Students & parents advised to be careful during admission season

Hindustan Times

10 hours ago

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.