Special Correspondent
Mumbai : The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell has announced that from this academic year onwards, there will be four rounds in the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) for professional courses under the Directorate of Technical Education, including Engineering. The decision has been notified by the state government to ensure fairer and more transparent admission opportunities for students.
Shift from Three to Four Rounds
Until last year, the CAP consisted of only three rounds, which often pushed students towards management quota admissions in private colleges after being left out in earlier rounds. Many institutions were found demanding two to three times the regular fee during institutional-level admissions, putting financial pressure on students and parents.
To address these issues and increase the number of centralised opportunities for meritorious students, the government has now formalised a four-round admission process for the 2025–26 academic year.
Mandatory Admissions Under Certain Conditions
The new policy makes it compulsory for students to accept admission under the following scenarios:
If allotted their first preference in the first round
If allotted any of the top three preferences in the second round
If allotted any of the top six preferences in the third round
Students who fail to accept admission under these conditions will only be eligible for institutional-level admissions after the fourth round, not before.
Institutional Admissions Only After Fourth Round
If a student receives an offer from:
Their first preference in Round 1
Any of the top three preferences in Round 2
Any of the top six preferences in Round 3
Any seat in Round 4
and still does not confirm the admission, they will be disqualified from further CAP rounds. Such students can participate only in the institutional-level admissions after all CAP rounds are completed.
Online Applications for Institutional-Level Admissions
In another key reform, students will no longer need to approach individual colleges to apply for institutional-level seats. Instead, they can apply directly through the official CET portal. The CET Cell will forward these applications to the respective institutions, which must then consider them while preparing their merit lists.
This move aims to eliminate bias and increase transparency in the final stage of the admission process, ensuring equal opportunity for all students based on merit.
