Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government has issued a public advisory cautioning students and parents against taking admission to unrecognised universities or unauthorised institutions offering professional courses. The notice, issued by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE), urges aspirants to verify the recognition status of institutions before enrolling to avoid falling victim to fraudulent admission practices.
The advisory comes ahead of the admission process for professional diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, integrated degree and postgraduate diploma programmes conducted through the State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell and the Admission Regulatory Authority (ARA), Maharashtra.
Courses Covered Under the Admission Process
The notice states that admissions will be conducted for a range of professional programmes, including:
Engineering and Technology
Pharmacy
Architecture
Hotel Management and Catering Technology
Planning
Design
BBA/BMS/BBM
BCA
MBA/MMS
MCA
M.Pharmacy
M.E./M.Tech.
M.Architecture
M.HMCT
Pharm.D.
Pharm.D. (Post Baccalaureate)
Integrated postgraduate programmes
Direct second-year entry courses
Special batches for working professionals
The Directorate of Technical Education will also conduct admissions for diploma courses in Engineering, Technology, Architecture, Pharmacy, and Hotel Management.
Only Approved Institutions Are Eligible
According to the notification, professional courses must have approval from the relevant statutory authorities, including:
All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
Pharmacy Council of India (PCI)
Council of Architecture (CoA)
University Grants Commission (UGC)
Concerned Universities
Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE)
Government of Maharashtra
Students can verify the list of approved institutions and authorised courses on the Directorate of Technical Education's official website: dte.maharashtra.gov.in.
Maharashtra Cites 2013 Act, 2024 Rules
The government also referred to the Maharashtra Unauthorised Institutions and Unauthorised Courses (Prohibition) Act, 2013 (Maharashtra Act No. 20 of 2013), which prohibits the establishment of unauthorised institutions and the commencement of unauthorised courses in agriculture, veterinary and fisheries sciences, health sciences, higher education, technical education and professional education.
Additionally, the Maharashtra Unauthorised Institutions and Unauthorised Courses (Complaints, Appeals and Corrective Measures) Rules, 2024, notified on October 8, 2024, provide a mechanism for complaints, appeals and corrective action against unauthorised institutions.
Students Advised to Verify Before Admission
The notice has also warned that some unrecognised universities and unauthorised institutions mislead students by falsely claiming to have official recognition or by offering attractive promises. Such institutions often induce students to take admission, only for them to later discover that they have been defrauded.
The department said it regularly receives complaints from students who have fallen victim to such misleading claims.
Students and parents have therefore been advised to:
Verify that the institution and course are approved by the competent authorities.
Check the institution's name and course details on the DTE website or the websites of the relevant regulatory bodies before taking admission.
Avoid enrolling in any institution that lacks approval from the Government of Maharashtra and the concerned statutory authorities.
The Directorate of Technical Education stated that students and parents seeking clarification regarding the recognition status of any institution or university in Maharashtra may contact the Directorate or its regional offices for further information.
The advisory has been issued by Dr. Vinod Mohitkar, Director, Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra, to help prospective students make informed admission decisions and protect them from fraudulent institutions.
