From Kunduz to Nashik: Why One Afghan Engineering Student Chose Maharashtra Over Everything Else

Suraj Gurav

— 2 min read
From Kunduz to Nashik: Why One Afghan Engineering Student Chose Maharashtra Over Everything Else

His name is Bilal. He is from Kunduz, Afghanistan. And he wants to build things that last. Not the vague ambition of a young person who has not decided what they want - but the specific, grounded purpose of someone who has watched a country be built and destroyed and built again, and decided that the building is the part he wants to be responsible for.

Bilal wants to be a civil engineer. He wants to design the roads, bridges, and infrastructure that Afghanistan needs to connect its cities, move its goods, and sustain its population. He knows exactly what this requires. What he did not know, when he started searching, was where that training existed at a price his family could sustain.

The Search That Led to fn.mahacet.org

Turkey: USD 8,000-12,000 per year. Malaysia: USD 6,000-10,000. Gulf private engineering: USD 10,000-15,000. Four-year totals from USD 24,000 to USD 60,000 before accommodation and living costs.

Then Bilal found fn.mahacet.org - the Government of Maharashtra's official single-window portal for foreign national students. Government-regulated fees. Over 500 engineering colleges. IIT Bombay in the global top 150. Operated directly by the State Common Entrance Test Cell - not a consultancy, not a private company.

The fees were a fraction of every alternative he had found.

Why Nashik and Why Maharashtra

Maharashtra has more engineering colleges than any other Indian state, concentrated in cities - Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad - that are individually significant centres of technical industry. Nashik, where Bilal enrolled, is one of India's fastest-growing industrial cities. Students study inside the industry, not apart from it.

IIT Bombay, two and a half hours away, anchors the entire state's engineering ecosystem. Its research culture, faculty networks, and industry connections extend throughout Maharashtra's technical institutions in ways that genuinely benefit every student.

The Application: No Agent Required

Bilal applied through fn.mahacet.org himself. Afghan students apply as Foreign National Students (FNS). Requirements: secondary school certificates equivalent to India's 10+2, valid passport, academic documentation. Official fees: USD 50 eligibility and USD 1,150 processing - fixed, transparent, non-refundable, identical for every applicant.

No agent. No consultant. No guaranteed seat from a WhatsApp contact. Just Bilal, his documents, and the government portal.

Part 1 of 3. Continue reading: Part 2 - Bilal Arrives in Nashik | Part 3 - Eight Months, A Bridge Designed

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Maharashtra have engineering programs in all streams?

Yes. BE/B.Tech in Maharashtra covers Civil, Computer Science, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Chemical, Aerospace, and more. All streams are available to international students through fn.mahacet.org under Technical Education.

Related Reading from Study in Maharashtra

Maharashtra is India's most connected state for international students. Over 3,000 colleges. Every discipline. One government-backed portal. No agents. No middlemen.

Apply now at fn.mahacet.org - the Government of Maharashtra official portal.

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