CAP: Maharashtra to Introduce Four Rounds in Centralised Engineering Admissions; Stricter Seat Allotment Rules Planned

Mumbai, 6th June 2025: In a move aimed at streamlining the engineering admission process and curbing seat hoarding, the Maharashtra government will introduce a fourth round in the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) for engineering courses starting this academic year. The state is also planning to enforce stricter rules requiring students to confirm seats if they are allotted one of their top preferences in the initial rounds.

While an official government resolution (GR) is still awaited, State Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil shared the key changes with the media on Thursday. The engineering CAP rounds are expected to begin shortly after the MHT-CET 2025 results, likely by mid-June.

“This year, we want to ensure that the maximum number of seats are filled through the CAP rounds and not left for institutional-level admissions,” Patil stated. He emphasised that the objective is to prevent students from misusing the process by holding onto seats without commitment.

Under the revised framework, candidates who receive a seat in their first preference in Round 1 will be required to accept it. In Round 2, students allotted a seat among their top three choices will have to confirm their admission. In Round 3, the same rule will apply if the allotted seat falls within their top six preferences. In contrast, until last year, students were mandated to confirm only if they were allotted their top choice.

According to Vinod Mohitkar, Director of Technical Education, the float option — which allows students to wait for a better option in subsequent rounds — has led to seats being held unnecessarily. “What happens is, these blocked seats eventually convert into management quota seats, filled directly by colleges. This denies genuine candidates with lower merit a chance through the centralised system,” he explained.

He added that a similar system was in place about ten years ago, but it was later discontinued. The return to a stricter process aims to restore fairness and transparency.

In the fourth and final CAP round, students will not be allowed to float or wait for better options. Whatever seat is allotted in this round will have to be accepted. Institutional-level admission rounds will only fill seats that remain vacant after the fourth round.

Patil also noted that the changes mirror recent updates made to the admission process for polytechnic institutes. “Our goal is to ensure equitable access to quality education and improve trust in the centralised system,” he said.