JEE Main is the gateway for aspiring engineers to get admission in prestigious institutes like the National Institutes of Technology(NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and Other Government-Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs).

The National Testing Agency is the exam-conducting body, but the counselling and admissions are managed by the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA).

The JEE Main counselling is expected to start from June 2, 2026. The entire process is online, with physical reporting only at the allotted institute.

In 2025, for admissions to the NIT+ System, approximately 44,693 seats were available, including 24,525 seats in NITs and 9,940 seats in IIITs. Around 33% of the total registered candidates were female in JEE Main 2025.

Last year, around 7,75,383 candidates became eligible for the JoSAA counselling. After all the JoSAA rounds, around 5-10% seats remain vacant, which were filled by CSAB.

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Key Summary

  • The average annual growth rate of total registrations is around 15% in JEE Main due to new emerging courses such as AI/ML, etc.
  • Approximately 14.5 lakh candidates have registered for the January session of JEE Main, which is around 10% higher than in 2025.
  • CSE remains the most demanded branch with a closing rank of around 3000-6000. For example closing rank in NIT Surathkal was around 2,726.
  • In some remote NITs, such as NIT Mizoram, seats were allotted to students with ranks as high as ~1.3 lakh+ under the Home state quota in the final round.

What is JEE Main Counselling 2026?

The Ministry of Education had set up the JoSAA to manage and regulate the joint seat allocation for admissions to 127 institutes for the academic year 2026-27. This includes 23 IITs, 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, and 47 Other-GFTIs.

JEE Main 2026 qualified candidates are eligible for admission to NITs, IIITs, and Other-GFTIs. To get admission into IITs, a candidate has to qualify for the JEE Advanced 2026.

Candidates must register through the JoSAA 2026 online portal for seats to be allocated through JoSAA in any of the NITs, IIITs, and Other-GFTIs.

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Important Dates

Event 2025 Dates 2026 Dates (Tentative)
JEE Advanced Result June 15 June 1
JoSAA Registration & Choice Filling Start June 3-20 June 2
Mock Seat Allotment June 15-17 June 8 (Mock 1) & June 10 (Mock 2)
Round 1 Seat Allotment June 20-27 Late June ( around June 15-20)
Rounds 2-5 Allotment June 27 - July 17 Early-Mid July
Round 6 (if held) July 20-27 Mid-Late July
CSAB Special Rounds August 5-15 Early-Mid August (after JoSAA ends)

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Registration Overview

Aspect Details
Conducting Authority Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA)
Mode of Registration Online via the JoSAA official website
Start Date June 2, 2026
Login Credentials JEE Main application number & password
Choice Filling Selection of preferred institutes and courses
Mock Allotments Conducted twice before final locking
Final Submission Based on rank, preferences, and seat availability
Late Registration Not allowed

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for admissions will likely remain the same as in 2025, as mentioned in the official brochure of JEE Main 2026, which states that a candidate must have passed class XII Board examination with at least 75% aggregate marks, and for SC, ST, and PwD candidates, they should have at least 65%. The category should be as per the central list www.ncbc.nic.in, socialjustice.gov.in and ncst.nic.in.

Criteria General / OBC-NCL / GEN-EWS SC / ST / PwD
Qualifying Exam (Class 12 or Equivalent) Passed in 2024, 2025, or appearing in 2026 Same as General
Minimum Aggregate Marks in Class 12 75% (in overall or relevant subjects) OR top 20th percentile in the respective board 65% OR top 20 percentile in the respective board
Compulsory Subjects Physics & Mathematics + one of Chemistry/Biology/Biotechnology/Technical Vocational subject Same as General
Valid Rank Valid JEE Main 2026 rank/score Same as General
Age Limit No upper age limit No upper age limit
Number of Attempts Up to 3 consecutive years (from the year of passing Class 12) Same as General
Nationality / Category Certificate Indian nationals; Valid category certificate required if claiming reservation (issued as per norms) Valid SC/ST/OBC-NCL/GEN-EWS/PwD certificate
Special Cases (e.g., Improvement) The best of multiple attempts is considered if the improvement exam is taken Same as General

The detailed eligibility criteria for admission to the NIT+ System are mentioned in the JoSAA Business Rules.

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Choice Filling

In the JEE Main counselling process, choice filing is the most critical step as it decides your seat allotment. The seat allotment will depend upon your JEE Main rank, order of preference, and the availability of seats. The choice filing process will start after the counselling registration.

