MUMBAI, June 4 -- Nearly 200,000 students in Maharashtra have not confirmed their admission to first year junior college (FYJC) or Class 11, even though they were allotted seats in the first round of the centralised online admission process. This development follows a new rule that gives them more flexibility in picking a college of their choice. Data reveals that 199,277 students chose not to take admission despite getting allotments. A total of 1.25 million students had registered for the admission process. Of these, 887,000 had finalised their college preferences. In the first merit list, 574,945 students were allotted colleges. However, only 375,668 students completed admission through the Centralised Admission Process (CAP), leaving 199,277 students without confirmed admission despite being allotted seats. The Mumbai division recorded the highest number of such students. Of the 133,323 students who received allotments, 73,397 did not complete the admission process. Students who have declined allotments in the first round are waiting to optimise their choice of colleges. This has become possible due to a change in the FYJC admission process following an order passed by the Kolhapur bench of the Bombay High Court. Earlier, if a student was allotted their first-preference college and refused admission, they were removed from the next admission round and had to wait for a later round. Under the new rule, students can decline admission even if they are allotted the college of their choice, and still participate in the very next round. A principal said many students are awaiting better college options in later rounds. Others have opted for diploma courses, ITI programmes, CBSE or ICSE schools, or alternative educational paths. A large number of seats, therefore, remain vacant after the first round. Across the state, 1.79 million seats are still vacant. The Mumbai division has the highest number, at 409,000, followed by Pune with 316,000 vacant seats....