CET Cell notifies new guidelines for international quota admissions

Following an amendment to the definition of NRI under a new ordinance, effective from June 25, authorities have revised the eligibility criteria and documentation process for NRI quota admissions

The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell on July 25 launched a dedicated web portal for the admission of international category students, including Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), Children of Indian Workers in Gulf Countries (CIWGC), and Foreign Nationals (FNS), for the academic year 2025-26.

All recognised universities, colleges, and institutes offering seats under NRI and supernumerary quotas have been directed to strictly follow the new process. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

Following an amendment to the definition of NRI under a new ordinance, effective from June 25, authorities have revised the eligibility criteria and documentation process for NRI quota admissions. Under the new definition, NRIs include individuals classified as ‘not ordinarily resident’ under the Income Tax Act and those possessing an NRI certificate issued by an Indian Mission abroad. Their children or wards are covered under this category.

The newly-launched admission portal, https://fn.mahacet.org, will centralise applications for international category students seeking admission to technical, medical, higher education, and fine arts programmes across Maharashtra.

All recognised universities, colleges, and institutes offering seats under NRI and supernumerary quotas have been directed to strictly follow the new process. Institutions will receive unique login credentials to access student applications, verify eligibility, and publish merit-based admission lists.

Admission will be finalised only after fee payment in USD, physical verification of original documents, and confirmation through the portal. Candidates can receive multiple offers but are allowed to confirm only one seat. Failure to pay within deadlines will result in cancellation of the allotted seat.

The CET Cell will issue provisional eligibility certificates (PECs) to eligible candidates to support visa applications. However, final admission will be subject to document verification by the concerned institute.

Colleges are also required to assist admitted students in completing immigration formalities within 14 days of joining, and to ensure uploading of required medical reports, residential proof, and accommodation details.

“The CET Cell has launched a portal for the registration of ‘Foreign National’ candidates, and has provided a link for registration. From this year, candidates who were born outside India and whose parents reside in a foreign country will be considered under the NRI category. The definition of NRI has been revised accordingly. As per the new criteria, the candidate must be born outside India and their parents must be currently living abroad. This is now a mandatory rule,” said Jayant Patil, OSD, CET Cell.

He further said that in the previous years, some candidates were granted admission under the ‘Foreign National’ category by naming their relatives living abroad as dependents. This provision has now been strictly discontinued.

For registration, candidates will be required to pay a non-refundable fee of $50. Once registered, the candidate will be sent an offer for admission. To confirm the admission, a further fee of $1,150 must be paid.

“Earlier, it was observed that some candidates who did not score well in the CET exam would still gain admission to top institutions like COEP by applying through the ‘Foreign National’ route. This practice will now be completely stopped,” said Patil.