Now, the whole procedure is under a central system called CAP (Central Admission Process). Not exactly ‘whole’, considering that the following colleges are currently NOT under CAP; they have their own admission procedure :-

• Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering (NMIMS University)
• Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune (Symbiosis International University)
• Army Institute of Technology, Pune (Affiliated to Pune University)
• BVDU College of Engineering, Pune (Bharati Vidyapeeth University)

NOTE: Autonomous Colleges like ICT, VJTI, COEP, SGGS, WCE, SPCE having their own admission process have been clubbed into the CAP from the year 2014-15

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The admission process has been revised from the year academic year 2016-17 and numerous changes have been listed out below. The revised process has also been given below that.

• You will have to fill the options only once before round 1.
• Number of CAP Rounds have been changed to 4 i.e. 3 online and one spot counselling.
• Candidates will now apply through their merit number (based on MH-CET score).

For students who are out of the CAP Rounds and still wish to pursue engineering in Mumbai or Pune the only options left are:

1. Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering, Mumbai (if you’ve appeared for NMAT)
2. Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Pune
3. Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering, Pune (if you've appeared for BVCET)
4. Army Institute of Technology, Pune (if you're eligible)

The Process:

The DTE's site mentions the dates for each of the procedures given in the following steps:

Stage 1: Puchase of Application Kit from the ARC

• All aspiring MS & OMS Candidates are required to procure/purchase the Application Kit form any nearest ARC against the payment of Rs.800/‐ for General Category Maharashtra State, Outside Maharashtra State (OMS) candidate which is to be paid in CASH at ARC. A List of ARCs is given below.
• Rs. 500/‐ for Reserved Category & Physically Handicapped Candidates belonging to Maharashtra State only which is to be paid in CASH at ARC(Application form Receipt Centre)
• The Application Kit consists of Application ID and Password as well as important instructions/guidelines and various stages for CAP Admission. The candidate can submit the
  application form withthe help of the Application ID and password.
• No other mode of payment is applicable.

Stage 2: Online filling of application form

• Candidates  will  be  able  to  fill  in  the  Online  Application  Form  through  any  computer connected to internet either from home/ cyber café or at any of the ARCs.
• Candidates  are  required  to  enter  his/her  details  as  per  instructions  given  for  online Application Form. 
• Candidates aspiring for All India Seats are required to enter the details of JEE main 2016 in the Application form.
• The candidate should take the printout of his/her application form. It will display the list of the documents required by the candidate to substantiate the claims made on the application form.
• The  candidate  can  update  the  data  himself/herself  before  confirmation  of  the  application form at any ARC  through  his/her  login. Once the application is confirmed at ARC, the information can’t be changed/ edited.

Stage 3: Confirmation of form at ARC

• All  the  MS  candidates  who  have  filled  the  Online  Application  Form  should  report  to any convenient  ARC in person along  with  printout of online  filled  application  form, attested copies  of  the  required documents. The candidate should also carry the required original documents for verification.
• The ARC officer shall verify the information and required original documents and collect the duly signed application along with attested copies of the required documents.
• The  ARC  officer  shall  confirm  candidate’s  application  through  online  system  and  issue him/her  the Acknowledge‐cum‐ Receipt  letter,  which  will  have  the  particulars of the candidate’s profile, important instructions etc.

Stage 4: Display of Provisional Merit List

• Provisional Merit List of eligible Maharashtra candidates, TFWS Candidates, All India candidates and J&K Migrant candidates will be displayed on www.dtemaharashtra.gov.in and at the ARCs as per the schedule.
• Final merit lists will be displayed on the www.dtemaharashtra.gov.in/fe2014 and at ARCs as per the Schedule.

