Over 51,000 engineering seats vacant in Maharashtra despite rounds of CAP completion

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Despite the completion of three rounds of the Centralized Admission Process (CAP) for engineering courses across Maharashtra, a significant number of seats remain vacant in various branches.

Data shared by the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) cell from the recently concluded third round reveals that more than 51,000 seats are still available, raising concerns about student enrollment in key fields.

The total intake capacity for engineering courses across the state is 164,336, with 112,981 students admitted so far, leaving 51,355 seats vacant.

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These vacancies are spread across several engineering branches, including high-demand fields like Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Information Technology (IT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In Mumbai, the region with the highest intake capacity, a total of 33,776 seats were available. Despite admitting 21,399 students, nearly 12,377 seats remain unfilled. Branches like Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and AI-related courses have seen significant shortfalls. For instance, Mechanical Engineering in Mumbai recorded 1,809 vacancies after admitting only 1,524 students. Civil Engineering fared worse, with 1,444 seats still available.

Similarly, in Pune, out of 66,817 available seats, 48,157 students have been admitted, leaving 18,660 vacancies. Mechanical Engineering, once a sought-after branch, saw 2,964 seats remain vacant after three rounds of admissions, reflecting a broader trend of declining interest in traditional engineering disciplines

Regions like Nagpur, Aurangabad, and Nashik have also struggled to fill their seats. In Nagpur, 5,643 seats are still vacant, with branches like Civil Engineering and Computer Science showing significant gaps. In Aurangabad, a region that offered 12,528 seats, nearly 5,295 vacancies were recorded across various disciplines

"The demand for emerging fields like AI, Data Science, and Cyber Security is evident, but even these fields are experiencing gaps. For example, AI and Data Science courses across the state have 3,794 seats remaining after admitting 2,894 students," said a teacher of an engineering college in Navi Mumbai.

The shortage of enrollments has raised concerns among educational institutions, as well as policymakers. Industry experts point to a possible saturation of engineering seats in the state, coupled with changing preferences among students, who are now gravitating towards non-traditional fields, short-term professional courses, and international education, said a former principal.

"Despite the growing interest, the vacancies highlight a mismatch between student preferences and the course offerings, especially in traditional fields like Mechanical and Civil Engineering, which continue to see lower enrollment compared to newer, emerging branches," She said.

While a final round of CAP may help fill some of these vacancies, the high number of unfilled seats reflects deeper challenges in the state's engineering education landscape. The state government and academic institutions are likely to reevaluate their course offerings and admissions processes to align with current industry demands and student preferences.

Last year, a total of 1,61,336 candidates registered for the Centralized Admission Process (CAP) for admission to engineering colleges, according to data shared by the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) cell. While the number of candidates registering for engineering admissions has seen an increase, a substantial number of seats remain vacant across the state.

The CET cell, however, emphasized that the availability of seats ensures that no eligible student will be left without a seat.

Seats Data-

Maharashtra:

Total Intake : 164336
Admitted: 112981
Vacancy: 51355

Mumbai:

Total Intake : 33776
Admitted: 21399
Vacancy: 12377