Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil has said that the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination scheduled for next month will delay the admission process and academic session for engineering and pharmacy colleges in Maharashtra.
Addressing reporters, the minister stated that the Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell had initially planned to complete the admission process by the end of June. However, with the NEET-UG re-examination now scheduled for June 21, the entire admission timeline is likely to be pushed further.
According to Chandrakant Patil, admissions to nine engineering branches and 15 per cent of pharmacy seats reserved under the All India Quota depend on National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) scores. As a result, the admission process cannot move forward until the re-examination is conducted and the revised results are declared.
The minister also explained that engineering admissions cannot begin earlier because many students who are unable to secure desired scores in NEET later opt for engineering programmes. Authorities therefore need to wait for the completion of the medical entrance examination process before finalising admissions to several professional courses.
The NEET-UG 2026 examination for undergraduate medical admissions was originally conducted on May 3 across 551 cities in India and 14 overseas centres. Nearly 23 lakh candidates had registered for the examination this year.
However, the examination was later cancelled following allegations of malpractice and paper leak-related irregularities. Information regarding the alleged irregularities reportedly surfaced on the evening of May 7, prompting authorities to order a re-examination.
The re-test has now been scheduled for June 21, 2026. The Central government has also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a detailed investigation into the alleged irregularities associated with the examination.
Apart from discussing the impact of the NEET re-examination, Chandrakant Patil also announced new measures aimed at tightening regulations related to fee collection by colleges and improving financial support for female students pursuing higher education.
The minister stated that colleges would no longer be permitted to collect separate charges under multiple categories such as development fees, laboratory fees, and other additional heads. Instead, all compulsory charges will now be merged into a single fee category that will be monitored and regulated by the Fee Regulatory Authority.
According to the minister, the move is intended to bring greater transparency and reduce financial burden on students and parents during the admission process. He also highlighted the government’s focus on expanding educational assistance and support mechanisms for women students in higher education institutions across the state.
The delay in admissions caused by the NEET-UG re-examination is expected to impact the academic calendar of several professional colleges in Maharashtra, particularly institutions offering engineering and pharmacy programmes linked to national-level entrance examination processes.