Latest news with #HigherandTechnicalEducation
Time of India
03-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Gujarat's GCAS sees record 2.25 lakh seat confirmations; 5 extra admission rounds announced
GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat government has announced an additional special round of five admission cycles under the Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS) platform. This decision follows the completion of eight rounds (two phases) of counselling and the observation of an unprecedented surge in student participation. The announcement was made during a comprehensive review meeting chaired by Higher and Technical Education Minister Rushikesh Patel in Gandhinagar. According to official figures, as of July 3, more than 3.22 lakh students have been verified on the GCAS portal, with 2.97 lakh receiving admission offers. Of these, nearly 2.25 lakh students have already confirmed their seats - marking a 32 per cent increase compared to the 1.70 lakh admissions confirmed by the same date last year. The GCAS is a unified online platform launched by the Government of Gujarat to streamline and centralise the undergraduate admission process across the state's 15 government universities. Designed to ensure transparency, efficiency, and accessibility, GCAS allows students to register, verify documents, receive merit-based college offers, and confirm admissions - all through a single portal. The system enables real-time data sharing with universities, respects institutional autonomy in seat allocation, and offers location-based preferences to students, ensuring equitable access to higher education in both rural and urban regions of Gujarat. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo To ensure no eligible candidate is left behind, the government has decided to open registration for this special round until July 3, and the admission process will be carried out between July 7 and July 11 across five rounds. The minister urged all students, especially those who missed earlier rounds, to take full advantage of this final opportunity. Notably, GCAS streamlines the admission process for 15 government universities across Gujarat. Once a student registers on the portal, their data is forwarded to the respective university, which independently conducts admissions based on merit and regulations. The state government has clarified that if a student fails to report to a college during the offer window, it is up to the university - not the government - to decide whether to offer the seat again in subsequent rounds. Importantly, college allotments are merit-driven and locality-based: Students are offered seats in colleges closer to their selected zones - rural students in nearby rural institutions, and urban students in their local city colleges, ensuring equitable access across regions. Is your child ready for the careers of tomorrow? Enroll now and take advantage of our early bird offer! Spaces are limited.
Hindustan Times
08-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Maharashtra's CAP admission process now has four rounds, new rules announced
In an overhaul of the centralised admission process (CAP) for professional courses, the Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Department has announced that the number of CAP rounds will be increased from three to four starting from the upcoming academic session. The changes come ahead of the announcement of the common entrance test (CET) results, conducted by the state's CET cell for admissions to degree programs. Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil confirmed the development, stating that a formal government resolution (GR) will be issued soon. 'These reforms are similar to the changes made in the polytechnic admission process and are aimed at making the system more efficient and student-friendly,' Patil said. This decision is intended to improve flexibility and transparency in the admission process. The department has clarified that the revised rules will be implemented during the upcoming academic session. A highlight of the new structure is the auto-freezing of seats. If a candidate is allotted a college listed among their first three preferences in the second round or among the top six in the third round, the seat will be automatically frozen. Once frozen, the student must take admission to that institution and cannot participate in further rounds. Candidates will also have the chance to modify their preferences before each of the second, third, and fourth CAP rounds. This ensures that students are provided with flexibility while also maintaining fairness in seat allocation. The new policy also brings more transparency and merit-based selection into the management quota admissions. For the first time, colleges will be required to announce complete details of the available management quota seats on the official website. In terms of fees, institutions will be permitted to charge up to three times the regular tuition fee for management quota seats. For NRI quota seats, the fee can be as high as five times the standard rate. NRI candidates must submit a certificate from the income tax department, and their admission will be governed by the Foster Parent Act. The new rules also define a clear process for admission cancellations. Students wishing to cancel their admission must submit a request online. Once cancelled, the student forfeits any claim to that seat, which will then be made available in subsequent rounds. If the cancellation is completed before the specified deadline, a refund will be issued after deducting ₹1,000 from the total fee. No refunds will be granted for cancellations made after the deadline. Colleges are required to publish the list of eligible candidates, the merit list, and a detailed admission schedule on their official websites. Commenting on the reforms, Patil said, 'These changes are in line with those implemented in the polytechnic admission process and are aimed at enhancing efficiency and making the system more student-friendly.'
