MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1 expected closing percentile for SC category is 90 to 95 and for ST category is 80 to 86 at top Maharashtra B-schools, based on 2025 CAP admission trends.

CET Cell Maharashtra is expected to release the CAP Round 1 seat allotment for MAH MBA CET 2026 in July 2026. Students in Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories are allotted seats through reserved quotas at all government and aided MBA colleges participating in the Centralized Admission Process. The closing percentile for SC and ST reserved seats is considerably lower than the open category cutoff, giving reserved category students a stronger chance at premium institutes.

  • MAH MBA CET 2026 is conducted for 200 marks; admission is based on percentile scores derived from this test
  • SC category reservation: 13% of total seats; ST category reservation: 7% of total seats per participating institute
  • Only Maharashtra domicile SC and ST certificate holders are eligible to claim reserved seats in CAP
  • Expected SC closing percentile at JBIMS Mumbai: 93 to 95; expected ST closing percentile at JBIMS: 83 to 86
  • CAP Round 1 has the highest cutoff in the admission cycle; Rounds 2 and 3 have lower cutoffs due to vacant seats
Direct Link: MAH MBA CET 2026 Official Portal — CAP Allotment (Active on Event Date) cetcell.mahacet.org

What is MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1

CAP stands for Centralized Admission Process. CET Cell Maharashtra conducts three CAP rounds for MBA seat allotment after the MAH MBA CET 2026 result is declared. CAP Round 1 is the first and most competitive round as the majority of seats are available and the merit list is drawn from the highest-scoring students across all categories.

In CAP Round 1, students are allotted seats based on their MAH MBA CET 2026 percentile, preferences submitted during online option form filling, category, and seat availability at each institute. SC and ST category allotments are processed separately against reserved quota seats, meaning reserved category students compete only within their own category for those seats.

  • Students who receive a Round 1 allotment must report to the institute or freeze the seat online within the specified deadline
  • Students who do not receive an allotment in Round 1 remain eligible for CAP Round 2
  • Reporting to a Round 1 allotment does not prevent participation in subsequent rounds for an upgraded seat

SC and ST Reservation in MAH MBA CET

The Government of Maharashtra mandates reservation for SC and ST students in all government, aided, and certain unaided MBA colleges participating in CAP. SC students are entitled to 13% of total seats and ST students are entitled to 7% of total seats in each participating institute as per the Maharashtra state reservation policy.

Category Reservation Percentage Eligibility Condition
SC (Scheduled Caste) 13% Valid SC caste certificate issued in Maharashtra
ST (Scheduled Tribe) 7% Valid ST tribe certificate issued in Maharashtra
NT-A (Vimukta Jati) 3% Valid NT-A certificate issued in Maharashtra
NT-B 2.5% Valid NT-B certificate issued in Maharashtra
NT-C 3.5% Valid NT-C certificate issued in Maharashtra
NT-D 2% Valid NT-D certificate issued in Maharashtra
OBC 19% Valid OBC non-creamy layer certificate issued in Maharashtra

Students must hold a valid caste certificate issued by a competent authority in Maharashtra to claim SC or ST reserved seats. Students belonging to SC or ST categories in other states cannot claim reserved seats in the Maharashtra CAP process.


Expected SC Category Cutoff for CAP Round 1 2026

The expected MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1 closing percentile for SC category students ranges from 88 to 95 percentile at top Maharashtra MBA colleges, based on 2025 CAP Round 1 SC category closing trends. SC category cutoffs are typically 5 to 10 percentile points lower than the open category closing score at the same institute in Round 1.

The table below shows expected SC closing percentiles for CAP Round 1 2026 at select institutes. All figures are based on 2025 trends and are labelled as expected.

Institute SC Closing Percentile 2025 (Reference) SC Expected Closing Percentile 2026
JBIMS Mumbai 93.2 93 to 95
SIMSREE Mumbai 89.5 89 to 92
K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai 84.8 84 to 87
PUMBA (Department of Management Sciences, Pune University) 82.4 82 to 85
Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai 80.3 79 to 83
Chetana’s Institute of Management and Research 76.1 75 to 79
MET Institute of Management, Mumbai 74.5 73 to 77
Indira Institute of Management, Pune 70.2 69 to 73

These are expected cutoffs based on 2025 CAP Round 1 trends. Actual closing percentiles will be published by CET Cell Maharashtra after the allotment is declared.


Expected ST Category Cutoff for CAP Round 1 2026

The expected MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1 closing percentile for ST category students ranges from 76 to 86 percentile at top Maharashtra MBA colleges, based on 2025 CAP Round 1 ST closing trends. ST category cutoffs are typically 8 to 15 percentile points lower than the open category and 5 to 10 points lower than the SC category closing score at the same institute.

