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The Maharashtra CET Cell revised seat acceptance fees for BE and BTech CAP admissions to prevent seat blocking by candidates. Commissioner Dilip Sardesai said nearly 60,000 engineering seats were surrendered in 2025 after students accepted and later gave them up. Under the new structure, upgrade-seeking candidates will pay higher fees in later rounds while fresh allotments remain at ₹1,000.

Mumbai: In a bid to curb "seat blocking" during the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) for BE and BTech courses, the Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell has revised the seat acceptance fee structure. The move is aimed at ensuring that more deserving candidates secure admissions instead of losing opportunities due to seats being held and later relinquished.

Nearly 60,000 engineering seats surrendered in 2025 admission cycle

Explaining the rationale behind the decision, CET Cell Commissioner Dilip Sardesai said that during the 2025 admission cycle, nearly 60,000 engineering seats were surrendered by candidates across different CAP rounds after they had initially accepted them by paying a nominal fee of ₹1,000.

According to the CET Cell, around 41,000 students accepted seats in the first round but subsequently gave them up. In the second round, nearly 11,000 candidates declined their allotted seats, followed by around 3,000 in the third round and 11,040 in the fourth round. As a result, thousands of seats remained vacant or became available too late in the admission process, depriving many eligible students of the opportunity to secure admission.