Know the CSAB counselling procedure. Express photo by Jasbir Malhi/ representational imageThe first merit list for First Year Junior College (FYJC) admissions was declared on Friday, with nearly 65 per cent of applicants under the Common Admission Process (CAP) Round 1 being allotted seats. Students allotted seats will have until June 3 to confirm admissions. Those allotted seats in their first-preference college will have to mandatorily confirm admission.Across Maharashtra, a total of 8,87,264 candidates had applied for FYJC admissions under CAP Round 1. Of these, 5,74,943 students were allotted seats on Friday, including 1,25,422 in the arts stream, 1,26,090 in commerce and 3,23,431 in science.Of the total allotments, 2,98,137 were girls and 2,76,806 were boys. State board students accounted for the highest number of allotments, with 5,26,161 seats allotted to them.In the Mumbai division alone, 2,11,660 candidates had applied for CAP Round 1. Of these, 1,33,323 students — nearly 64 per cent — were allotted seats in the first merit list. This included 67,583 students who secured seats in their first-preference college, making admission confirmation compulsory for them. The highest number of allotments were in the science stream, with 31,136 candidates getting seats in their first-choice college.With slight variations, cut-off scores at popular city colleges have remained largely similar to last year’s. At R A Podar College in Matunga, among the most sought-after institutions for commerce, the cut-off score dropped marginally from 94.6 per cent last year to 94.2 per cent this year. A similar trend was observed at N M College, another popular commerce college in the city.Most colleges also witnessed a slight drop in science stream cut-offs. At Ramnivas Ruia Junior College, the science cut-off stood at 93.2 per cent, compared to 94.4 per cent last year, while at St Xavier’s College it declined from 93 per cent to 92.2 per cent. According to colleges, the figures indicate that competition for seats at top colleges remains intense despite concerns over the considerable drop in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) pass percentage this year.“There is hardly any change in the cut-off score of the first merit list, and the trend is similar across categories as well. This indicates strong competition despite the lower SSC pass percentage,” said Dr Vinita Pimpale, principal of R A Podar College.Story continues below this adStudents allotted seats in this round have until June 3 to confirm admissions, while the schedule for the second round will be announced on June 5.Meanwhile, several junior colleges from the interiors of Maharashtra missed out on the first round of admissions because they were absent from the centralised online FYJC admission system’s registry. A special access window will be opened on June 4 to allow these colleges to upload their details after verification by regional officials. They will subsequently be able to participate in the second round of admissions.Although the issue has been resolved, affected colleges said they missed the opportunity to admit high-scoring students.Despite such technical glitches and administrative issues, the FYJC admission process is being conducted earlier than last year, when the first merit list was declared at the end of June.Last year’s delay followed a controversy involving minority trust-run junior colleges after the government admission portal showed a sharp decline in seats available for general-category students. Officials later clarified that the reduction occurred because seats from the open category had been allocated to SC, ST and OBC students under social reservation norms.Story continues below this adThe Bombay High Court later stayed the imposition of social quotas in minority institutions.