Pune: This year, diploma courses in state polytechnics have attracted even the top scorers of the tenth-grade exams. Fourteen students who achieved a perfect 100 per cent are among those seeking admission, along with 10,296 students who scored between 91 per cent and 99 per cent.

Dr. Vinod Mohitkar, Director of Technical Education, announced that the Directorate of Technical Education published the provisional merit list for first-year diploma engineering courses on Saturday (July 19).

Among the roughly 125,000 students listed, 14 scored 100 per cent, 37,932 scored between 81 per cent and 90 per cent, and 36,553 scored between 71 per cent and 80 per cent. Out of the 155,302 students who registered, applications for 127,972 were confirmed through facilitation centers.

The merit list features 84,463 boys and 43,509 girls. The final merit list will be released on July 25, with online preference filling for the first centralized admission round open from July 26 to 29. Seat allotments for the first round will be announced on July 31, with three rounds of centralized admissions planned.

A breakdown of the merit list shows 14 students scored 100 per cent, 10,296 scored between 91 per cent and 99 per cent, 37,932 scored between 81 per cent and 90 per cent, and 36,553 scored between 71 per cent and 80 per cent. The majority of students in the diploma courses scored between 81 per cent and 90 per cent.

Dr. Vinod Mohitkar explained that the National Education Policy's emphasis on skill-based courses, such as robotics and artificial intelligence, and a focus on employability and centers of excellence have contributed to high-achieving students opting for diploma courses.