Class XII Board Marks May Count Alongside MHT-CET in Engineering, Pharmacy Admissions; Expert Panel Formed

Mumbai/Pune, 19th September 2026: The Maharashtra government has initiated the process of revising the admission system for professional undergraduate engineering and pharmacy courses, with Class XII board examination marks likely to be given weightage along with MHT-CET scores.

The state higher and technical education department has constituted a five-member expert committee to recommend the proportion of weightage to be assigned to Class XII board marks and MHT-CET scores while preparing the merit list.

The move comes amid controversy this year over students securing low marks in the Class XII board examination but obtaining high percentiles in the CET. Questions were subsequently raised over the credibility of the CET-based admission process, prompting the government to examine changes to the existing system.

The CET Cell commissioner had submitted a proposal on the issue on September 2, 2026. Taking cognisance of the proposal, the higher and technical education department issued a government resolution on September 17 constituting the expert committee.

The committee will be headed by the vice-chancellor of the University of Mumbai. The vice-chancellors of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere, and COEP Technological University, along with the director of the Directorate of Higher Education, Pune, will be members. The director of the Directorate of Technical Education, Mumbai, will serve as the member-secretary.

The committee has been asked to conduct a detailed study of all aspects of the admission process and submit its report, along with recommendations, within 15 days. The committee chairman has also been authorised to invite other subject experts, if required.

A key task before the committee is to recommend an appropriate balance between Class XII board performance and CET percentile while preparing the merit list. The proposed system is expected to take both results into account to make admissions more transparent, objective and equitable for candidates.

The committee will also recommend whether the revised criteria should be implemented from the upcoming admission cycle or from the following academic year, keeping in mind the need to give students adequate time to plan their preparation.

The proposed changes could significantly alter the admission criteria for engineering and pharmacy courses, with thousands of students and parents across Maharashtra now awaiting the expert committee’s recommendations.