Maharashtra polytechnic diploma admissions reach 93%; deadline extended to September 4

Polytechnic diploma courses in Maharashtra have received the highest student intake in the past ten years, with 1,03,115 students securing admission to first-year diploma programmes for the academic year 2025-26 so far. The admission percentage has reached 93 per cent, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said.

The minister attributed the record intake to initiatives implemented by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) and measures aimed at boosting enrolment. These include the introduction of courses in emerging fields, industry collaborations, and awareness drives for Class 10 students.

“Minister Chandrakant Patil stated that various initiatives implemented by the Directorate of Technical Education and measures taken to increase admissions have led to the highest intake in polytechnic courses in the past decade,” the press release said.

Maharashtra Polytechnic admission deadline extended

As per the All India Council for Technical Education ( AICTE ) schedule, August 14 was the last date for admissions to first-year diploma engineering (polytechnic) courses. However, given the strong response, the state has extended the deadline to September 4, 2025. The extension will allow students who cleared the Class 10 supplementary exam and those affected by festive holidays to apply.

As per the official press release, the extension applies to admissions against vacant seats in first-year diploma courses, as well as direct second-year entries and post-Class 12 diploma courses in Hotel Management and Catering Technology (HMCT) and Surface Coating.

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Growth in diploma course enrolments

Patil noted that post-Class 10 diploma courses are increasingly being chosen by students seeking both employment opportunities and pathways to higher education. Programmes in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Robotics, along with self-learning assessment initiatives, have contributed to the surge in admissions this year.

In Maharashtra, polytechnic institutes provide diploma-level technical education to students after Class 10 or Class 12 and play an important role in supplying skilled mid-level workers to various industries.

However, a recent report from the Parliamentary Standing Committee, submitted on August 6, 2025, found that many other states are facing problems like unfilled seats, shortage of qualified teachers, and delays in upgrading polytechnic infrastructure under the central government’s scheme.