MHT CET CAP 2026: BTech Admissions Rise by 15,181; Over 29,000 Engineering Seats Still Vacant

MHT CET CAP 2026 engineering admissions have recorded a significant increase this year, with 1,81,927 students securing admission to BTech and other engineering programmes across Maharashtra. The figure is 15,181 higher than last year, when 1,66,746 students were admitted through the state admission process.

The rise comes despite a sizeable number of engineering seats remaining vacant after the completion of the MHT CET CAP counselling 2026 and institutional-level admission rounds. According to the latest admission data, 29,042 engineering seats are still vacant across Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Engineering Admissions 2026: 1.81 Lakh Students Get Seats

The latest figures give a broader picture of the demand for engineering education in Maharashtra. A total of 2,51,726 candidates registered for engineering admissions this year, while the admission process covered 2,21,646 engineering seats across 387 colleges affiliated with 17 universities.

Of these, 2,03,293 seats were included under the Centralised Admission Process (CAP). Other seats were available through admission routes such as the management quota. The overall admission count of 1,81,927 therefore includes students admitted through the four CAP rounds as well as subsequent institutional-level and other eligible admission routes.

MHT CET CAP 2026 Round-Wise Admission Data

The four CAP rounds together accounted for 1,40,554 engineering admissions. Interestingly, Round 4 contributed the largest number of admissions, showing that a substantial number of students continued to secure seats toward the later stages of the counselling process.

The Round 4 figure of 48,689 admissions was substantially higher than the numbers recorded in the first three rounds. This indicates that the later CAP stage remained important for students waiting for allotments, upgrades or available seats.

Where Did the Remaining MHT CET Engineering Admissions Come From?

The four CAP rounds do not account for the entire 1,81,927 admissions recorded for 2026-27. After the CAP process, colleges continued admissions through institutional-level and other permitted categories. According to the reported data, 27,472 students secured admission through the institutional round. A further 13,473 admissions were made through the management quota, while 189 students were admitted under the Jammu and Kashmir and AICTE quota. Together, these figures take the overall engineering admission count to 1,81,927.

This distinction is important because the total number of admissions should not be interpreted as CAP-only admissions. The final figure combines multiple admission routes followed during the 2026-27 engineering admission cycle.

MHT CET 2026 Vacant Seats: Why Are 29,042 Seats Still Empty?

The increase in admissions has not eliminated the seat vacancy issue. A total of 29,042 engineering seats remained vacant after the CAP and institutional-level admission rounds.

The vacancy breakup shows:

The numbers show that most of the remaining vacancies are in ACAP seats, rather than management quota seats. The Maharashtra CET Cell has separately published vacancy-related information and admission notices for engineering courses during the 2026-27 cycle.

MHT CET CAP 2026 FAQs