Maharashtra forms panel to study feasibility of Class 12 marks in MHT-CET merit lists for BTech, BPharm

The Maharashtra government has formed an expert committee with five members who will recommend changes to the process of making the merit list for undergraduate (UG) admissions to engineering and pharmacy courses. This decision was announced after a proposal from the Commissioner of the State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell was suggested earlier on September 2, 2026.

The committee set up Maharashtra government will examine whether the marks secured in Class 12 and the percentile in the Maharashtra Health and Technical Common Entrance Test (MHT-CET) should both be considered while making the CET Cell’s merit list.

The Maharashtra government said the proposed changes are will help develop an admission policy. This will ensure candidates have enough time to prepare properly for both their class 12 and MHT CET examinations.

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Committee to recommend MHT-CET, class 12 weightage

The panel will be led by Ravindra D Kulkarni, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mumbai, who is also the Chairman of the Maharashtra State Academic and Research Council (MahaSARC).

The committee will also include the Vice-Chancellors of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, Lonere, and COEP Technological University, Pune. Other members include the Director of the Directorate of Higher Education, Pune, and the Director of the Directorate of Technical Education, Mumbai.

The committee will have to also determine the ratio of students' Class 12 marks and MHT-CET percentile while creating the merit list for engineering and pharmacy degree admissions.

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Panel to suggest implementation timeline

The panel will also share ideas on how to consider both sets of results in a balanced way to make the merit-ranking process transparent, objective, and fair for candidates.

If the committee recommends using both Class 12 marks and MHT-CET percentile for preparing the merit list, then it will have to share by when the revised system should be introduced.

Invitations to subject-matter experts to meetings, when required, can be sent by the committee chairman. The panel has been given instructions to submit a detailed report, along with clear recommendations, to the state government within 15 days.