Intense competition expected for engineering admissions in state
According to the State Common Entrance Test Cell (CET Cell), the number of students scoring between the 10 and 99.99 percentile has risen by 4,471 compared to last year
This year, the state is witnessing fierce competition for engineering admissions, particularly in top-tier colleges, following a significant surge in the number of high-scoring students in the MHT CET 2025 examination.
According to the State Common Entrance Test Cell (CET Cell), the number of students scoring between the 10 and 99.99 percentile has risen by 4,471 compared to last year. As many as 43,299 students scored between 90 and 99.99 percentile this year, compared to 38,828 students in that range last year.
Also, this year, 22 students across Maharashtra have scored a perfect 100 percentile in the Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (PMC) group of the MHT CET. Among them, 18 students have qualified for the prestigious JEE Advanced examination, making them eligible for admission into India’s premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
As a result, the pressure now shifts to students scoring between 90 and 99.99 percentiles, who will face fierce competition for admission into highly sought-after courses like computer engineering, artificial intelligence and machine learning, internet of things, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence and data science (AI-DS).
“Several top-performing students have stated that although they had initially considered MHT CET and JEE as parallel options, their strong JEE Advanced scores ultimately influenced their decision to pursue admissions in IITs instead. This pattern is expected to slightly ease the pressure on state colleges but heighten competition among those just below the top percentile ranks,” said a senior official from the state CET cell on condition of anonymity.
The growing appeal of engineering as a career choice over the last two years has been reflected in rising participation numbers. As per the information given by the state CET Cell, this year, 1,22,663 students in the PCM group were deemed eligible for the CET. Interestingly, there is a significant spike in students scoring within the 70 to 80 percentile range, with 5,798 more students in this bracket than last year.
The popularity of engineering admissions in the state has been at a record high, with 1,49,078 students admitted last year, one of the highest in the past seven years. In fact, 20,000 additional seats were created last year, raising the total to 1,80,170 seats. Despite the increase, nearly all seats were filled, demonstrating the field’s sustained demand. While deans of several engineering colleges have confirmed that this year, computer engineering will likely witness the fiercest competition, followed closely by other courses.
“I scored 98.7 percentile in the CET and was hopeful about securing a seat in computer engineering at one of the top colleges in Pune. But seeing the rise in high scorers this year, I know the competition will be tougher. I’ve already started preparing a strong preference list and exploring backup options too. The increasing demand for AI and cybersecurity courses makes it even more critical to make quick and informed choices,” said Rishabh Deshmukh, a student.
