MAH MBA CET 2026 Eligibility Criteria - Check Age Limit, Marks Required, No of Attempts, Important Factor

MAH MBA CET 2026 Eligibility Criteria

MAH MBA CET Eligibility Criteria 2026 is defined by the State Common Entrance Test Cell in a notification released on its official website (mahacet.org) every year. If you are interested in appearing for the MAH MBA CET, you must be aware of the eligibility criteria laid down by the conducting body.

There are various candidature types when applying for MBA admissions in Maharashtra, and a candidate can claim only one type. The eligibility criteria for each candidature type are slightly different, and it is important to find out your eligibility for any particular candidature type in the MAH MBA CET 2026 before applying for admission. The candidature types in MAH MBA CET include:

• Open Category (General Category Maharashtra State Candidates, Outside Maharashtra State (OMS), and J & K Migrant candidates)
• All India Candidature
• Minority Candidature (SC, ST, VJ/DTNT(A), NT(B), NT(C), NT(D), OBC, SBC, EWS, PwD)

85% of seats are allocated to Maharashtra State candidates, 15% to All India candidates, and then there are supernumerary seats reserved for candidates falling under other candidature types. For this reason, it is also important to understand the MAH MBA CET eligibility 2026 for each candidature type and know the overall eligibility.

The complete details about the MAH MBA CET 2026 eligibility criteria can be found on this page. Check out the important highlights, category-wise eligibility, and other important information you should know before filling out the MAH MBA CET 2026 application form. Information regarding the academic requirements, minimum marks required, domicile requirements, seat reservation, and allocation policy of MAH MBA CET 2026 can also be checked here.

MAH MBA CET 2026 Eligibility Criteria - Highlights

The State CET Cell, Government of Maharashtra, is responsible for releasing the notification for the MAH CET MBA Exam 2026. The eligibility of the candidates to take the MAH MBA CET Exam 2026 depends on factors like age criteria, domicile rules, academic qualifications, etc. Candidates who qualify for the MAH MBA CET eligibility criteria are allowed to fill out the application forms.

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MAH MBA CET Eligibility Criteria 2026 for Maharashtra State Candidature

Maharashtra State category candidates have 4-5 types of category divisions. Individuals must qualify for any of these types to become eligible for candidature as the Maharashtra State (MS) candidate. 

MAH MBA CET Eligibility Criteria 2026 for All India Candidature

The MAH MBA CET eligibility 2026 for candidates claiming All India candidature in MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 is as follows.

• The candidate must be a national of India.
• The candidate must have passed a minimum. 3-year bachelor's degree awarded by a UGC or AIU-recognised university.
• The candidate must have at least 50% aggregate marks or equivalent in the qualifying degree course.
• AI category candidates do not have to appear for the MAH MBA/ MMS CET if they already have a valid CAT or CMAT score.

MAH MBA CET 2026 Eligibility Criteria for Minority Candidature

2Only candidates with a Maharashtra State domicile who belong to particular Religious or Linguistic Communities from within the state are eligible for admission under the Minority Candidature in MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026. Candidates belonging to 

• ST
• SC
• DT/VJ/NT/1/2/3
• OBC/SBC

will be considered a minority and will gain the benefits. Candidates will also have to submit proof, such as a Caste Certificate and the validity of the Caste Certificate, while filling out the application form. Further, Persons with Disability from Maharashtra will only be considered as minorities. If the candidate is not from Maharashtra, he/she will have to apply as the Open Category.

MAH MBA CET 2026 Eligibility Criteria for NRI/ PIO/ OCI/ FN Candidature

Candidates who are not Indian nationals can apply under the foreign student or NRI category, provided that they satisfy the eligibility criteria specified for their category. The categorisation of candidates under each of these candidature types, i.e. NRI, FN, OCI, PIO, CIWGC and FN, has been defined in the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015. Apart from that, the eligibility criteria for foreign students in the MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 are as follows.

• The candidate must have completed a bachelor's degree course of a minimum of 3 years duration from a university recognised by UGC or AIU.
• The candidate must have scored at least 50% aggregate marks or equivalent in the qualifying course.
• Additionally, the candidate must satisfy any other criteria as declared under the "Act' specified above.

MAH MBA CET 2026 Eligibility Criteria for J&K and Ladakh Migrant Candidature

The criteria to be eligible for the UT of Jammu & Kashmir and the UT of Ladakh Migrant Candidature in MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 are as follows.

• The candidate must be the child of a citizen who is displaced from the UT of J&K and the UT of Ladakh to any part of India from 1990 onwards due to terrorist activities.
• Children of IAS, IPS, IFS officers, or military and paramilitary staff transferred to the UT of J&K and the UT of Ladakh who have joined the post on or before the last date of application.
• Children of officers and staff of the UT of J&K and the UT of Ladakh police.

MAH CET MBA Eligibility Criteria 2026 - Important Points

If you are planning to pursue an MBA in Maharashtra, you must follow the eligibility criteria set by the State Common Entrance Test Cell for the MAH MBA CET 2026. Meeting these requirements is essential, as qualifying in this exam opens doors to over 300 reputed management institutes across the state, including some of the top-ranked B-schools.

Key Eligibility Requirements

• You must be an Indian national.

• The minimum age to apply is 21 years.

• Final-year graduation students are allowed to apply provisionally.