NOTE: The merit list gives relative position of the candidate and it does not guarantee admission to any course

Stage 5: Online option forms for CAP Rounds

• In order to participate in the Centralized Admission Process (subject to fulfillment of the eligibility criterion of respective CAP round), it is MANDATORY to fill the Online Option Form for respective CAP Round.
• Candidates will be able to fill in the online option form through their login on website.
• It is mandatory for all candidates to confirm the online option form by him/ her.
• The candidate will not be able to change the Options once it is confirmed.
• Every course has been allotted a 9‐digit choice code.
• The serial number of block in the option form indicates preference of choice. Thus the choice code of the institute filled by the candidate in block No. 1 will be his/her first preference.
• The candidate can fill minimum 1 and maximum 300 options. The candidate has to fill the institute choice code against the option number in the online option form.
• Candidate has to confirm the submitted on‐line Option Form himself/herself by re‐entering Application ID and Password.
• The candidate can take the printout of the confirmed Option form for future reference.

Stage 6: Allotment and confirmation of seats

• The allotment of eligible candidates for respective rounds will be displayed on the website.
• The candidate should to take a printout of the displayed allotment.
• No separate allotment letter will be issued to the candidate.
• The candidate will report to the allotted institute and confirm the admission at the respective Institute along with the necessary original documents as specified in the information brochure and pay full fees.
• The respective Institute will carry out “Online Update” of the confirmation of the candidate’s admission on website through their Institute login, at the time when the candidate is being admitted at the Institute.
• The system shall automatically generate letter of confirmation of the admission as an acknowledgement.
• The institute is required to take a printout of the acknowledgement and then the status of candidate will change to ‘Reported Candidate’.
• If the candidate (to whom it is Mandatory to report after allotment) fails to report to and confirm the admission at the Institute, on or before the last date of reporting at the Institute then the candidate shall lose claim on the allotted seat.
• Such seats will be treated as vacant seat for subsequent rounds of CAP.
• The candidates will be able to know the status of reporting, his/her eligibility for next round through login.

CAP Round I/II/III Direct Allotment:-

• Allotment for seats for HU/OHU/SL that coming under CAP is carried out as per the logic explained in the stages:

Stage I: For All Candidates

• All candidates of all the categories shall be considered for allotment as per their inter se merit.
• Reserved category candidates shall be considered in open category seat by virtue of their merit or in their respective reserved category if open category seats are not available at their merit.
• SBC category candidates shall be considered in open category seat by virtue of their merit or in their respective original category if open category seats are not available at their merit.
• Persons with Disability shall be considered for the seats reserved for them by virtue of their merit or in open category if no seats are available in the reserved category of Person with Disability.
• Defence category candidates shall be considered for the seats reserved for them by virtue of their merit or in open category if no seats are          available in the reserved Defence category.
• For female candidates, the availability of seats will be checked as seats reserved for females in open category, general seats in open category,  seats reserved for females in respective caste category as applicable, general seats in their respective caste category as applicable.

Stage II: For respective Backward Class Candidates

On completion of Stage I, if any of the backward class categories do not get the required number of female candidates, then the vacant seats shall be considered for male candidates of the respective Backward Category.

Stage III: For Special Backward Class (SBC) Candidates

On completion of Stage II, if any of the backward class category mentioned above, do not get the required number of candidates, the the vacant seats shall be considered for allotment to all candidates belonging to SBC category, as per their merit, limited to the extent of two percent seats of Maharashtra State seats which come under Competent Authority of the course.

Stage IV: For respective groups of Backward Class category candidates

All the backward class candidates will be considered for allotment in this stage in groups mentioned below:

• Group 1: SC, ST.
• Group 2: (VJ/DT) NT(A), NT-A
• Group 3: NT-C, NT-D, OBC

Stage V: For all Backward Class category candidates

The seats remaining vacant of Backward Class category after the completion of Stage IV, shall be considered for allotment to candidates of all the reserved categories together, on basis of their merit.

Stage VI: For persons with Disability Candidate:

The seats remaining vacant of DisabilityCandidate category after the completion of Stage V, shall be considered for allotment to candidates of Persons of Disability candidates on the basis of their combined iner se merit.

Stage VII: For All Candidates (without SL/HU and OHU Seat Tag)

The seats remaining vacant after completon of Stage I, II, IV, V and VI, shall be considered for allotment to candidates without SL, HU, OHU Seat Tag on basis of inter se merit.

