Mumbai, Sept. 12 -- Admissions to post-graduate diploma and certificate courses in management in Maharashtra will come under the state's admission regulatory system from the 2027-28 academic year. The Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, which handles admissions for MBA and MMS courses, will also take charge of Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and Post Graduate Certificate in Management (PGCM) courses and institutes offering such courses will be brought under the ambit of the Maharashtra Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions) and Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2015. At present, PGDM and PGCM courses offered by private institutes are not regulated by the state in the same manner as MBA and MMS courses. According to a notification issued by the state government in mid-August, admissions to PGDM and PGCM courses will be conducted by the competent authority from the academic year 2027-28. The notification covers PGDM courses spanning two years or 18 months and PGCM courses spanning one year. For students from Maharashtra, admission to these courses will require a non-zero score in the CET conducted by the competent authority. The Management CET conducted by the CET Cell for courses such as MBA and MMS will also be applicable to PGDM and PGCM admissions, the notification said. As regards eligibility criteria for admission, students applying under the Maharashtra state candidature category must have completed at least a three-year bachelor's degree in any discipline from a university recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) or the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). They must have secured at least 50% marks or an equivalent grade. For candidates belonging to reserved categories, economically weaker sections, and persons with disabilities from Maharashtra, the minimum marks required would be 45%. With PGDM and PGCM courses being brought under the state law, fees for these courses will also be regulated by the Fee Regulating Authority (FRA). The move is aimed at bringing both the admission process and the fees charged by institutes under a common regulatory framework. A senior officer from the state higher education department said the government had received numerous complaints about the functioning of PGDM courses and the fees charged by institutes. "Till now, there is no control over the admissions of these courses as well as the fees charged by institutes. We are receiving complaints regarding these courses. Considering this, the government has amended the law and is going to regulate these courses," the officer mentioned. The government notification includes changes in eligibility conditions for certain pharmacy courses based on changes made by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Pharmacy Council of India. The new admission system for PGDM and PGCM, however, will not be applicable for the ongoing admission cycle, and will come into effect from the 2027-28 academic year, officials clarified....