ICT Matunga Mumbai Cutoff 2026 —
India's Hardest Pharma Seat, Decoded

The Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Matunga, Mumbai is not a regular engineering college. Formerly the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT) under the University of Mumbai, it was granted Deemed University status in 2008 and is widely regarded as India's premier institution for chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and process technology. Its alumni include CEOs and scientists at global chemical and pharma companies.

ICT offers 8 highly specialised undergraduate programmes — none of them are CS, IT, or Mechanical. If you want Chemical Engineering, Pharma Technology, Food Engineering, or Polymer Science at the highest level, ICT is in a league of its own in India. Its MHT CET cutoffs reflect this: Pharmaceuticals Chemistry and Technology closes at 99.91% for General OPEN — making it one of the hardest individual seats in all of Maharashtra.

OPEN Category Closing Percentile — All Branches

* Oil & Oleochemicals has no GOPENS in CAP data — LOPENS (Ladies OPEN) used as benchmark.

This is the number that stops students cold: GOPENS at rank 236, equal to 99.9091 percentile. Out of nearly 3 lakh MHT CET PCM test-takers, only 235 students ranked better. That is not a typo. ICT Pharma is not just the hardest chemical technology seat — it is arguably the hardest single seat at any Maharashtra state-level institution.

Then there is the Ladies OPEN figure: rank 156, percentile 99.9444% — even harder than General OPEN. Only 155 female candidates in all of Maharashtra scored above this cutoff. ICT Pharma's women's merit list is more competitive than every CS seat in the state except possibly IIT-Bombay (which uses JEE, not MHT CET).

The OBC category closed at rank 1,155 (99.57%) — which is harder than the General OPEN cutoff at DJSCE CSE (99.44%). Even the SEBC category (rank 2,973, 99.02%) beats most OPEN seats across the state.

* TFWS percentile listed as 0.0000000 in official source — rank 1,102 used as reference. ~99.57% is an estimate.

Food Engineering at ICT consistently surprises students who don't know the college well. The OPEN category closed at rank 793 (99.69 percentile) — harder than DJSCE Computer Engineering (99.44%). Food Engineering is the second most competitive seat at ICT, driven by the branch's extraordinary placement into global food, FMCG, nutrition, and biotech companies.

Ladies OPEN closed at rank 935 (99.64%) and the OBC category closed at rank 3,154 (98.96%) — above 99% of all test-takers. Even the SEBC category (rank 6,390, 97.99%) beats most OPEN seats at any other autonomous Mumbai college. The TFWS rank is 2,482 with percentile listed as 0 in official data — the same anomaly as Pharma TFWS.

* TFWS percentile listed as 0.0000000 in official data — rank 2,482 is the reference figure. ~99.1% is estimated.

Chemical Engineering is ICT's flagship and most holistic programme. The OPEN category closed at rank 926 (99.62 percentile). The branch covers the full spectrum of chemical process industries — oil & gas, petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, agrochemicals, and more — and commands exceptional placements in core manufacturing and process companies.

This is also the branch with the widest category coverage — 23 categories, including rare ones like ORPHAN (rank 13,981, 95.36%), PWDRSCS (rank 72,656, 73.89%), and DEFROBCS (rank 7,403, 97.54%). Even categories with relaxed cutoffs for this branch remain highly competitive in absolute terms: OBC at rank 4,102 (98.58%) surpasses most General OPEN seats at top autonomous colleges.

Polymer Engineering at ICT is India's finest undergraduate polymer technology programme. The OPEN category closed at rank 1,269 (99.51 percentile). Polymer engineers from ICT go into plastics, rubber, adhesives, coatings, biomaterials, and composites industries — all of which are high-growth sectors globally.

The TFWS seat closed at rank 15,392 (94.89%) — noticeably lower than OPEN (99.51%). This is the one branch at ICT where TFWS is significantly easier than OPEN, making it a strategic target for fee-waiver seekers scoring 94–96%. The LOBCS (OBC Ladies) shows rank 1,78,583 (1.62%) which is a clear data anomaly in the official source — this should be disregarded.

These four branches complete ICT's unique programme portfolio. Each is nationally rare — you will not find Dyestuff Technology or Oil & Oleochemicals as standalone engineering programmes at any other Indian university. Below are the key cutoffs for each.

Six essential categories for all 8 branches in one scrollable table. Use this to compare options at a glance before diving into branch-specific data.

† Pharma & Food TFWS: percentile listed as 0 in official data — rank shown as reference. ⚠️ Dyestuff LOPENS harder than GOPENS. ✅ Polymer TFWS is substantially easier than OPEN.

ICT's cutoffs are among the most stable in India. Demand for its specialised programmes consistently outpaces supply. Year-on-year variation is typically within ±0.1–0.3 percentile. AI and data-driven industries are increasingly absorbing ICT graduates, which means Food Engineering and Polymer branches may see rising demand in 2026.

⚡ Trend-based estimates only. 2026 actuals depend on MHT CET difficulty and applicant volume.