A rank above 70,000+ is usually consider as low rank in JEE Main 2026. Candidates with low rank in JEE Main 2026 can get engineering seats in lower-ranked NITs, GFTIs , and specialised IIITs through CSAB special rounds.
- Some NITs like Dr. B. R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology Jalandhar, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, and National Institute of Technology Goa do offer seats at lower ranks, especially in less competitive branches or through category quotas.
- Similarly, several IIITs also accept lower ranks, including IIT Vadodara,IIT Manipur, IIT Kalyani, IIT Guwahati etc.
- Apart from NITs and IIITs, there are also several GFTIs (Government Funded Technical Institutes) that you can consider. Some of the options include the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Salem, the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Thanjavur, Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Bhadohi.
If you have a secure low rank in JEE Main, then you must apply for state-level engineering counselling like WBJEEE, OJEE, and MHT CET.
Related Links:
- Check JEE Mains 2026 Marks Vs Percentile Vs College
- Home State NIT Options Under 90 Percentile JEE Main 2026
What is a Low Rank in JEE Main 2026?
A low rank in JEE Main 2026 typically refers to:
- Percentile below 90
- Rank beyond 70,000 to 14 lakh
- Difficulty in securing top NITs/IIITs via JoSAA
However, as per trends:
- Students with 20-95th percentile still have multiple college options
- Even a very low percentile (20-30) can fetch admission in decent colleges
- Category students (SC/ST/OBC/EWS) have additional relaxation
Check:
- What should I do after the JEE Main 2026 exam
- Expected JEE Main 2026 Cutoff Percentile for General Category to Qualify for NITs
Ques. What is considered a low rank in JEE Main 2026?
Ans. Rank over 70,000 can be said to be low ranking in JEE Main 2026. It usually makes it difficult to get top NITs or IIITs through JoSAA counselling.
Ques. Can I get NIT with a low JEE Main rank?
Ans. Yes, it is possible to get into some NITs such as National Institute of Technology Sikkim, National Institute of Technology Mizoram, or National Institute of Technology Agartala, particularly in the core branches such as Civil, Mechanical, or Chemical.
NIT and Courses Available for JEE Main Rank of more than 1 Lakh
- There are a few NITs, such as NIT Sikkim and NIT Mizoram, that take admission at a lower JEE Main rank of around 6 to ten lakh.
- Civil, Mechanical, and Chemical ranks far higher on the closing list when compared to CSE.
- NIT Goa, NIT Hamirpur, and others are closing in at around 1-2 lakh rank.
| Institute | Academic Program Name | Closing Rank |
|---|---|---|
| National Institute of Technology Agartala | Production Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 326262 |
| Chemistry (5 Years, Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (Dual Degree)) | 316556 | |
| Production Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 311950 | |
| Engineering Physics (5 Years, Bachelor and Master of Technology (Dual Degree)) | 295549 | |
| Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 287950 | |
| Chemical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 280589 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 245373 | |
| Mathematics & Computing (5 Years, Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (Dual Degree)) | 242884 | |
| Physics (5 Years, Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (Dual Degree)) | 237897 | |
| Chemical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 230141 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 215320 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 180051 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 172608 | |
| Computational Mathematics (5 Years, Bachelor and Master of Technology (Dual Degree)) | 171190 | |
| Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 163769 | |
| Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 153665 | |
| Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 138512 | |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 128660 | |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 125784 | |
| National Institute of Technology Arunachal Pradesh | Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 182340 |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 176501 | |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 161165 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 141628 | |
| Computer Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 136432 | |
| National Institute of Technology Goa | Electrical and Electronics Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 194400 |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 114874 | |
| National Institute of Technology Hamirpur | Materials Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 120480 |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 115256 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 113144 | |
| Materials Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 101344 | |
| National Institute of Technology Meghalaya | Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 257202 |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 237583 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 220988 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 156857 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 142261 | |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 138346 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 136987 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 121811 | |
| National Institute of Technology Puducherry | Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 225349 |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 219803 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 183810 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 166967 | |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 159343 | |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 158214 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 114625 | |
| National Institute of Technology Raipur | Mining Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 104879 |
