30 seats vacant after 8th round in state institutes

MUMBAI: After eighth round of admissions, around 30 seats in state government dental institutes remain vacant. According to the state common entrance test (CET) cell, this is the first time eight rounds of common admissions for seats in four government-run dental colleges were conducted.

“This year due to the delay in admissions, the Dental Council of India announced that Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) admissions would continue till January 31, therefore we added more mop-up rounds. Never before have we conducted these many rounds of admission,” said an official from the CET cell. He added that a final list of vacant seats across state institutes will be released soon for the benefit of students.

After completing two common admission rounds, the state CET cell conducted six stray vacancy rounds to fill the vacant seats in dental colleges. While admissions to MBBS courses ended on January 15, the dental council realised that the vast number of vacant seats in central institutes across the country needs to be filled, therefore it extended the admission deadline by two weeks for BDS alone.

According to information shared by the Maharashtra CET cell, 35% of seats were left vacant across government and private dental colleges this year after five rounds of admissions.

Experts have once again reiterated the need for spot admission, instead of a common admission round to fill remaining vacant seats. “Stray vacancy rounds are being conducted based on application forms submitted at the beginning of the admissions season. A large number of these students have already confirmed admissions elsewhere and have not cancelled their admission forms. The state should now allow spot admissions and to approach institutes directly for a seat,” said Muzaffar Khan, a Thanebased medical education counsellor.

35% OF SEATS WERE VACANT ACROSS GOVT AND PRIVATE DENTAL COLLEGES AFTER 5 ROUNDS OF ADMISSIONS