Pune: RTE Admission Deadline Extended to March 31 Amid Surge in Applications

Pune, 26th March 2026: The deadline for submitting applications under the Right to Education (RTE) quota has been extended to March 31, following an overwhelming response from parents across Maharashtra. Officials confirmed that more than 2.75 lakh applications have already been received so far.

According to Primary Education Director Sharad Gosavi, the extension comes in the wake of recent changes to admission guidelines. The revision follows a ruling by the Bombay High Court, which struck down the state’s earlier requirement restricting school selection to within a one-kilometre radius.

In compliance with the court’s order, the education department has reopened the application portal, allowing both new applicants and previously registered parents to revise their school preferences. Applicants can now choose schools across expanded distance categories—within 1 km, between 1 and 3 km, and beyond 3 km.

To support this update, a new option has been introduced on the RTE portal, enabling parents to ‘unconfirm’ their earlier submissions and resubmit applications with modified choices.

This year, the admission process covers around 8,700 schools offering a total of 1,14,785 seats under the 25% RTE quota. As per official figures, 2,75,679 applications had been submitted by Wednesday evening, with the number expected to rise further following the extension.

In comparison, last year’s process included 8,863 schools and 1,09,102 seats, drawing over 3.05 lakh applications. Of these, more than 88,000 seats were filled, leaving around 21,000 vacant. In 2024, approximately 78,000 admissions were completed, while nearly 26,000 seats remained unoccupied.

Despite an increase of nearly 5,000 seats this year, applications continue to far exceed availability, underscoring intense competition for RTE admissions.

Once the application window closes, eligible candidates will be selected through a computerized lottery system. Authorities will release both a selection list and a waiting list, with admissions offered first to selected candidates and remaining vacancies filled subsequently from the waiting pool.