MHT CET 2026 EWS category cutoff is expected to range between 55 and 99 percentile depending on the college and branch, based on 2025 CAP round trends.
The Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category offers 10% reservation in Maharashtra engineering admissions for students from non-reserved general families with annual household income below ₹8 lakh. The State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra conducts the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) through which EWS seats are filled across participating engineering colleges. Since EWS reservation was introduced in 2019, cutoff trends have stabilised over multiple cycles, giving students a reliable basis to estimate their 2026 admission chances.
- MHT CET 2026 CAP rounds are expected to begin in August 2026 after result declaration.
- EWS students must hold an income certificate confirming annual family income below ₹8 lakh from a competent authority.
- For top colleges like VJTI and COEP, EWS closing percentile is expected above 98 for Computer Engineering.
- MHT CET is scored out of 200 marks; admission cutoffs are published as percentile scores, not raw marks.
- Students must obtain and submit an EWS certificate before CAP document verification to retain category benefits.
| Direct Link to MHT CET 2026 CAP Official Portal (ACTIVE) cetcell.mahacet.org/cap-_2026-27/ |
EWS Category Eligibility for MHT CET 2026
To claim EWS reservation in MHT CET 2026 CAP rounds, students must meet criteria set by the Government of Maharashtra. EWS is applicable only to students from the general (open) category who do not belong to SC, ST, VJ/NT, OBC, or SBC communities.
Key eligibility conditions:
- Annual gross family income must be below ₹8 lakh per annum from all sources combined.
- Family must not own agricultural land of 5 acres or more.
- Family must not own a residential flat of 1,000 sq ft or more.
- Family must not own a residential plot of 100 yards or more in a notified municipality.
- Students must obtain an EWS certificate from a Tahsildar or equivalent authority in the Maharashtra government’s prescribed format.
Students who present an expired or incorrectly formatted EWS certificate during document verification will be shifted to the Open category and lose EWS quota benefits.
MHT CET EWS Cutoff: Previous Year Trends
The table below shows approximate EWS closing percentile ranges across college tiers based on recent CAP round data. These figures serve as the primary reference for estimating expected MHT CET 2026 EWS cutoffs.
| College Tier | Branch | Approximate EWS Closing Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 (VJTI Mumbai, COEP Pune) | Computer Engineering | 98.5 – 99.2 |
| Tier 1 (VJTI Mumbai, COEP Pune) | Mechanical Engineering | 91.0 – 94.5 |
| Tier 2 (PICT Pune, SPIT Mumbai) | Computer Engineering | 95.5 – 97.5 |
| Tier 2 (PICT Pune, SPIT Mumbai) | Information Technology | 94.0 – 96.5 |
| Tier 3 (MIT Pune, Walchand Sangli) | Computer Engineering | 87.0 – 94.0 |
| Tier 3 (MIT Pune, Walchand Sangli) | Civil Engineering | 55.0 – 70.0 |
| Tier 4 (Other autonomous colleges) | Computer Engineering | 70.0 – 86.0 |
| Tier 4 (Other autonomous colleges) | Mechanical Engineering | 40.0 – 65.0 |
The EWS cutoff is consistently 5–8 percentile points lower than the Open category cutoff for the same college and branch, making it a viable route for students who narrowly miss the Open quota.
Expected College-wise EWS Closing Percentile 2026
The following are expected EWS closing percentiles for MHT CET 2026 based on previous year trends. All figures are expected cutoffs and will be confirmed only after official 2026 CAP rounds are conducted.
| College Name | Branch | Expected EWS Closing Percentile (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| VJTI Mumbai | Computer Engineering | 99.0 – 99.5 |
| COEP Pune | Computer Engineering | 98.2 – 98.9 |
| SPIT Mumbai | Computer Engineering | 96.8 – 97.8 |
| PICT Pune | Computer Engineering | 96.0 – 97.2 |
| MIT Pune | Computer Engineering | 93.5 – 95.0 |
| Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli | Computer Engineering | 87.0 – 91.0 |
| GCOE Amravati | Computer Engineering | 80.0 – 87.0 |
| COET Nagpur | Computer Engineering | 75.0 – 83.0 |
| Autonomous colleges (Pune region) | Mechanical Engineering | 45.0 – 65.0 |
| Autonomous colleges (Mumbai region) | Civil Engineering | 40.0 – 58.0 |
Factors Affecting MHT CET 2026 EWS Cutoff
Several variables determine how EWS cutoffs shift from year to year. Students planning their college choices should account for:
- Number of EWS applicants: As awareness of EWS reservation grows, more eligible students apply under this category each cycle, pushing up cutoffs for popular branches.
- MHT CET 2026 paper difficulty: A tougher paper lowers average percentile distribution, which can ease the effective cutoff requirement for mid-tier and lower-tier colleges.
- Total EWS seats available: EWS seats are exactly 10% of sanctioned intake. Any change in a college’s total intake directly affects the number of available EWS seats.
- CAP round structure: CAP Round 1 typically has the highest cutoff; seats remaining after Round 1 are filled in subsequent rounds at progressively lower percentiles.
- Branch popularity shifts: New and expanding programmes in AI/ML, Data Science, and Cyber Security attract high-percentile students, raising EWS cutoffs in those branches faster than in traditional streams.
- College affiliation and autonomy changes: Colleges that gain autonomous status or change university affiliation can see significant and sudden cutoff movement in a single admission cycle.
MHT CET 2026 EWS Cutoff FAQs
Ques. What is the expected EWS closing percentile for Computer Engineering at VJTI Mumbai in MHT CET 2026?
Ans. Based on previous year CAP round trends, the expected EWS closing percentile for Computer Engineering at VJTI Mumbai in MHT CET 2026 is between 99.0 and 99.5 percentile. This is an expected figure; actual cutoffs will be published after official CAP rounds begin in August 2026.
Ques. Is EWS reservation available in all Maharashtra engineering colleges participating in MHT CET 2026?
Ans. Yes. EWS reservation is available in all government-aided and unaided engineering colleges participating in the MHT CET 2026 CAP process. It covers 10% of sanctioned intake in each branch across all participating institutions.
Ques. How is the MHT CET EWS cutoff different from the Open category cutoff?
Ans. The MHT CET EWS cutoff is generally 5 to 8 percentile points lower than the Open category cutoff for the same college and branch. EWS seats form a separate pool with fewer applicants competing, which keeps the cutoff below the Open level.
Ques. What documents are required to claim EWS reservation during MHT CET 2026 CAP document verification?
Ans. Students must produce a valid EWS certificate issued by a Tahsildar or equivalent authority in the Maharashtra government’s prescribed format, confirming annual family income below ₹8 lakh. The certificate must be current for the relevant financial year and must be submitted during the CAP document verification round.
Ques. When will the official MHT CET 2026 EWS cutoff be released?
Ans. The official MHT CET 2026 EWS cutoff will be released by the State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra, after each CAP round, expected from August 2026. Round-wise merit lists and closing percentiles will be available on the official portal at cetcell.mahacet.org.
Ques. Can a student from the OBC or SC category also apply under EWS in MHT CET 2026?
Ans. No. EWS reservation is exclusively for students from the unreserved (Open/General) category who do not belong to SC, ST, VJ/NT, OBC, or SBC communities. Students from those reserved categories have their own separate quotas in MHT CET 2026 CAP rounds and cannot additionally claim EWS benefits.
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