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Increasing demand in Maharashtra for direct second year admissions in engineering, pharmacy degree courses

Students completing a three-year Diploma in engineering, pharmacy are eligible for direct second year admission to respective degree courses

Many believe that this route is preferred because it completely bypasses the Class 11 and 12 in Science stream followed by multiple entrance exams and delayed admission cycles (Archive)

Skipping the traditional route of completing Class 11 and 12 in Science and appearing for entrance exams, an increasing number of engineering and pharmacy aspirants in Maharashtra are opting for direct second year admissions to these courses after completing three-year diploma courses offered immediately after Class 10.

Students completing a three-year Diploma in engineering, pharmacy are eligible for direct second year admission to respective degree courses. While Direct Second Year Admissions to degree courses in both these programmes are currently ongoing, the number of applications received indicate a trend when compared with admission for the past two years from the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell.

In the academic year 2023-24, a total of 34,716 students took admission to engineering degree courses through direct second year admission. In the academic year 2024-25, it increased to 41,894. Now for the academic year 2025-26, already 58,220 have applied for direct second year admissions. Whereas in B Pharmacy, in academic year 2023-24, a total of 8,713 admissions were confirmed through this route wherein candidates who have completed D Pharma can take direct second year admission to degree courses. This increased to 12,816 admissions in the academic year 2024-25. And now 14,010 applications have been received for academic year 2025-26.

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Many believe that this route is preferred because it completely bypasses the Class 11 and 12 in Science stream followed by multiple entrance exams and delayed admission cycles. “Pharmacy degree admissions never start on time. The delay results in major academic loss,” said a candidate, adding that with growing competition, it becomes difficult to bag a good pharmacy college via regular degree admissions. “But for direct second year admissions, there is room to compete for admission to various good colleges,” said another.

Gopakumar Thampi, principal of Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, said, “It is definitely an easier route for students, especially those who are weak in Mathematics. In the past, there were many students taking this route to pursue engineering degrees, but around five years ago, the government reduced the intake capacity for direct second year admissions from 20 percent of total seats to 10 percent.”