Engineering and pharmacy aspirants in Maharashtra have a few extra days to get their paperwork in order. The State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra, has extended the MHT CET 2026 Centralised Admission Process (CAP) counselling registration deadline to July 19, giving candidates additional time to register and upload documents before the process moves ahead.
This is the second extension in this counselling cycle. Registration originally opened on July 2 with a deadline of July 12, which was then pushed to July 16, and has now been extended once more to July 19. Along with this, the CET Cell has released the complete round-wise counselling schedule covering all four CAP rounds, giving candidates a clearer picture of the weeks ahead.
Revised MHT CET CAP 2026 Registration Timeline
| Event | Revised Date |
|---|---|
| CAP registration originally opened | July 2, 2026 |
| First extended deadline | July 16, 2026 (5:00 PM) |
| Registration now extended to | July 19, 2026 |
| Document verification closes | July 20, 2026 |
| Provisional merit list | July 22, 2026 |
Candidates should treat July 19 as a firm cut-off rather than assume a further extension. With two revisions already made to this year's schedule, downstream stages, document verification, the provisional merit list, and the eventual Round 1 seat allotment are all tied directly to this date. Candidates wanting to gauge their likely allotment ahead of time can check the MAHCET College Predictor once their category and expected percentile are confirmed.
Who This Extension Applies To
This registration window is open to candidates seeking admission to First Year Engineering (BE/B.Tech) and other CAP-eligible professional courses in Maharashtra. Both MHT CET 2026 qualified candidates and JEE Main 2026 qualified candidates can register, since Maharashtra prepares separate merit lists for each group before combining them into the CAP seat allotment process. Candidates who have not appeared for MHT CET at all can still participate in counselling using a valid JEE Main score, and can check likely branch-wise options through the Engineering College Predictor.
How to Complete Registration
- Visit the official State CET Cell portal at cetcell.mahacet.org
- Register using your MHT CET 2026 or JEE Main 2026 application number and details
- Complete your profile, verifying it against your Aadhaar and APAAR ID through DigiLocker
- Fill in the required academic, category, and domicile details
- Upload scanned documents in the prescribed format and size
- Choose either E-Scrutiny or Physical Scrutiny for document verification
- Pay the applicable registration fee, if required
- Submit and download the confirmation/acknowledgement page for your records
Candidates who registered for MHT CET 2026 itself are typically not required to pay a fresh counselling registration fee, while those entering counselling only through a JEE Main score generally need to pay the applicable fee online. Since the CET Cell accepts no offline payment modes, candidates should keep a valid payment method ready before starting the form.
Documents to Keep Ready
Before beginning registration, candidates should have scanned copies ready of their MHT CET 2026 or JEE Main 2026 scorecard, Class 10 and Class 12 mark sheets, domicile certificate, category and caste validity certificates where applicable, a recent passport-size photograph, and signature in the prescribed format. Candidates opting for physical scrutiny will additionally need to carry original documents to their designated Facilitation Centre within the verification window.
Since the MHT CET exam was held in two sessions this year, the authorities will consider the best of the two attempts for admission purposes.— State CET Cell, Maharashtra
For Non-Maharashtra, NRI, OCI and Foreign National Candidates
Candidates applying from outside India, or under the NRI, OCI, PIO, or CIWGC categories, register through a separate dedicated portal, fn.mahacet.org, rather than the main domestic CAP system, since eligibility documentation and verification requirements differ significantly for this group.
What Comes After Registration Closes
Once registration and document verification conclude on July 20, the CET Cell will release the provisional merit list on July 22, based on candidates' MHT CET and/or JEE Main scores, verified category, and domicile status, published on the State CET Cell results portal. Candidates will then get a window to raise grievances against the provisional list before the final merit list is published, after which the seat matrix and CAP Round 1 choice filling will open.
The Takeaway
With the deadline now pushed to July 19, candidates who haven't yet registered for MHT CET CAP counselling have a final, clearly defined window to act. Given that this schedule has already been revised twice, the safest approach is to register well before the deadline rather than count on another extension, keep all documents ready in the correct format, and monitor the official CET Cell portal directly for the provisional merit list and subsequent round-wise updates. Candidates unsure how to plan their choice list can also book a free session through CaderaEdu's counselling programme.