• For reserved category applicants, submission of the following documents is compulsory during verification:

  • Caste Validity Certificate (for SC, OBC, SEBC, NT categories)

  • Tribe Validity Certificate (for ST applicants)

  • A valid Non-Creamy Layer Certificate, wherever applicable.

Admission Process

• Eligible candidates will first appear for the written entrance test. Those scoring above the cutoff will be shortlisted for counselling and document verification.

• Students holding valid scores in exams such as CAT, CMAT, XAT, MAT, GMAT, or ATMA can also apply under the All India Quota. The Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) manages seat allocation through the Common Admission Process (CAP).

Application Fee

• INR 1000 for the Open category and All India candidates

• INR 800 for reserved category candidates

Academic Requirement

• You must have a minimum of 50% aggregate marks in graduation (45% for reserved categories).

• If your marks are in CGPA or grades, they will be converted as per your university’s guidelines. The final percentage will be rounded off to two decimal places.

MAH MBA CET 2026 Seat Allocation

The category-wise seat allocation in MBA colleges in Maharashtra is as follows.

MAH MBA CET 2026 Seat Allocation in Government and Government-Aided Institutes

MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 Seat Allocation in Unaided Private Professional Institutions

MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 Seat Reservation Policy

Seat reservations in the MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 are provided for special category candidates belonging to Maharashtra only. Candidates applying for All India category seats will not be able to claim any type of seat reservation. Besides the reservations in the MS category seats, supernumerary seats are also reserved for certain other categories of candidates. All of the details about the seat reservation policy of MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 can be found below.

MAH MBA CET 2026 Seat Reservation for MS Category

The following is the percentage of CAP Seats reserved for various categories of candidates eligible for reservation in MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026

Given below are the meanings of the various categories listed above.

• SC - Scheduled Castes and Schedule Caste converts to Buddhism

• ST - Scheduled Tribes

• VJ - Vimukta Jati

• DT NT-A - De-notified Tribes

• NT - Nomadic Tribes

• OBC - Other Backward Classes

• PwD - Person with Disability

PwD seats are reserved for candidates having a 40% benchmark disability in any of the following categories.

MAH MBA CET 2026 Supernumerary Seat Reservation

Supernumerary seats in MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 are available for various categories of candidates, but they may be subject to certain conditions or restrictions. Given below are the supernumerary seat reservations in the MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026.

The conditions for filling supernumerary seats in MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 are as follows.

• In case seats reserved for the CIWGC category remain vacant, then they shall be filled by OCI/ PIO/ Foreign students and vice versa. If seats in any of the above categories remain vacant, they can be filled by NRI candidates.

• TFWS seats will be available only if 30% of the sanctioned seats in a course are filled by the institute.

MAH MBA CET 2026 NRI Quota Seats

A maximum of 5% of the seats out of the 20% reserved under the Institutional Quota can be made available for NRI candidates by the institute. If any of these seats remain vacant, they can be offered to All India candidates.

MAH MBA CET Eligibility Criteria for All India Candidates: 15% to 35% Seats Reserved

15% to 35% seat allocation is reserved for all the applicants qualifying the MAH MBA/ MMS CET 2026 Eligibility Criteria of the All India Category. Admission of the All India category candidates appearing in the MAH MBA CET exam in Maharashtra B-schools depends on their scores in All India MBA entrance exams like CAT and CMAT. 

MAH MBA CET 2026 Eligibility Criteria for Counselling

The MAH MBA CET Counselling Process 2026 will be conducted by the DTE (Directorate of Technical Education), Maharashtra, through CAP (Centralised Admission Process). The candidates must provide original documents during the document verification rounds.

• The MAH MBA CET 2026 scores would be used to seek admission to MBA/MMS courses at the Institute Level Seats.
• NRI candidates who qualify for the MAH MBA CET Eligibility Criteria 2026 can apply for admission against the Institute Level Seats in Unaided Institutes.
• It is compulsory for all the minority category candidates to fulfil the eligibility criteria for MAH CET 2026 to claim the seats reserved for them.
• For 15% All India Seats through CAP, all Maharashtra or Outside Maharashtra and J&K migrants have to register online for CAP.
• All candidates who have appeared for different MBA Entrance exams can also apply for CAP under 15% All India Seats.

How Many Times Can You Appear for MAH MBA CET 2026?

As per the eligibility rules specified by State Common Entrance Test Cell (Maharashtra), there is no limit on the number of attempts for the MAH CET exam. If a candidate fails to clear the MAH CET exam for the current academic session and wants to appear for the same next year can apply for the entrance exam.

Similarities between MAH CET Exam 2026 Eligibility & JBIMS Mumbai Admission Eligibility

If you are planning to apply for the MMS batch 2026-27 at JBIMS Mumbai, it is important to understand the eligibility requirements. The eligibility for JBIMS through MAH CET MBA 2026 is the same as the general MAH CET MBA criteria.

• JBIMS will take part in the DTE CAP 2026 counselling process, and admissions will be made through the seat allotment under DTE Maharashtra.
• You can secure admission with a valid score in MAH MBA/MMS CET 2026, CAT 2025, or CMAT 2026, which gives you multiple options to qualify.
• There is no separate application required for JBIMS. Once you meet the eligibility requirements and take part in the DTE CAP rounds, you will be considered automatically.