Students fill centralised forms for admission to first-year junior college
Pune: More than four months after the Secondary School Certificate (SSC, Std X) results, the centralised online admission process for First Year Junior College (FYJC) in Maharashtra is still underway, with 8,84,888 seats remaining vacant across the state. The 2026 admission process began soon after the SSC results and has continued through regular and special rounds. The official FYJC admission portal announced Special Round 11 this month, with registration and form-filling opening on Sept 18.
In fact, the absolute number of vacant seats is higher than last year,” said Damini Kulkarni, principal of a city college. Students are also increasingly considering alternatives such as diploma courses, ITIs and paramedical programmes after Std X, further affecting demand for traditional junior college courses,” said career counsellor Ketan Deshpande. Experts attribute the vacancies partly to the availability of seats in junior colleges significantly exceeding the number of students seeking admission through the centralised system. Students are also increasingly exploring alternatives such as diploma courses, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and paramedical programmes after SSC, further affecting demand for traditional junior college courses. “The figures show that the problem of vacant FYJC seats has not reduced substantially despite the education department conducting several admission rounds. “One factor contributing to vacancies is the availability of seats in junior colleges being substantially higher than the number of students seeking admission through the centralised system. The prolonged admission cycle is also creating uncertainty for students who are yet to finalise their college or stream.
The figure is higher than the roughly eight lakh seats that remained unfilled at a comparable stage last year, raising questions about why a large number of junior college seats continue to go vacant despite repeated admission rounds.