Major Change in Engineering Diploma Admission Process: Four CAP Rounds Instead of Three from Academic Year 2025-26

Pune, 28th May 2025: The Higher and Technical Education Department of Maharashtra has announced changes to the admission rules for first-year diploma courses in engineering and allied fields. Starting from the academic year 2025-26, there will now be four Centralized Admission Process (CAP) rounds instead of the existing three.

This decision applies to first-year diploma programs in Engineering, Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Surface Coating Technology, Architecture, and Pharmacy. The revised admission policy has been approved by the department and will apply to institutions governed by AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), PCI (Pharmacy Council of India), and COA (Council of Architecture).

Courses Covered Under the New Policy
The revised rules apply to:
Post-SSC First Year Engineering Diplomas
Direct Second Year Engineering Diplomas
Post-HSC Diplomas in Hotel Management & Catering Technology
Diplomas in Surface Coating Technology
Post-SSC Architecture Diplomas (under COA)
Post-HSC Pharmacy Diplomas (under PCI)

Revised CAP Process – Key Highlights
From now on, there will be four CAP rounds for diploma admissions. No additional or special rounds will be conducted after the fourth round.
In CAP Rounds 2, 3, and 4, eligible candidates can revise or resubmit their online preferences.
If a candidate is allotted a seat among their top 3 preferences in Round 2 or top 6 in Round 3, the seat will be auto-frozen, meaning the candidate must accept the allotment and confirm admission.
No option will be given to slide or float once the seat is frozen under the mentioned conditions.

Admission Cancellation Policy
Candidates wishing to cancel their admission must submit an online cancellation request.
Once the request is submitted, the allotted seat will be considered cancelled and will be made available for subsequent allotments.
If cancelled before the deadline, the candidate will receive a refund of the full fee minus ₹1,000.
No refund will be given for cancellations after the stipulated final deadline.

Institutional Quota and Vacant Seat Admission
Admissions under the Institutional Quota and for vacant seats post-CAP will also be conducted online.
Institutes must publish the eligible candidates list, merit list, and admission schedule on their official websites for transparency.