| National Institute of Technology Sikkim | Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 1005918 |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 953240 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 817562 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 713531 | |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 639272 | |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 587530 | |
| Computer Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 405836 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 220352 | |
| Computer Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 162246 | |
| National Institute of Technology, Manipur | Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 749669 |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 667509 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 606712 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 431026 | |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 407152 | |
| Computer Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 364827 | |
| Computer Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 302425 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 229695 | |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 185948 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 147975 | |
| National Institute of Technology, Srinagar | Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 466226 |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 292478 | |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 286182 | |
| Chemical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 272473 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 251723 | |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 215824 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 209869 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 207460 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 197632 | |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 196327 | |
| Chemical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 158035 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 151668 | |
| Information Technology (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 134229 | |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 130307 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 126549 | |
| Computer Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 124061 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 123607 | |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 123100 | |
| Chemical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 107655 | |
| Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat | Chemistry (5 Years, Integrated Master of Science) | 124999 |
| Physics (5 Years, Integrated Master of Science) | 110373 | |
| Mathematics (5 Years, Integrated Master of Science) | 103770 | |
| National Institute of Technology, Mizoram | Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 1014892 |
| Mathematics and Computing (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 834722 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 809789 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 678406 | |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 661107 | |
| Mechanical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 636017 | |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 589620 | |
| Electrical Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 560594 | |
| Computer Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 516872 | |
| Computer Science and Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 444859 | |
| Civil Engineering (4 Years, Bachelor of Technology) | 294734 |
Check:
- Colleges Accepting 85-95 Percentile in JEE Main 2026
- List of colleges accepting 90+ percentile in JEE Main 2026
- Check Category-wise Opening and Closing Ranks for top NITs
List of IIITs Accepting Low Rank in JEE Main 2026
A rank above 30,000 is usually considered low for IIIT admissions. Still, many IIITs offer B.Tech seats at this range, in branches like ECE, Mechanical, and emerging fields like AI & Data Science.
| Institute | Branch | Category | Opening Rank | Closing Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Kota | ECE | Female | 3171 | 3828 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati | ECE | Female | 3053 | 5265 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Kalyani | ECE | Gender-Neutral | 3802 | 41775 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Una | ECE | Female | 3101 | 34570 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Sri City | ECE | Female | 3145 | 35012 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Kancheepuram | Mechanical | Gender-Neutral | 3303 | 46172 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Design and Manufacturing Jabalpur | Mechanical | Gender-Neutral | 3606 | 42814 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Manipur | CSE | Female | 4200 | 50763 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Tiruchirappalli | ECE | Female | 3414 | 40183 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Dharwad | AI & DS | Gender-Neutral | 3257 | 37258 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Kurnool | AI & DS | Gender-Neutral | 3178 | 37820 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Kottayam | CSE (Cyber Security) | Female | 3305 | 37056 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Ranchi | ECE | Gender-Neutral | 3268 | 40510 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Nagpur | ECE (IoT) | Gender-Neutral | 2915 | 36175 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Bhagalpur | CSE | Female | 3594 | 41557 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Surat | ECE | Female | 2947 | 33774 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Agartala | CSE | Female | 3794 | 42856 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Raichur | AI & DS | Female | 3837 | 40104 |
| Indian Institute of Information Technology Vadodara | CSE | Female | 3170 | 37074 |
Check: Check IIIT JEE Main Cutoff: Opening and Closing Ranks
Ques. Which IIITs accept low ranks in JEE Main 2026?
Ans. A number of IIITs like Indian Institute of Information Technology Manipur, Indian Institute of Information Technology Kalyani and Indian Institute of Information Technology Dharwad also accept lower ranks, especially in branches such as ECE, Mechanical, and AI related programs.