News18
06-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
4 Toppers, 1 Centre: Patna CET Row Prompts Maharashtra To Ban Out-Of-State Exam Centres
Last Updated: The Maharashtra government will restrict all Common Entrance Tests (CET) for professional courses to within the state from next academic year due to irregularities at Patna centre In a significant policy shift, the Maharashtra government has decided to restrict all Common Entrance Tests (CET) for professional courses to examination centres within the state, starting next academic year. With this, students from outside Maharashtra taking the CET for a course offered by an institution will have to travel to an examination centre in the state. 'To maintain transparency and prevent malpractices in the CET, the state government has decided to restrict examination centres within Maharashtra from next year," the Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said on Thursday. This move comes amid rising concerns over alleged irregularities at certain centres outside Maharashtra, particularly one in Patna, Bihar, which produced an unusual cluster of top scorers in the CET for the five-year LLB course. The controversy erupted after four students – Vishesh Kumar Pathak, Himanshu Jaiswal, Prakhar Jyoti, and Sanskriti Saundarya – emerged as toppers with a perfect 100 percentile in the Maharashtra LLB CET. All four had appeared from the same test centre, Maha Infotech, located in Patna. The exam was conducted on April 28 in two shifts, and although the four candidates took the test in different sessions, they shared the same location, raising immediate suspicions about the integrity of the process. Officials confirmed that only one examination centre had been set up in Bihar this year, due to around 25 students applying from the state. In total, 18 exam centres were established outside Maharashtra, but the state government has now decided to eliminate all such centres following the Patna incident. The suspicious activity of the Patna centre will be investigated, Patil told the media, adding that strict action will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future. 'Such incidents raise serious doubts and undermine the credibility of the examination process. But by conducting the CET only in Maharashtra, we can ensure better monitoring and reduce the risk of organised malpractices," PTI quoted Patil as saying. The decision aims to bolster credibility and monitoring of the CET, which is a gateway for admissions to various undergraduate and postgraduate professional courses including law, engineering, management, and more. The issue gained further gravity as it unfolds alongside an ongoing investigation into a broader CET-related scam. Earlier in March, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested three brokers from Delhi in connection with an MBA-CET admission racket. The accused reportedly collected between Rs 11 to Rs 20 lakh from aspirants in exchange for artificially inflated scores and advised them to choose remote centres in Maharashtra districts like Bhandara, Gondia, Yavatmal, and Jalna – areas allegedly under lower scrutiny. The case involving the four Patna students is now under investigation by the Maharashtra CID. While no direct evidence of malpractice has been made public, officials say the clustering of perfect scores at a single out-of-state centre cannot be overlooked. Each year, over 10 lakh students appear for various CETs across Maharashtra, with more than 25,000 candidates previously opting for centres outside the state. However, this option will no longer be available, even to out-of-state applicants. 'The new move would not only help maintain fairness but also enhance the integrity of the admission process," Patil told PTI. He also addressed concerns over low participation in CETs for professional undergraduate courses like BBA, BCA, BMS, and BBM. Of more than 2,00,000 available seats, only 61,666 students appeared for the exam this year. 'Since many seats are likely to remain vacant, students will be given another opportunity to take the CET," he said.
Hindustan Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
State adds fourth CAP round for engineering admissions to curb costly pvt options
Mumbai: In a major reform aimed at making engineering education more accessible and transparent, the Maharashtra government on Thursday announced the addition of a fourth round to the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) for engineering degree courses, starting from the upcoming academic year. The move is expected to reduce the pressure on students to opt for costly private or management quota seats due to limited CAP rounds in the past. With this additional round, students will now have a greater opportunity to secure seats through the government's centralised system, which also makes them eligible for scholarship benefits. Announcing the changes, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said on Thursday, 'Just like in the polytechnic admission process, we aim to bring 70–80% of engineering admissions under CAP. This ensures greater equity and access to government-backed benefits for students.' Vinod Mohitkar, director of the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), explained the revised guidelines for CAP seat acceptance. 'If a student receives a seat in their first-preference college in Round 1, they must confirm it immediately. In Round 2, admission is mandatory if allotted a seat within the top three preferences. Similarly, in Round 3, a seat from any of the top six choices must be accepted. These rules are designed to prevent high-ranking students from blocking multiple seats and to ensure a more efficient and streamlined allocation process,' he said. In addition to the CAP reform, the state government is set to permit colleges to charge significantly higher fees for non-CAP admissions. Management quota seats may cost up to three times the standard tuition, while NRI quota seats can command up to five times the regular fee. 'We are also working on stricter enforcement of NRI quota regulations under the Income Tax Act and the Guardians and Wards Act to ensure only genuine candidates benefit,' Patil added. The government will now require colleges to conduct institutional quota and leftover seat admissions entirely online. Colleges must publish the list of eligible candidates, merit rankings, and detailed admission schedules on their websites. This measure is expected to enhance transparency and enable students to make more informed decisions. Moreover, Patil said that the Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell has been directed to allow students to opt for management quota seats during the form-filling process itself. These applications will then be forwarded to the respective college administrations, who must make decisions based strictly on merit. 'In several cases, college managements have been denying admissions without justification. This step will ensure fair access for all interested and eligible students,' he said. An official government notification detailing these changes is expected soon.
Indian Express
05-06-2025
- Indian Express
No more MH-CET exams outside Maharashtra: Chandrakant Patil
Maharashtra will no longer conduct Common Entrance Tests (CETs) outside the state, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil announced on Thursday. The decision follows recent incidents raising concerns about the exam's integrity. On Wednesday, the five-year LLB CET results showed that all four top scorers were from a single exam centre in Patna, Bihar, sparking suspicion. Earlier, in March 2025, the MBA CET was marred by reports of students receiving unsolicited calls offering admission to top institutes for hefty sums of amount in range from Rs 11 to Rs 20 lakh. A complaint to Mumbai police had led to the arrest of three people in Delhi. Stating that the investigating team has been informed of the latest development from the LLB five-year CET's result which has sparked suspicion, Patil said, 'To ensure transparency, CETs will no longer be held outside of Maharashtra.' The Maharashtra CET Cell conducts over 18 entrance exams for admission to various professional courses in the state. Some of the CETs – such as MHT-CET, MBA and LLB CETs are extended to a few cities outside of Maharashtra like Patna, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru to accommodate out-of-state aspirants. 'These are anyway very limited exam-centres. Further, this year, we had already reduced outside centres post the MBA-CET issue, but couldn't cancel previously announced exams. Now, we've decided to stop them entirely,' said an official from the CET Cell. The MBA-CET scam surfaced in March after students reported calls promising inflated marks to ensure admission to coveted colleges in the city in exchange for large sums. CET Cell had formed a confidential committee to probe the matter following which the matter was reported to the Mumbai Police.
