MHT CET 2026 Cutoff: Percentile, College wise Closing Rank

MHT CET 2026 cutoff is released college wise and round wise during the Centralised Admission Process, not as a single number after the result. The PCM first attempt scorecard is already out, with 26 candidates scoring a perfect 100 percentile. What makes this exam different is that it operates two parallel merit lists, one for All India candidates and one for MHT CET Maharashtra candidates, and JEE Main scores are accepted alongside CET scores for AI seats. This page covers expected closing ranks at top colleges, the dual quota system, and marks vs percentile data.

MHT CET 2026 Cutoff Highlights: Result Status, CAP Timeline and Seat Count

MHT CET 2026 PCM results for the first attempt are already out, and CAP counselling is expected to follow shortly. The table below puts the confirmed facts and expected next steps in one place so the closing rank tables further down have a clear timeline around them.

MHT CET Qualifying Percentile vs College wise Admission Cutoff: Two Very Different Numbers

MHT CET 2026 has the widest gap between its qualifying floor and its actual admission cutoff of any exam in this series. A candidate needs only 25 percentile to qualify for counselling, but 99 percentile or higher to have a realistic chance at CSE in a top college. Understanding this gap early prevents the false confidence that qualifying alone sometimes creates.

MHT CET 2026 Expected Cutoff: COEP, VJTI, SPIT and Top College Closing Rank

CAP counselling has not started yet, so no official 2026 closing rank exists. The figures below come from the 2025 counselling rounds and are meant as a planning reference. Once the CET Cell publishes the 2026 round wise allotment, confirmed numbers will replace this table.

CSE at COEP and VJTI closes inside rank 2,000, while core branches like Mechanical and Civil at the same colleges stay open past 40,000. This spread is wider than at most NITs, which is why branch preference matters just as much as the MHT CET percentile during CAP choice filling.

MHT CET AI vs MH Quota: How the Dual Merit List Changes the Cutoff

Most state entrance exams have one merit list. MHT CET has two, and the cutoff for the same college and branch can look very different depending on which quota a candidate falls under. Getting this right before CAP counselling opens is important because a candidate's quota is fixed by domicile status, not by choice.

• MH (Maharashtra State) quota: for candidates with Maharashtra domicile. Covers the majority of seats and typically has tighter closing ranks at top colleges because the applicant pool is larger.
• AI (All India) quota: for candidates from any state. Both MHT CET scores and JEE Main scores are accepted for this quota, and the merit list combines candidates from both exams.
• A non-Maharashtra candidate can only compete for AI quota seats. They cannot claim MH quota seats even if their MHT CET percentile is strong.
• AI quota closing ranks are often different from MH quota closing ranks at the same college and branch. In some cases AI is tighter because fewer seats are available; in others it is looser because fewer candidates from outside Maharashtra apply to that specific college.

MHT CET Marks vs Percentile: What Score Gets What Percentile in 2026

MHT CET is held across multiple shifts, and the CET Cell normalizes scores into percentile to ensure candidates from tougher shifts are not penalized. The marks vs percentile relationship shifts slightly from year to year, but the 2025 data below gives a reasonable reference for 2026 planning.

MHT CET Category wise Cutoff: Open, OBC, SC, ST, EWS and Maharashtra Reservations

Maharashtra's reservation categories for MHT CET include groups not found in the central government pattern, such as VJ/DT-NT (Vimukta Jati and De-notified Tribes) and SBC (Special Backward Class). A candidate selecting the wrong category code during CAP registration can delay or disqualify a seat, so getting the exact name right matters.

MHT CET Cutoff Factors: Applicants, Shifts, Branch Demand and Seat Count

Several factors shift the MHT CET closing rank from one year and one round to the next. Knowing them helps when building a preference list during CAP choice filling, since a candidate targeting CSE at COEP faces very different competition from one targeting Mechanical at a district college.

• Number of applicants. MHT CET consistently draws over 5 lakh candidates, making it one of the largest state level entrance exams in India.
• Shift difficulty and normalization. A harder shift produces lower raw scores, but the percentile conversion ensures candidates are not penalized for it.
• Branch demand. CSE and IT close at ranks inside 10,000 at most good colleges, while Mechanical, Civil and Electrical stay open past 40,000 at the same colleges.
• Seat count at each college. Government colleges like COEP and VJTI have limited intake, which keeps their closing ranks tight.
• JEE Main overlap. For AI quota seats, JEE Main rank holders compete in the same merit list as MHT CET rank holders, which can tighten the AI closing rank at popular colleges.

MHT CET CAP Counselling: How Rounds Work and When the Cutoff Comes Out

MHT CET counselling is called the Centralised Admission Process, or CAP, and it typically runs across three to four rounds with a possible spot round after that. The cutoff is not published before counselling; it comes out only after each round's seat allotment is complete.

