The prolonged admission schedule for pharmacy courses in Maharashtra has resulted in an alarming number of vacant seats this academic year, with approximately 15,000 Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) positions remaining unfilled across the state's colleges.
Admission Delays Create Vacancy Crisis
The State Centralised Entrance Test (CET) cell's delayed admission process has created a significant vacancy crisis in pharmacy education. The current vacancy figure of 15,000 BPharm seats represents a staggering 50% increase compared to last year's 7,000 vacant seats. Additionally, 815 Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) seats have also failed to attract students.
The admission process for pharmacy courses officially concluded on November 17, following a centralised process that began in July. The system included four rounds of admissions followed by institute-level admissions. Despite Maharashtra having a total intake capacity of 46,500 pharmacy seats, only 35,594 positions were ultimately filled.
Engineering Admissions Drain Pharmacy Candidates
College representatives and principals across the state identify the primary cause of this vacancy crisis as the delayed admission schedule. Vishram Kanade, principal of a Pune pharmacy college, explained the critical timing issue: "Engineering admissions are completed much earlier, and many students who are interested in pharmacy end up confirming their admission for engineering because those seats are allotted first. If pharmacy admissions were conducted parallel to engineering, the vacancy numbers would certainly reduce."
The problem was particularly severe in colleges without established reputations, while well-known institutions managed to fill their seats more effectively. The situation persisted despite efforts to boost enrollment, including the addition of 2,000 seats across 38 newly approved colleges during the third admission round, which saw 6,121 students receiving allotments.
Approval Delays Worsen Academic Calendar Disruption
Further complicating the admission process were delays in approvals from the Pharmacy Council of India. About 18 colleges were barred from participating in the first admission round, with 13 more excluded from the second round, leaving nearly 850 seats unfilled during these critical phases. Although these institutes eventually received clearance and joined the centralised admission process after the second round, the damage to enrollment numbers had already been done.
Experts highlight how these approval delays disrupted the entire academic calendar. Dr Sandeep Patil, principal of a Nashik-based pharmacy college, noted: "This year's prolonged admission schedule has put academic planning under stress. But the fresh round offered a fair chance for students who were left out earlier."
The total number of pharmacy seats across Maharashtra has now increased to 56,000 spread across 447 colleges, but the delayed process prevented institutions from capitalizing on this expanded capacity. The combination of regulatory delays and scheduling conflicts with engineering admissions has created a perfect storm that left thousands of pharmacy seats vacant, raising concerns about the future of pharmacy education in the state.
