Once again, engineering aspirants in the state are at the receiving end. And it is not because they could not clear the tough Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MHT-CET) 2016 to secure a seat at an engineering college, but solely because there has been a drop in the number of seats up for grabs this year. The unexpected cut in the number of seats in state colleges has left engineering aspirants fretting and fuming.

As per statistics released by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), the seats available for admission to engineering colleges is only half of the total number of aspirants, while the number of candidates who took MHT-CET increased after the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) was abolished in Maharashtra this year. Of about 2.5 lakh students who have cleared MHT-CET this year, only 1.3 lakh will be able to obtain admission in engineering colleges across the state. 

The drop in the number of seats has punctured DTE’s claim to provide admission to every student securing a non-zero positive score in MHT-CET. Dayanand Meshram, Joint Director, Directorate of Technical Education (DTE)  said that the drop in seats in due to action taken against some colleges that did not fulfil the requirements needed to be deemed as an engineering institute. Thus, admissions to such colleges have been on a temporary halt.” 

Those who will not be accommodated in engineering colleges in Maharashtra are left with no choice but to look for options outside the state.