• Round 1: registration, document verification, merit list publication, choice filling, and seat allotment.
• Round 2: fresh choice filling for candidates not satisfied with Round 1 or not allotted in Round 1.
• Round 3: fills remaining vacancies. Closing ranks typically loosen compared to Round 1.
• Spot round: conducted if seats remain vacant after Round 3. Original documents are required on the spot.
• A candidate allotted a seat in an earlier round can choose to freeze it or participate in the next round for a better option.
• The CET Cell publishes opening and closing rank PDFs after each round at cetcell.mahacet.org.

MHT CET Cutoff: How to Check College wise Closing Rank

The CET Cell publishes MHT CET closing ranks as a downloadable PDF after each CAP round, and also offers a Cutoff Explorer tool on cetcell.mahacet.org for comparing colleges and branches side by side. Both are free to access without any candidate login.

1. Visit cetcell.mahacet.org, the official CET Cell website.

2. Click on the Cutoff Explorer or the CAP round wise cutoff PDF link.

3. Select the course (B.Tech, B.Pharm, BSc Agriculture), round, college, branch and category.

4. The opening and closing rank for that combination appear on screen or in the PDF.

5. Compare your own rank to the closing rank shown. A rank equal to or better, meaning numerically equal to or lower, means that seat was within reach in that round.

MHT CET Pharmacy and Agriculture Cutoff: PCB Group Closing Rank

MHT CET is not just an engineering exam. The PCB group covers B.Pharm and BSc Agriculture admissions, and these have their own separate cutoff that most engineering focused guides skip entirely. Pharmacy cutoffs at top colleges like Bombay College of Pharmacy are competitive in their own right.

For BSc Agriculture, closing percentiles at top institutes are lower than Pharmacy but still competitive enough that a candidate scoring below 70 percentile will find limited options at government colleges.

MHT CET Safe Score Guide: What Percentile Gets What College Tier in 2026

A safe MHT CET percentile depends entirely on which college and branch a candidate is targeting. The bands below, built from 2025 CAP data, give a realistic picture of what different percentile ranges typically mean for engineering admissions.

About CET Cell Maharashtra and MHT CET

The State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra, conducts MHT CET annually for admission to engineering, pharmacy, agriculture and other professional courses across the state. MHT CET is among the largest state level entrance exams in India, with over 5 lakh candidates and 500+ participating colleges.

The exam covers two groups: PCM for engineering and PCB for pharmacy and agriculture. Both are computer-based tests held across multiple shifts, with percentile normalization ensuring candidates from tougher shifts are not disadvantaged. The CAP counselling process is fully online, managed through cetcell.mahacet.org, with physical document verification at designated centres.

MHT CET and JEE Main: How Both Scores Work for the Same Counselling

MHT CET is one of the few state entrance exams where JEE Main scores are accepted alongside the state exam score for a portion of the seats. This dual acceptance changes the competition for AI quota seats and is worth understanding before a candidate decides which exam to prioritize.

• For AI quota seats in Maharashtra engineering colleges, both MHT CET ranks and JEE Main ranks are considered in a combined merit list.
• A candidate with a strong JEE Main rank but no MHT CET score can still compete for AI quota seats at colleges like COEP or VJTI.
• For MH quota seats, only the MHT CET score is used. JEE Main does not apply to the state quota.
• This means a Maharashtra domicile candidate with both scores has access to both MH and AI quota, while a non-Maharashtra candidate is limited to AI quota only.

MHT CET 2026 CSE vs Core Branch Cutoff: Why the Gap Is So Wide

At COEP Pune, the CSE closing rank sits around 860 to 960, while the Mechanical closing rank at the same college is around 42,000 to 45,000. That is a gap of more than 40,000 ranks between two branches at the same institute. No other factor in MHT CET admissions creates as wide a spread as branch preference, and candidates who are flexible on branch can access much stronger colleges than those who insist on CSE alone.

MHT CET 2026 PCM first attempt results are out, and CAP counselling is expected to start shortly. Candidates should check their percentile on cetcell.mahacet.org, identify which quota (AI or MH) applies to them based on domicile, and start shortlisting colleges using the 2025 closing rank data above as a reference. Confirmed 2026 closing ranks will be updated on this page after each CAP round.

MHT CET 2026 Cutoff FAQs

Ques: Is the MHT CET qualifying percentile the same as the college admission cutoff?

Ques: Can a non-Maharashtra candidate get a seat through MHT CET?

Ques: Why does the same college show different closing ranks for AI and MH quota?

Ques: Does MHT CET cover pharmacy admissions as well?

Ques: What is the difference between MHT CET percentile and raw marks?