Pune: A significant decline this year in the registrations for the state-conducted Common Entrance Tests (CETs) for professional courses highlights changing preferences among students and admission trends. A major decline was visible in MBA/MMS, three-year Law, BEd, and the PCB group of MHT-CET.Figures released by govt’s CET cell show that for academic year 2026–27, a total of 13,05,649 students enrolled for the CETs as against 14,07,100 enrolments for 2025-26, marking over one lakh fewer students registering for the state CETs. It is a percentage drop of 7.2 over last year’s enrolments.The MBA/MMS CET recorded the steepest fall, with registrations dropping by 24,443 from 1,57,281 last year to 1,32,838 this year, a 15.5% decrease. Similarly, the three-year law CET saw a decline of 11,021 candidates (11.6 per cent), while the PCB group of MHT-CET (for medical-related courses) witnessed a reduction of 19,462 registrations, a 6.46 per cent drop. B.Ed programmes also reported a modest decline of 5.61 per cent.Experts attribute this shift to the growing availability of direct admissions in BBA, BCA, BMS, and BBM, shift to private universities, along with a high number of vacant seats in streams like nursing and pharmacy, reducing the need for competitive entrance exams.In contrast, the PCM group (engineering stream) remains an exception, registering a 2.43% increase, with 4,75,541 students applying this year, the highest among all CETs.Former management faculty at Savitribai Phule Pune University Ramakant Shingade said, “Several universities now offer direct admissions to courses such as BBA, BCA, BMS, and BBM under AICTE guidelines, reducing the need for CET scores. This has encouraged students to bypass the entrance exams altogether.”Shingade added that a high number of vacant seats in nursing and pharmacy, reportedly up to 50%, has weakened the urgency among students to compete through CETs. “The growing availability of alternative career options and flexible admission routes have further contributed to the trend,” he added.The drop in registrations highlights a changing landscape in higher education, where traditional entrance exams are gradually losing ground to more accessible and diversified admission systems
