Latest news with #MaharashtraUnaidedPrivateProfessionalEducationalInstitutions
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Students & parents advised to be careful during admission season
With the admission season having started, several parents across Maharashtra are finding themselves caught in a web of fraudulent agents promising guaranteed seats in prestigious professional colleges under the management quota. In the past two months alone, at least three to four such cases have occurred raising concerns over the transparency of the admission process in private and deemed universities. Many students with average academic marks, along with their parents, attempt to secure seats in reputed institutions through alternative routes. (HT) Despite recent amendments to the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, which mandate a transparent admission process for management quota seats in professional courses such as engineering, pharmacy, MBA, MCA, and architecture, the situation on the ground is anything but. While affiliated colleges are required to follow stricter norms, private and deemed universities have been granted complete autonomy which grants agents access to thrive. A parent told Hindustan Times on condition of anonymity, 'I came across an agent through a Prime Shiksha advertisement on social media. When I contacted them, they asked me to visit their office at Agarwal Business Park in Kharadi. The agent's name was Deepak Agarwal, and two others Vineet and Shivam Sharma. They initially asked ₹ 13 lakh for admission to engineering at PICT through the NRI and institute quota. After some discussion, the deal was fixed at ₹ 12 lakh. We even visited the college and filled out a form and I paid them ₹ 12 lakh. They told us that the college would send an admission confirmation through email. However, when I tried to contact them the next day, their phones were switched off, and the office was locked. My son scored 92% which is quite good. I want to warn other parents; please don't fall for such agents.' Responding to this, Kalpesh Yadav, joint secretary of Yuva Sena, said, 'The criteria for management quota admissions is that they should be carried out based on merit. Last year, we successfully completed the admission of 383 students purely on merit, without taking a single rupee and we are also raising voice against it.' Cities like Pune and Nashik, which host some of the state's top institutions, are witnessing a surge in demand for management quota seats. Many students with average academic marks, along with their parents, attempt to secure seats in reputed institutions through alternative routes. In doing so, they often rely on admission agents, many of whom turn out to be fraudsters. In Pune, at least three to four such fraud cases have surfaced in the last year, with parents reportedly losing lakhs of rupees. The agents exploit the urgency and emotional vulnerability of families keen on securing their child's academic future. As a result, many institutes and government officials are urging families to avoid falling for promises of guaranteed admissions. Several institutions have started issuing public advisories, warning against dealing with unverified agents. To address the rising number of complaints, support groups such as the Innovation Foundation and Yuva Sena have set up helplines for students and parents facing admission-related issues. 'Last year, we helped several students who had been defrauded by these agents. This year, too, our helpline is open to assist anyone in need,' said Kalpesh Yadav, joint secretary of Yuva Sena. The helpline number for assistance is 9623337777.
Indian Express
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Engineering aspirants can now apply through state CET cell for admission under institutional quota
Engineering aspirants seeking admission under the 20% institutional quota in Maharashtra can now apply through the Common Admission Process (CAP) conducted by the state CET Cell. While colleges will retain the right to issue their own merit lists, this new option aims to give students an alternative to apply if direct applications to colleges is not possible due to any reason. With MHT-CET results out, engineering admissions in Maharashtra are expected to start soon. The Higher and Technical Education Department announced revised rules on Friday. The government has already declared clear eligibility criteria for NRI candidates—who will occupy 5% of institutional quota seats. Additionally, colleges are already informed about fee-related guidelines for these seats. They charge up to three times the regular fees for management quota seats and five times more for NRI quota seats. All this streamlining is expected to bring greater transparency to engineering admissions, including those under institutional quota. The notification declaring amendment to the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission to the Full Time Professional Undergraduate, Post Graduate, Integrated or Dual Degree Technical Courses) states, 'in case candidate is unable to submit the application directly to the institution concerned for any reason, the candidate shall have the opportunity to apply through the website of the Competent Authority till the date of allotment of final CAP Round. These applications will be forwarded to the respective institutions after the allotment process of CAP Round-IV. The concerned institution shall consider such applications while preparing the Inter-Se-Merit.' Traditionally, 80% of engineering seats are filled through CAP, with the remaining 20% filled by colleges under the institutional quota. As per information shared by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), while this process remains unchanged, students now have the CAP portal as an optional route for institutional quota applications. Director of DTE, Vinod Mohitkar, said, 'There is absolutely no intrusion on admissions done at the institutional level. We are only providing an optional platform for students to apply for those seats. This is only because we would receive random complaints from students that certain institutes are not taking their application of admission under institutional quota. In such cases they will have another option to apply. These applications will be sent to colleges to consider while declaring merit list.' Another significant change is the introduction of a fourth CAP round, as opposed to established practice of three CAP rounds. This is expected to allow students one additional chance to secure admission through CAP before the institutional round begins. Furthermore, there will be stricter rules for admission confirmation. Previously, confirmation was only mandatory if candidates were allotted their first-choice college. Now, in Round 2, confirmation is required if the allotted college is among the top three choices, and in Round 3, if it is among the top six.
