JEE Advanced 2026 IIT Cutoff Analysis: Year-Over-Year Rank Trends 2023–2026

JEE Advanced 2026 final IIT cutoffs are expected to be released on July 22, 2026, completing the IIT admission cycle for over 17,000 seats across 23 IITs nationwide.

The JEE Advanced cutoff — both the minimum qualifying marks for the rank list and branch-wise opening and closing ranks — shifts every year based on paper difficulty, the number of students who appeared, and total seat availability. This analysis covers verified data from 2023 and 2024, 2025 trends, and expected 2026 figures, giving you a clear four-year rank comparison to benchmark your own JEE Advanced result.

• JEE Advanced total marks: 360 (Paper 1 plus Paper 2 combined).
• General category qualifying cutoff ranged from 90 marks in 2023 to 98 marks in 2024 before easing back in 2025.
• IIT Bombay CSE closing rank moved from approximately 63 in 2023 to around 70 in 2025, tightening by 7 ranks over two years.
• SC and ST qualifying cutoffs are fixed at 12.5% of total marks as per Ministry of Education norms.
• 2026 general category qualifying cutoff is expected between 87 and 96 marks based on 2023–2025 trends.

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Category-Wise JEE Advanced Qualifying Cutoff 2023–2026

The qualifying cutoff is the minimum aggregate marks you need to appear in the JEE Advanced rank list. It is set as a percentage of total marks — 25% for the general category and 12.5% for SC and ST — but the actual number can shift slightly based on paper difficulty and normalisation each year.

2025 figures are approximate based on available trend data. 2026 expected figures are based on 2023–2025 analysis.

The 2024 spike to 98 marks for the general category was driven by a relatively accessible Paper 2, which pushed aggregate scores higher across the board. The 2025 paper, set by IIT Kanpur, was reported as moderate to difficult, bringing the cutoff back toward 2023 levels. For 2026, with IIT Roorkee as the organising institute, the expected qualifying cutoff follows a similar moderate range.

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IIT Branch Closing Rank Trends 2023–2026

Branch-wise closing ranks are a better competition indicator than qualifying cutoffs because they reflect the actual seat allocation outcome in JoSAA counselling. The tables below cover the most sought-after programs at the top three IITs. All 2026 figures are expected ranges based on 2023–2025 trends and are not confirmed.

IIT Bombay — General Category (Gender Neutral) Closing Ranks

IIT Delhi — General Category (Gender Neutral) Closing Ranks

IIT Madras — General Category (Gender Neutral) Closing Ranks

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How JEE Advanced Cutoffs Are Calculated

JEE Advanced cutoffs work on two distinct levels — qualifying and allocation — and understanding both helps you interpret the numbers above correctly.

• Qualifying cutoff: the minimum aggregate marks out of 360 to enter the Common Rank List. Set at 25% aggregate for the general category, 22.5% for OBC-NCL and EWS, and 12.5% for SC, ST, and PwD students.
• Per-subject minimum: alongside the aggregate, you must also clear a threshold in each of Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics separately — typically half the aggregate percentage for your category.
• Allocation cutoff (branch closing rank): determined entirely through JoSAA counselling rounds. The last rank at which a seat is filled in any round becomes the closing rank for that branch and IIT combination.

Your aggregate out of 360 determines your CRL rank. Category ranks — OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS — are separate rank lists derived from the same marks. JoSAA uses all rank lists across seven main rounds and additional spot rounds to fill every IIT seat.

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Factors That Drive Cutoff Shifts Year to Year

Four variables explain most of the movement in both qualifying cutoffs and closing ranks from 2023 to 2025 — and what they signal for 2026.

A notable emerging trend: as IITs add new programs in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and interdisciplinary sciences, students ranked between 2,000 and 5,000 have more high-quality options than they did in 2023. This is gradually reducing pressure on traditional branches at mid-tier IITs.

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What the 2026 Cutoff Trends Mean for Your IIT Chances

Here is what the four-year data tells you when planning for 2026 IIT admissions.

• CSE at IITB, IITD, and IITM keeps tightening. Closing ranks moved up 3–8 positions each year from 2023 to 2025. In 2026, you will likely need inside rank 75 for IITB CSE and inside rank 110 for IITD CSE based on the trend.
• Core branches show steady rank inflation. Mechanical, Civil, and Chemical Engineering closing ranks have moved upward by 50–120 positions since 2023. Students targeting these branches should use the 2024 closing rank as a floor, not a target.
• New-age programs are opening doors in the 1,000–3,000 rank band. AI, Data Science, and Interdisciplinary Science programs at newer IITs are drawing higher-ranked students — but also provide strong career-oriented options for students who would otherwise miss top traditional branches.
• OBC-NCL and EWS students benefit from a consistent 22.5% qualifying threshold. Category closing ranks for the same branch are typically 25–40% lower than the general CRL, a gap that has held steady across all years in this analysis.
• Female students should track gender-specific closing ranks. Female-category closing ranks are consistently lower than gender-neutral ranks for the same branch and IIT, as supernumerary seats reduce effective competition.