Aspect Details
Total Participating Institutes 127 (23 IITs, 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, and 47 Other-GFTIs)
Total Seats Available ~45,000 seats in NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs
Mode of Choice Filling Online via JoSAA portal
Choice Selection Candidates can prioritise institutes and branches based on their preference
Mock Seat Allotment Conducted twice to help change choices
Choice Modification Available before final locking
Final Locking Mandatory to confirm choices; no changes allowed after submission
Seat Allotment Basis JEE Main rank, category, seat availability, and preferences

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Seat Allotment

JoSAA will release the seat allocation schedule around June 2026, along with the detailed schedule for counselling for admissions to the NIT+ system. The allotment will be in online mode with a fully transparent and automated system.

The seat allotment generally follows a 6-round process, and the allotment is based upon certain criteria such as JEE Main rank, choices filled & locked by the candidate, category, quota, and seat availability.

Aspect Details
Conducting Body Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA)
Mode of Seat Allotment Online based on merit and preferences
Basis for Allocation JEE Main rank, category, choices filled, and seat availability
Total Participating Institutes 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, and 47 Other-GFTIs
Seat Acceptance Options
  • Freeze (accept seat)
  • Float (wait for a better option)
  • Slide (same institute, better branch)
Total Rounds Typically 6 JoSAA rounds, followed by CSAB special rounds (if seats remain vacant)
Reporting Mode Online document verification and fee payment
Seat Confirmation Payment of the seat acceptance fee and document verification

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Seat Reservation Policy

The seat reservation policy has not been announced yet by JoSAA on its official website. However, it is likely to follow the same pattern as previous years.

The reservation will be divided into two parts, i.e. Vertical Reservation and Horizontal Reservation.

  • Vertical Reservation: It divides the total seats into different categories, such as SC/ST/OBC.
  • Horizontal Reservation: It is the additional reservation given from each of the vertical categories to a particular deprived section, such as PwD.

The government has decided to improve the gender balance in undergraduate programs in the NIT+ system. Hence, it has introduced a supernumerary quota for female candidates.

  • There will be two seat pools, Gender-Neutral and Female-Only. The Female-Only pool includes supernumerary seats, if any.
  • For the NIT+ system, undergraduate programs will have at least 20% females.
  • A female candidate would not be denied a seat in an academic program while allocating that seat to a non-female candidate with a lower rank than her, and satisfying the same eligibility criteria.
Category Reservation Percentage Applicable Institutes
General (Unreserved - UR) Based on merit All Institutes
Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL) 27% All Institutes
Scheduled Caste (SC) 15% All Institutes
Scheduled Tribe (ST) 7.5% All Institutes
Economically Weaker Section (EWS) 10% All Institutes
Persons with Disabilities (PwD) 5% (within each category) All Institutes
Home State Quota (HS) 50% NITs (for candidates from the same state)
Other State Quota (OS) 50% NITs (for candidates from other states)
Female Supernumerary Seats Varies (to improve gender diversity) Select NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Seat Acceptance Options

In the seat allocation process by JoSAA, there will be 3 options available for a candidate, i.e., Freeze, Float and Slide. It is mandatory to accept the seat by choosing any of these options to continue in the JoSAA process.

  • Candidates who choose the option of Freeze will not be considered in subsequent rounds.
  • Not choosing any option will be considered as a rejection of the offered seat, and the candidate will not be considered for the seat allocation in the further rounds.
  • Slide and Float options will be available only to those students who are not offered admission to their first choice in their choice list.
  • A candidate can change from float to slide/freeze and slide to freeze during all rounds except the last round.
Freeze Means the candidate has accepted the offered seat, and it indicates that the candidate is content with the allocated program and does not want to participate in further rounds of seat allocation.
Float Means that the candidate accepts the offered seat, and it indicates that if admission to a program of higher preference in any institute is offered in subsequent rounds, the candidate will accept it.
Slide Means that the candidate accepts the offered seat, and if admission to a program of higher preference is offered within the same institute in subsequent rounds, the candidate will take it.

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Documents Required

During the document verification, if there is any mismatch found between the documents uploaded during JEE Main and on the JoSAA portal, and the same is found to be due to willful forgery/act of cheating, the admission offer will be withdrawn, and the candidate shall be debarred from further rounds of allocation.

