MUMBAI, Oct. 16 -- Admissions to undergraduate professional courses such as Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) and Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) in Maharashtra have been badly delayed this year, leaving a staggering 68,249 seats vacant - around 65% in the state, including 52% in Mumbai. Of the total 1,05,061 seats in the state, only 36,812 students have registered so far - nearly eight months after the Class 12 results were announced. According to education experts, the delay was mainly due to a decision taken by the state higher and technical education department to conduct the Common Entrance Test (CET) for these courses twice this year. Although aimed at accommodating students' demands, the process has delayed admissions. This is the second time the CET was held twice. This year, the admission rounds began at the end of August, when most students had already secured admission elsewhere. This delay has impacted not only on BBA, BCA and BMS admissions but also integrated BCA-MCA courses. Of the 48,393 seats available in BCA-MCA integrated programmes, only 16,990 have been filled, leaving 31,403 - about 65% - vacant. Similarly, BBA and BMS courses together had 56,668 seats, but only 19,822 have been filled. Educationists believe that if admissions had begun after the first CET was conducted, intake would have been much higher. "Many students have already taken admission in degree courses as back-up. When they later switch to professional programmes, other seats will fall vacant, creating further confusion," said a principal from a Mumbai college....