The table below shows expected ST closing percentiles for CAP Round 1 2026. All figures are based on 2025 trends and are labelled as expected.

Institute ST Closing Percentile 2025 (Reference) ST Expected Closing Percentile 2026
JBIMS Mumbai 83.4 83 to 86
SIMSREE Mumbai 78.6 78 to 82
K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai 73.2 72 to 76
PUMBA, Pune 70.8 70 to 74
Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai 68.4 67 to 71
Chetana’s Institute of Management and Research 63.8 62 to 67
MET Institute of Management, Mumbai 61.5 60 to 65
Indira Institute of Management, Pune 57.3 56 to 61

These are expected cutoffs based on 2025 trends. The actual ST closing percentile for CAP Round 1 2026 will be released on the official CET Cell portal after allotment.


College-wise SC and ST Closing Percentile Comparison

The table below compares the expected SC and ST closing percentiles side by side for MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1 at major participating MBA institutes in Maharashtra. All figures are expected values based on 2025 trends.

Institute City SC Expected Cutoff 2026 ST Expected Cutoff 2026
JBIMS Mumbai 93 to 95 83 to 86
SIMSREE Mumbai 89 to 92 78 to 82
K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Mumbai 84 to 87 72 to 76
PUMBA Pune 82 to 85 70 to 74
Welingkar Institute of Management Mumbai 79 to 83 67 to 71
Chetana’s Institute of Management and Research Mumbai 75 to 79 62 to 67
MET Institute of Management Mumbai 73 to 77 60 to 65
Indira Institute of Management Pune 69 to 73 56 to 61
ITM Business School Navi Mumbai 67 to 71 54 to 59

All figures above are expected values based on 2025 CAP Round 1 closing percentile trends. Actual 2026 cutoffs will vary based on total applicants, exam difficulty, and seat availability.


Factors Affecting SC and ST Cutoff in CAP Round 1

Several factors influence the SC and ST closing percentile in MAH MBA CET CAP Round 1 each year:

  • Total number of SC and ST applicants: A higher number of reserved category applicants raises competitive pressure and pushes the closing percentile upward
  • Difficulty level of MAH MBA CET 2026: An easier paper raises the overall percentile distribution, which can in turn push reserved category cutoffs higher
  • Seat intake at participating institutes: Increases or decreases in approved MBA seats directly affect how many students are allotted in Round 1
  • Option form preferences: Students who fill fewer choices or avoid popular institutes may not receive a Round 1 allotment even with an adequate percentile
  • Seat freeze rate after Round 1: A higher freeze rate reduces spillover seats into Round 2 and can compress the effective Round 1 cutoff range
  • New institutes entering CAP: Additional colleges in the CAP pool add seats and can reduce pressure on existing institutes, potentially lowering cutoffs slightly

MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1 SC ST Cutoff FAQs

Ques. What is the expected SC category closing percentile at JBIMS in MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1?

Ans. The expected SC category closing percentile at JBIMS Mumbai in MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1 is 93 to 95 percentile, based on 2025 CAP trends. Actual cutoffs will be released by CET Cell Maharashtra after allotment is declared.

Ques. What is the expected ST category closing percentile at SIMSREE in CAP Round 1 2026?

Ans. The expected ST category closing percentile at SIMSREE Mumbai in MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1 is 78 to 82 percentile, based on 2025 closing score trends. The official cutoff will be published by CET Cell after the allotment list is out.

Ques. Can SC or ST students from other states claim reserved seats in Maharashtra CAP?

Ans. No. Only students holding a valid caste certificate issued by a competent authority in Maharashtra can claim SC or ST reserved seats in the MAH MBA CET CAP process. Students from other states, even if they belong to SC or ST categories in their home state, are not eligible for Maharashtra state reserved seats.

Ques. What percentage of seats are reserved for SC and ST students in MAH MBA CET participating colleges?

Ans. SC students are entitled to 13% of total seats and ST students are entitled to 7% of total seats in each government, aided, and eligible unaided MBA college participating in the MAH MBA CET CAP process as per Maharashtra state reservation norms.

Ques. Is the MAH MBA CET CAP Round 1 cutoff for SC and ST lower than the open category cutoff?

Ans. Yes. The SC category closing percentile is typically 5 to 10 percentile points lower than the open category closing score at the same institute. The ST category closing percentile is usually 8 to 15 percentile points lower than the open category and 5 to 10 points lower than the SC category cutoff.

Ques. Where can I check the official MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1 SC and ST cutoff after allotment?

Ans. The official MAH MBA CET 2026 CAP Round 1 seat allotment result and category-wise closing percentile list will be published on the CET Cell Maharashtra official portal at cetcell.mahacet.org after the allotment is declared in July 2026.