Pune: Engineering admissions in Maharashtra continue to struggle with poor student response, as there were few confirmed admissions compared to the allotted seats at the end of the first two rounds of the centralised admission process (CAP).

Educators attributed the weak turnout primarily to delayed admission schedules, which leave students anxious about wasting time and hesitant to lock in choices early. The lure of securing a better college in the later rounds has further worsened the numbers, officials in the CET cell said.

In the first round, of the 1.44 lakh students allotted seats, only 35,000 confirmed admissions, a mere 22%. The situation worsened in the second round, where out of 1.62 lakh allotted students, just 30,000 confirmed which was only 18%.

“This delay in the admissions calendar has a cascading effect. By the time engineering admissions move to later rounds, many students have already committed to other courses or institutions where the academic year has started on time. Students don’t want to risk losing an entire semester waiting,” Sunil Joshi, a retired senior academician from Savitribai Phule Pune University, said.

Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) tweaked rules this year to reduce delays. In the first round, students allotted their first preference (15,852 students) were required to confirm admission, while in the second round, students allotted any of their top three choices (14,016 students) had no option but to accept. Yet, the changes failed to make much of an impact.

A senior official from the state CET cell said, “Students are going for betterment option for want of a college of their choice, hence the confirmations are low. In the coming rounds, the chances will reduce, and we will surely see improved admissions.”

Rakesh Jadhav, a computer science faculty member in a city college, said, “Unless systemic issues like late timetables, overlapping entrance tests, and declining job opportunities in core engineering are addressed, the trend will continue.”

Over 1L vacant seats after two rounds

Seats available I 1,83,760

Round I – Registered: 1,99,748; Allotted: 1,44,776; Admitted: 34,931 (22%)

Round II – Registered: 1,89,277; Allotted: 1,62,205; Admitted: 29,910 (18%)

Combined admissions after two rounds: 64,841 students

Students allotted colleges outside their top three preferences have opted to wait for later rounds. They are banking on the betterment option that allows upgradation to more desirable institutions

Officials hope that the third round will see higher numbers as students begin to run out of choices.

Maharashtra has nearly two lakh engineering seats this year. The poor response underscores the growing challenge in attracting students to the stream. Observers say that unless reforms focus on both timely admissions and improved employability prospects, the situation is unlikely to change in the near future.