MHT CET Counselling 2026 has resulted in a rise in engineering admissions across Maharashtra, with 1,81,927 students securing seats for the 2026-27 academic session. The figure is higher than the number of admissions recorded last year, indicating increased enrolment in engineering programmes across the state.
The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell conducted four rounds of the Centralised Admission Process (CAP), followed by institutional-level admissions. According to the counselling data, 2,51,726 candidates registered for engineering admissions this year. A total of 2,21,646 engineering seats were available across 387 colleges affiliated with 17 universities in Maharashtra.
MHT CET 2026 Engineering Admissions Increase
The number of students taking admission to engineering courses has increased by 15,181 compared with the previous academic year. In 2025-26, around 1,66,746 students had secured engineering admissions in the state.
Of the total seats available this year, 2,03,293 were included under the Centralised Admission Process. The remaining seats were available through other admission categories, including management quota.
The four CAP rounds together accounted for 1,40,554 admissions. Round 4 recorded the highest number of admissions, with 48,689 students securing seats. Round 1 saw 31,632 admissions, followed by 30,304 in Round 2 and 29,929 in Round 3.
How Many Seats Remain Vacant?
Despite the increase in admissions, a considerable number of engineering seats remain unfilled. After the completion of the CAP and institutional admission rounds, 29,042 seats were vacant across Maharashtra.
Of these, 26,682 seats were vacant among the ACAP seats, while another 2,360 seats remained vacant under the management quota.
The admission data also shows that 27,472 students secured seats through the institutional CAP round. Meanwhile, 13,473 admissions were recorded under the management quota and 189 students were admitted through the Jammu and Kashmir and AICTE quota.
The registration process for Maharashtra engineering admissions began on July 2 and continued until July 19, 2026. With admissions now largely completed, the latest figures provide an overview of the demand for engineering programmes and the availability of seats across colleges in the state.
The increase in admissions comes despite thousands of seats remaining vacant, highlighting the difference between the total engineering capacity available in Maharashtra and the number of students ultimately opting for seats through the counselling process.
