Experts in agricultural education said inadequate admissions over a sustained period had led to the closure of several institutes, most of them privately managed. (Source: Express Archives)
Admissions to agricultural and allied courses in Maharashtra have seen a significant rise in the academic year 2025–26, even as the number of institutes offering these programmes has declined, pointing to closures largely among privately run colleges.
Data from the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test Cell shows that 13,897 candidates confirmed admissions to agricultural and allied courses in 2025–26, up sharply from 11,670 in 2023–24. However, the number of institutes offering these courses has fallen to 198 this year, from 207 in 2024–25 and 201 in 2023–24.
Experts in agricultural education said inadequate admissions over a sustained period had led to the closure of several institutes, most of them privately managed. “The recent growth in admission shows improvement in the past three years. But it is important to note that traditional courses such as B.Sc. in Agriculture and B.Sc. in Horticulture continue to draw more students than various new age allied courses such as B. Tech. in Agriculture, B. Tech. in Food Technology and B.Sc. in Agri business Management which became popular over a decade ago leading to a surge in the number of private institutes offering those courses,” said a senior official from one of the four agricultural universities in Maharashtra.
The four state agricultural universities are Mahatma Phule Krushi Vidyapeeth in Rahuri (MPKV), Punjabrao Deshmukh Krushi Vidyapeeth in Akola (PDKV), Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krushi Vidyapeeth in Parbhani and Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krushi Vidyapeeth in Dapoli (DBSKKV). While these universities operate their own constituent colleges, they also have affiliated colleges run by private managements.
According to CET Cell data, MPKV has the highest intake capacity and has recorded over 96 percent admissions. However, PDKV has emerged as the university with the highest admission rate. While three of the four universities have shown steady growth in admissions over the past three years, DBSKKV has seen a decline in the same period and has recorded the lowest admission rate in the current academic year.
An official from the Dapoli based DBSKKV said, “Ours is a smaller university compared to other three, due to which intake is anyway low.
But yet seats remain vacant with low demand by students.”
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Explaining the reasons, the official said, “The university’s location is in a rural area, unlike other universities having their colleges in nearby cities. A student interested in agriculture would prefer those colleges. Furthermore, the districts covered by the BDSKKV are Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Thane, Palghar, Mumbai etc. and very few students from these regions are looking forward to making a career in agriculture.”
As per CET Cell data, five institutes affiliated to DBSKKV have shut down compared to last year.
A senior faculty member from an agriculture university said that changing career preferences were also influencing enrollment trends. “With most government recruitment processes halted now, students are finding more job oriented courses such as engineering and pharmacy which they are able to pursue with similar scores in MHT CET entrance test which determines admissions to all these courses, including agriculture,” the official said.
In response, the CET Cell has begun outreach programmes to raise awareness about undergraduate agricultural courses, while universities have launched initiatives such as school connect programmes. “These initiatives help universities connect with school students from classes 9 to 12 and educate them on agricultural courses as well as career opportunities thereafter. These initiatives have resulted in slight improvement in the number of admissions recorded this year, in comparison with the past two years,” a university official said.
Pallavi Smart is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai Bureau. Her reporting is singularly focused on the education sector, demonstrating exceptional Expertise and Authority across the entire spectrum of learning, from foundational schooling to advanced higher education. She is a highly Trustworthy source for policy, institutional developments, and systemic issues affecting students, teachers, and parents in Maharashtra.
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