List of CFTIs Accepting Low Rank in JEE Main 2026
Apart from IIITs, several Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) also accept lower ranks.
| Institute | Course | Closing Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Institute of Handloom Technology Salem | Handloom & Textile Tech | 1,01,502 |
| National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Thanjavur | Food Technology | 1,00,380 |
| Indian Institute of Carpet Technology Bhadohi | Carpet & Textile Tech | 1,00,912 |
| National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Kundli | Food Tech & Management | 1,05,781 |
| Dr. Harisingh Gour University Sagar | Dairy / Food / Apparel Engg | 1,01,000 – 1,03,000 |
Colleges Accepting Rank Between 1,00,000 to 2,50,000
A 30-50 percentile usually corresponds to a rank range of 1 lakh to 2.5 lakh. At this level:
- Top NITs like the National Institute of Technology Calicut or the National Institute of Technology Delhi are difficult to get into
- However, several newer or less competitive NITs still offer admission
Check: List of Colleges Accepting 1,00,000 to 2,00,000 Ranks in JEE Main 2026
Colleges & Closing Rank Range
| College | Branches Available | Closing Rank (Approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| National Institute of Technology Goa | CSE, Civil, ECE, Mechanical | 1,00,000 – 1,25,000 |
| National Institute of Technology Meghalaya | CSE, Civil, ECE, Mechanical | 1,36,000 – 1,38,000 |
| National Institute of Technology Sikkim | CSE, Civil, EE, ECE, Mechanical | 1,20,000 – 1,46,000 |
| National Institute of Technology Arunachal Pradesh | CSE, Civil, EE, ECE, Mechanical | 1,16,000 – 1,22,000 |
| Ghani Khan Choudhary Institute of Engineering and Technology | Civil, Electrical, Food Tech | 1,18,000 – 1,49,000 |
Also Read:
- Colleges Under 90 Percentile in JEE Main 2026
- Colleges Under 95 Percentile in JEE Main 2026
- Safe Score and Rank for Top NITs in JEE Main 2026
Ques. Can I get admission with a rank above 2 lakh in JEE Main?
Ans. Yes, even above 2 lakh rank, candidates have a chance of getting admission in the lower NITs, GFTIs and in the colleges of their own choice. The more flexible you become in terms of branch and position, the more options you have.
Ques. Which branches are easier to get with a low rank?
Ans. Branches such as Civil Engineering, Mechanical engineering, and chemical engineering are ranked above CSE in closing so they become easy to acquire at low rank.
Colleges Accepting Rank Above 2 Lakh in JEE Main
A percentile of 70-80 generally falls in the 1.5 lakh to 3 lakh rank range. At this stage, students should consider:
- Lower cutoff NITs
- GFTIs
- Good private universities
| College | Popular Courses |
|---|---|
| National Institute of Technology Puducherry | Civil, CSE, ECE, EEE, Mechanical |
| National Institute of Technology Mizoram | CSE, EEE, ECE, Civil, Mechanical |
| National Institute of Technology Sikkim | CSE, ECE, Mechanical, Civil |
| Netaji Subhas University of Technology | CSE, ECE, Electrical, AI |
| Punjab Engineering College | CSE, Civil, ECE, Mechanical |
| Assam University | CSE, IT, ECE |
| College of Engineering Pune | CSE, Mechanical, Electrical |
Popular Private College Options
| College | Courses |
|---|---|
| Amity University | Robotics, CSE, Civil |
| SRM Institute of Science and Technology | Mechanical, ECE, Electrical |
| Symbiosis Institute of Technology | CSE, Civil, Mechanical |
| Lovely Professional University | CSE, Aerospace, Mechanical |
| Nirma University | CSE, Mechanical, Chemical |
Also Check:
Ques. Can I still build a good career with a low Rank in JEE Main 2026?
Ans. Yes, absolutely. What is more important in the long term is your skills, internship, project and hands-on knowledge than your college name. Tier-2 and tier-3 colleges produce many successful engineers.
Low Rank in JEE Main 2026: Reddit Discussion
One Reddit user shared that if you have a low rank JEE Main 2026, then you need to look for good private colleges like VIT, SRM, Manipal etc. The user also suggested looking for state counselling as there are many underrated government colleges.
Source: Reddit
Ques. What are the best options other than NITs and IIITs?
Ans. Apart from NITs and IIITs, students can consider:GFTIs like Indian Institute of Handloom Technology SalemState counselling colleges (WBJEEE, MHT CET, OJEE)Private universities like SRM Institute of Science and Technology or Amity University.
Ques. Is it worth taking a drop year for JEE Main improvement?
Ans. A drop year may bring you a better standing, however, that depends on your level of preparation and consistency. One should only consider it as an option when you are certain of scoring a lot higher next year.
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