This year, the JEE Advanced will be conducted on May 17, 2026 in 2 papers by IIT Roorkee.
- Candidates who completed Class XII in 2025 or 2026 are eligible, but those who attempted the exam first in 2024 or earlier are not permitted to appear in JEE Advanced 2026, regardless of subjects taken.
- The JEE Advanced exam is conducted by one of the seven zonal coordinating IITs under JAB for admission to Bachelor, Integrated Master, and Dual Degree programs in all IITs.
JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility for Indian Nationals
To qualify for JEE Advanced 2026, Indian candidates must meet all the required criteria as per nationality and reservation criteria.
Source: jeeadv.ac.in/eligibility
The video by @Collegedunia Exams mentions all the eligibility criteria with new changes
Performance in JEE Main 2026
Candidates should be among the top 2,50,000 successful candidates (including all categories) in the B.E./B.Tech. paper of JEE Main 2026.
- The percentages of various categories of candidates to be shortlisted are: 10% for GEN-EWS, 27% for OBC-NCL, 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST, and the remaining 40.5% is OPEN for all.
- OCI/PIO (I) candidates are not eligible for the benefits of any kind of reservation (e.g., GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST) except for OPEN-PwD.
- Within each of these five categories, 5% horizontal reservation is available for PwD candidates.
The following table shows the order to be followed while choosing the top 2,50,000 candidates in various categories based on the performance in the B.E./B.Tech. paper of JEE Main 2026:
| Category | Top JEE Main Candidates Eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| OPEN | 96,187 | 1,01,250 |
| OPEN-PwD | 5,063 | |
| GEN-EWS | 23,750 | 25,000 |
| GEN-EWS-PwD | 1,250 | |
| OBC-NCL | 64,125 | 67,500 |
| OBC-NCL-PwD | 3,375 | |
| SC | 35,625 | 37,500 |
| SC-PwD | 1,875 | |
| ST | 17,812 | 18,750 |
| ST-PwD | 937 | |
Age Limit
Candidates should have been born on or after October 1, 2001. Five years of age relaxation is given to SC, ST, and PwD candidates, i.e., these candidates should have been born on or after October 1, 1996.
Number of Attempts
A candidate can attempt JEE Advanced a maximum of two times in two consecutive years.
Appearance in Class 12 (or equivalent) Examination
A candidate should have appeared for the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination for the first time in either 2025 or 2026 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects.
- Candidates who had appeared in the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination for the first time in 2024 or earlier are NOT eligible to appear in JEE Advanced 2026.
- However, if the examination Board of Class 12 (or equivalent) declared the results for the academic year 2023-24 on or after June 18, 2024, then the candidates of that Board who appeared for their Class 12 (or equivalent) examination in 2024 are also eligible to appear in JEE Advanced 2026, provided they meet all the other eligibility criteria.
- In case the examination Board of Class 12 (or equivalent) declared the results for the academic year 2023-24 before June 18, 2024 but the result of a particular candidate was withheld for whatever reason, then the candidate will not be eligible to appear in JEE Advanced 2026.
Prior Admission to IITs
A candidate should NOT have been admitted to an IIT under any academic program that is listed in the JoSAA Business Rules of 2026, irrespective of whether or not the candidate continued in the program OR accepted an IIT seat by reporting online at a reporting centre in the past.
- Candidates whose admission to IITs was cancelled after joining any IIT are also NOT eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026.
- Candidates who have been admitted to a preparatory course in any of the IITs for the first time in 2026 can appear in JEE Advanced 2026.
- The candidates who were allocated a seat in an IIT through JoSAA 2026 but did not report online at any reporting centre OR, withdrew before the last round of seat allotment OR had their seat cancelled before the last round of seat allotment for IITs, are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026.
JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility Criteria for Foreign Nationals
Candidates falling under the following categories will be considered as Foreign Nationals for JEE Advanced:
- Non-citizens of India (by birth or naturalized)
- Non-OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) and Non-PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) category
- Candidates whose parents are not citizens of India and do not come under the OCI/PIO category at the time of JEE Advanced 2026 Registration.
Seats for Foreign Nationals
- Seats allotted to foreign nationals are supernumerary with a cap of 10% of the total number of seats in every course.
Reservation for Foreign Nationals
- Foreign nationals are outside the ambit of reservation of seats under the OBC-NCL, GEN-EWS, SC, ST and PwD (Persons with Disability) categories as mandated by the Government of India.
Eligibility
These candidates are not required to write JEE Main and may register for JEE Advanced 2026 directly, subject to fulfillment of other eligibility criteria.
- Age limit: Students should have been born on or after October 01, 2001.
- Number of attempts: A maximum of two times in two consecutive years.
- Appearance in Class 12: A student should have appeared for the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination for the first time in either 2025 or 2026.
Performance in Class 12 or Equivalent Examination
The candidate should satisfy at least one of the following two criteria for admission to IITs:
- Must have secured at least 75% aggregate marks in the Class 12 (or equivalent) Board examination.
- Must be within the top 20th percentile of successful candidates in their respective class 12 (or equivalent) board examination.
The marks scored in the following five subjects will be considered for calculating the aggregate marks and the cut-off marks for fulfilling the top 20 percentile criterion:
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- A language (if the candidate has taken more than one language, then the language with the higher marks will be considered)
- Any subject other than the above four (the subject with the highest marks will be considered).
Cut-Off Marks for Top 20 Percentile
- The cutoff marks for the top 20th percentile are calculated based on Class 12 marks.
- The top 20 percentile cutoff for the academic year 2025-26 will be considered for students passing class 12 in 2026.
- Similarly, the top 20 percentile cutoff for the academic year 2024-25 will be considered for students passing class 12 in 2025.
- In case the board does not provide information about the cutoff for the top 20th percentile, candidates will have to produce a certificate from the board.
Documents Required for Registration
- Birth certificate for age proof
- Class XII marksheet/certificate for 75% cutoff (if available at the time of registration)
- Identity proof
- Citizenship certificate/Passport
- Testimonial (if required)
Foreign Centres for JEE Advanced 2026
Foreign centres where JEE Advanced is held are as follows.
- Abu Dhabi (UAE)
- Kathmandu (Nepal)
JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility FAQs
Ques. Is there any change in JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility?
Ans. The official Brochure has been released, and further changes might be available on regular checking of the portal.
- The main criteria remain the same and have been published on their website.
- For National Candidates (category-wise) and Foreign Nationals have been separately mentioned.
Ques. How many marks should I score in JEE Main 2026 to be eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026?
Ans. Eligibility for JEE Advanced depends on JEE Main Cutoff.
- Students who clear the cutoff and are in the top 2.5 lakh AIR holders of JEE Main will be considered eligible for JEE Advanced.
- Further scores will be updated here after JEE Main 2026 is conducted and the cutoff is released.
Ques. If I enter my category incorrectly as GEN-EWS during JEE Main 2026 Registration, can I still register?
Ans. Yes, you can register for JEE Advanced 2026 by declaring that you do not belong to the GEN EWS category, provided your JEE Main score is above the general category cutoff.
Ques. If I appear for my class XII exam in 2026, can I register for JEE Advanced 2026 without uploading a certificate?
Ans. Yes, the candidates who appear in the class XII exam in 2026 do not have to upload any document regarding their class XII examination at the time of JEE Advanced Registration 2026.
Ques. What are all the subjects that are considered for JEE Advanced eligibility?
Ans. The minimum qualifying mark to be eligible for JEE Advanced is 75% in class 12. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, English/Hindi, and any other subject apart from these four main subjects.
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