Maharashtra CET Admissions 2026 May Be Delayed Due to the NEET UG Re-Exam

The admission process for Engineering and Pharmacy colleges in Maharashtra may face delays this year, with the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination emerging as the primary reason. Recently, Maharashtra's Minister for Higher and Technical Education, Chandrakant Patil, said that the admission schedule for the Maharashtra CET could be pushed back due to the NEET-UG re-exam slated to be held in June.

Therefore, it is feared that not only the admission process but also the start of the new academic session could be affected. This impact is expected to be most pronounced in Engineering and Pharmacy courses, where a portion of the seats are allocated based on NEET scores.

The 2026 NEET-UG examination was initially held on May 3. The exam was conducted across 551 cities nationwide and at 14 centres abroad. Approximately 23,00,000 students had registered for this examination.

However, allegations of a paper leak and malpractice subsequently surfaced. A controversy started after information regarding irregularities came to light on the evening of May 7. Therefore, the authorities decided to cancel the examination and conduct a re-exam. Currently, the new date for the NEET-UG 2026 re-test has been scheduled for June 21.

Minister Chandrakant Patil stated that the Maharashtra CET Cell had previously planned to complete the admission process by the end of June. However, as the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination is now scheduled to be held on June 21, the entire timeline has to be revised.

He noted that admissions for 9 branches of Engineering and approximately 15 per cent of the All India Quota seats in Pharmacy are conducted based on NEET scores. Therefore, it is not possible to complete the admission process until the NEET re-examination has been held and the revised results have been published.

Alongside addressing the delays in admissions, Chandrakant Patil has made several other significant announcements. He stated that colleges will no longer be permitted to charge additional fees under various separate heads.

From now on, the development fee, laboratory fee, and other compulsory charges will be consolidated into a single fee category. This fee structure will be monitored by the Fee Regulatory Authority.

The government asserts that this measure will render the admission process more transparent and help alleviate some of the financial burden on students and parents.

Minister Chandrakant Patil has clearly stated that many students initially attempt to secure admission to medical courses through NEET. Subsequently, if they fail to achieve their desired scores, they shift their focus to engineering courses.

For this very reason, it becomes difficult to finalise engineering admissions until the medical counselling process and NEET results are complete. Therefore, the CET Cell may decide to postpone the entire admission process.

Due to the NEET re-examination, the academic calendars of many engineering and pharmacy colleges in Maharashtra may be delayed. If the admission process concludes late, the start of the new academic session will also be postponed. According to experts, this could also impact the counselling schedule, document verification, and semester timings.