The Maharashtra CET Cell has introduced major changes to the Centralized Admission Process (CAP) for engineering and professional courses in 2025. Most notably, the number of CAP rounds has been increased from three to four, offering more flexibility and transparency in seat allocation.
🔹 What’s New This Year?
✅ CAP Rounds Increased to Four
This year, there will be four rounds of CAP seat allocation instead of three. The goal is to:
- Minimize vacant seats,
- Allow students to revise preferences between rounds,
- Improve early decision-making through stricter freezing rules.
📌 New Seat-Freezing Guidelines
To discourage students from holding multiple options and blocking others from getting seats, seat freezing will now occur automatically under certain conditions:
- If a student is allotted their 1st preference in Round 1, the seat is automatically frozen.
- In Round 2, if any of the Top 3 preferences are allotted, it will be frozen.
- In Round 3, any seat in the Top 6 choices will be frozen.
Once a seat is frozen, the student must accept it and is not eligible for further CAP rounds (except for upgrades in certain cases via institutional rounds).
📅 Key Dates & Schedule
| Event | Timeline |
|---|---|
| Registration & Doc. Verification | June 28 – July 8 (Online) |
| Document Verification (Physical) | June 30 – July 9 |
| Provisional Merit List | July 12 |
| Grievance Window | July 13 – 15 |
| Final Merit List | July 17 |
| CAP Round 1 | Expected Early August |
| CAP Rounds 2 to 4 | August to September |
| Institutional Round | After CAP Round 4 |
🧭 What Should Students Do?
1. Check the Merit List
After the final merit list releases on July 17, confirm your rank and verify your category, marks, and other details.
2. Prepare for CAP Round 1
In early August:
- Log in to the CET Cell portal,
- Fill your option form (course and college preferences),
- Submit any applicable fees,
- Monitor the seat allotment updates closely.
3. Understand Freeze/Float Options
- Use Freeze if you’re happy with the allotted seat.
- Use Slide to stay in the same college but seek a better course.
- Use Float to aim for a higher-preference college in the next round.
⚠️ Remember: If you get a high-preference seat, the system may auto-freeze it based on the round rules.
4. Post-Allotment Steps
- Pay the seat acceptance fee,
- Download allotment letter,
- Report to the allotted college within the given window,
- Confirm admission or participate in the next round if eligible.
🔍 Why These Changes Matter
The revised CAP system with an additional round and automatic seat-freezing is designed to:
- Increase admission efficiency,
- Reduce vacant seats in top institutions,
- Help serious candidates finalize admissions earlier,
- Prevent system misuse through speculative seat holding.
With the new system, students must plan their preferences carefully and act promptly at each stage.
📝 Disclaimer
This article is based on publicly available schedules and announcements regarding MHT CET 2025 counselling. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, students are advised to visit the official CET Cell website and stay updated through official notifications for the most current information, changes, and deadlines. This content is for informational purposes only and does not substitute official guidance from the admission authorities.