S.No. Document Name Description / Purpose
1 JEE Main 2026 Admit Card Proof of appearing in the exam
2 JEE Main 2026 Scorecard / Rank Card Shows CRL rank, category rank, and percentile
3 Class X (or equivalent) Marksheet / Certificate Proof of Date of Birth (DOB)
4 Class XII (or equivalent) Marksheet Proof of passing and marks (for 75%/65% or top 20 percentile eligibility)
5 Category Certificate (if applicable) OBC-NCL / GEN-EWS / SC / ST – in JoSAA-prescribed format
6 PwD Certificate (if claiming PwD status) UDID card or certificate with ≥40% disability
7 Passport-size Photographs Recent photos (identical to the ones uploaded in the JEE Main application)
8 Seat Acceptance Fee Payment Proof Receipt / e-challan / transaction confirmation
9 Provisional Seat Allotment Letter Downloaded from the JoSAA portal after each round
10 Candidate Undertaking / Declaration Signed undertaking in the format provided on the JoSAA portal
11 State of Eligibility Proof (for Home State quota) Class XII certificate from the state or domicile certificate (NITs only)
12 Medical Certificate (if applicable) For certain cases or specific institutes

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Participating Institutes

There will be 127 institutes participating in the academic year 2026-27, including 23 IITs, 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, and 47 other GFTIs, for admission counselling through JoSAA. Given below are some of the NITs participating in the counselling.

For the Complete List of Participating Institutes Click Here

JEE Main Counselling 2026: Participating Institutes

Source: JoSAA Business Rules

JEE Main Counselling 2026: JoSAA Vs CSAB

Aspect JoSAA Counseling CSAB Counseling
Purpose Allocates seats in IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs through various rounds using a single platform. Fills vacant seats in the NIT+ system after JoSAA rounds conclude, through special rounds.
Eligibility Open to candidates qualified in JEE Main (for NIT+ System) or JEE Advanced (for IITs); requires registration, choice filling, and document verification. It targets JEE Main qualified candidates, including those who did not participate in JoSAA, were allotted but did not report, or wish to upgrade; it requires fresh registration separate from JoSAA.
Rounds Conducted Typically, 6 rounds of seat allocation Typically, 2 special rounds, depending on seat availability, rounds may vary.
Seat Coverage Covers all initial seats across IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs as per the seat matrix. Focuses on filling leftover/vacant seats in the NIT+ System, including any supernumerary or unfilled quota seats.
Fee Structure Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF): ₹35,000 for GEN/OBC-NCL/EWS₹17,500 for SC/ST/PwD Partial Admission Fee (PAF) for NIT+ system: ₹45,000 GEN/OBC-NCL/EWS₹20,000 SC/ST/PwD (adjusts in institute fees). Similar SAF as JoSAA additional non-refundable registration/participation fee (₹2,000–₹3,000) processes differ from JoSAA
Vacancy Rates ~5-10% seats may remain vacant after all JoSAA rounds Aims to fill the majority of remaining vacant seats post-JoSAA
Institutes Included 23 IITs, 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, and 47 Other-GFTIs (total 127 institutes). Leftover seats in NIT+ System (does not include state-level engineering colleges unless specified for special schemes like CSAB-NEUT).

Also check: JEE Main CSAB NEUT Counselling and JEE Main CSAB SFTI Counselling

JEE Main Counselling 2026: FAQs

Ques. How long is the window to request category/PwD restoration if my certificate is rejected during JoSAA verification?

Ans. If your category changes from reserved to General or PwD to Non-PwD due to an invalid certificate, you can request the restoration online. However, the time provided for this is very short, usually 1-2 days after the last JoSAA round. For example, in 2025, it was July 24-25 from 10 am to 5 pm via the CSAB portal.

Ques. What happens if I forgot to lock my choices before the deadline?

Ans. In case you forgot to lock your choices, the last saved choices of yours will be automatically locked by the system. However, you should be vigilant about the process of counselling and its working.

Ques. Can I participate in CSAB special rounds even if I accepted a seat in JoSAA but didn’t report/join the institute?

Ans. Yes, the CSAB counselling provides opportunities for students who were allotted a seat in JoSAA but chose to Float/Slide till the end and did’t report or withdraw properly. However, if a candidate chooses to freeze and report but does not join the classes, may not be eligible.

Ques. Is the Home state quota applicable in all NITs, and how is Home State determined?

Ans. In most of the NITs, ~50% seats are reserved under the Home State (HS) quota. The home state is determined by the state in which the student appeared for the 12th Class.

Ques. If I have appeared in board exams multiple times for improvement/reappear, which of my marks will be considered for the 75%/ top 20 percentile rule?

Ans. Your best attempt marks will be considered for eligibility to appear in JoSAA counselling if you have given improvement exams or have reappeared in board exams. However, you must upload all relevant marksheets during the document verification process.

Ques. How accurate are the mock allotments? Should I change my choices after them?

Ans. The mock allotments are quite accurate, as many candidates' final seats match their mock allotments is the choices filled are not changed drastically. Mock allotments are based on real data and help you see realistic options you can get. However, it is recommended that students should finalise their choices after the second mock, as further changes rarely improve the outcomes.