has instructed students to work only on hardware-based projects, not AI or software-based ones, and they must be based on research papers from 2024. Additionally, they mentioned that if we publish a research paper under the college's name, we will be allowed to pass. This seems unusual and raises doubts. I am unsure whether my college is trying to boost its reputation through research publications or if there are any recent Anna University guidelines mandating only hardware-based projects. Moreover, most students in my college belong to the SC/ST category and pay fees of over ₹7,000, whereas hardware projects and research paper publications often cost more than ₹10,000. This raises concerns about the financial burden on students. I would like to know if Anna University has recently introduced any official guidelines restricting projects to hardware-only domains.