Mumbai, Dec. 12 -- Maharashtra's medical admission pattern has shifted decisively towards women, with female students now occupying nearly half the MBBS seats under the state quota. In the 2025-26 academic year, 4,040 female students were admitted to MBBS programmes, accounting for 47% of the 8,535 seats across government and private colleges. This marks a steady rise from 2019-20, when 2,429 women secured 42% of the 5,785 seats. In the current academic year, 2,140 female students were admitted to government medical colleges, while 1,900 got seats in private colleges. Officials from the state Common Entrance Test cell said private colleges are admitting a growing proportion of female students each year. The dental stream has an even stronger female presence. Women now make up 77% of all BDS admissions in the state. Of the 2,711 available seats, 2,085 were secured by women, signalling that dentistry has become a predominantly female profession at the entry level in the state....