Stage VIII: For All Candidates

• The seats remaining vacant after the completion of stage VII, shall be considered for allotment to all candidates based on their inter se merit.
• Seats remaining vacant due to non-allotment and non-reporting will be available for admission through counselling of CAP Round-III.

           

Stage 7: CAP Round IV - counselling round

CAP Round IV counselling will be conduced only for eligible Maharashtra State candidates whose names have appeared in Maharashtra State Merit List. During this round of admission all the seats will be considered GENERAL seats and shall be alloted soley on the basis of inter se merit of eligible MS candidate without any refrence to any reserved category whatsoever or to which the category of the vacant seat belongs to and also the All India Seats shall be considered as GENERAL seats and will be offered to MS candidates from Maharashtra State Merit List.

Sid's Take

Filling up of Online Option Form for allotment Rounds

This is the most crucial part of the entire process. Students are therefore advised to List down the 300 Course / Colleges combinations of their choice before the actual CAP round starts. CAP is a computerised process and the Search Ends at the very First availability i.e. it is very important that the candidate arranges the colleges in the option form wisely to avoid wasting time and to get the best possible allotment in the very First CAP round.

The following Pattern can be kept in mind while filling the option form and while deciding the preference order.

1. Dream Colleges – Candidates can start their preferences with their dream colleges. It might not be possible to get an admission there but one can always try his/her luck.
2. Optimistic Options – Where the candidate is not very sure but a little sure that he might secure a seat at that college
3. Realistic options – Where the candidate is very much sure of securing a seat

This is just the most Feasible and realistic way we could think about for getting the best possible outcome from the CAP rounds.

Factors to be considered while selecting colleges

• Teaching Quality: This is the single most Important factor
• Convenience Of commuting: Do not unnecessarily go to a very far off college
• Infrastructure: Like Labs, workshops etc. (Actually all colleges DO have the minimum infrastructure required.) Hence the factor is not very crucial
• ON campus placements: This factor also gets unnecessarily over exaggerated. Now days, not many students take up jobs immediately after their B.E. Most of them either want to do M.S. or M.E. (Or M.Tech.) or MBA. Hence, campus placements after B.E. need not be over emphasized.
• Fees: Each college will have its own fee structure. Hence one’s financial capacity should be considered before taking admission
• Candidates can get all the information about Colleges in the college reviews section

What should be given more importance? College or the Branch?

This is a difficult issue. Giving priority to branch seems more reasonable. After one graduates, one’s college may not be as important but one’s branch of Engineering will be quite influential in deciding one’s future. However, if one is getting a similar branch (though NOT the same) in probably a better college, one may choose the better college e.g. if one is getting Computers in SPIT (Sardar Patel Institute of Technology) And EXTC in say Vivekanand, one may chose SPIT.

A Summary Of the Centralized Admission Process:

There are a total of three CAP rounds, which are quite nicely tabled here.

CAP Round No.	No. of Options	Eligibility	Explanation/Remarks
Round 1, 2 & 3	Min. 1 and Max. 300	First Option.	1st: admission has to be taken. Student is not eligible for CAP rounds 2 & 3 but can go to 4th round by UNFREEZING the seat. 2-300: admission need not be confirmed. Student is eligible for further rounds.
Round 4	It’s counseling in Aurangabad. Everyone gets a seat.	Students who couldn’t get a seat through Round 3	It’s the last CAP round. There will be no further rounds, but it’s highly advisable to try not to go so far before getting a seat.

 

• FREEZE: If you are satisfied with the allotment then you should FREEZE the admission. You will not be eligibile for further rounds except 4th. If you are allotted 1st preference then, you have to compulsorily FREEZE it else it will be considered as rejected. You are still eligible for 4th round.
• SLIDE: If you wish an upgrade in same college in subsequent round then you should select SLIDE. You will automatically get another (or same) allotment in next round. You can once again choose FREEZE / FLOAT / SLIDE.
• FLOAT: If you wish an upgrade in any college and course then you should select FLOAT. You will automatically get another (or same) allotment in next round. You can once again choose FREEZE / FLOAT / SLIDE.