The JEE Main cutoff 2026 is the minimum qualifying percentile set by the National Testing Agency (NTA). It decides which students become eligible for JEE Advanced 2026. NTA released the official category-wise cutoff on April 20, 2026, along with the Session 2 result at jeemain.nta.nic.in.
NTA released the official JEE Main 2026 qualifying percentile on April 20, 2026, with the Session 2 result.
Here are the most asked questions about the cutoff, answered in one line each.
- The General category JEE Main 2026 qualifying percentile is 93.4123549, the highest in four years.
- The OBC-NCL qualifying mark stands at 80.9232583 percentile, crossing 80 for the first time.
- The EWS qualifying mark for JEE Advanced 2026 eligibility is 82.4164528 percentile.
- The SC mark is 63.9172792 percentile and the ST mark is 52.0174712 percentile.
- About 2,50,182 students qualified for JEE Advanced 2026 through JEE Main Paper 1.
- For a top NIT CSE seat, you need a rank under 2,000 in the General category.
- The qualifying mark only clears you for JEE Advanced. NIT and IIIT admission uses JoSAA closing ranks.
| Direct Link to Check JEE Main 2026 Cutoff (Out) | JEE Main 2026 Scorecard Link |
| JoSAA 2026 Counselling Portal | Previous Year Cutoff PDFs |
Key Summary
- NTA released the JEE Main 2026 qualifying percentile on April 20, 2026, with the Session 2 result.
- The General qualifying mark rose from 93.10 in 2025 to 93.41 in 2026, a rise of about 0.3 percentile points.
- The OBC-NCL, EWS, SC, and ST marks all rose this year compared with 2025.
- The qualifying mark decides JEE Advanced eligibility. It is different from the admission cutoff used in JoSAA counselling.
- For NIT, IIIT, and GFTI seats, your rank and JoSAA closing rank matter most.
- You should aim for a score above 250 marks to target the top NIT branches.
What is the JEE Main Cutoff 2026?
The cutoff for JEE Main 2026 is the minimum percentile you need to clear the exam. NTA sets it separately for each category. If you score this percentile or more, you become eligible for JEE Advanced 2026.
NTA decides this mark after both sessions are over. It depends on the number of students, the paper difficulty, and the available seats. The cutoff is released as a percentile, not as raw marks.
Previous Year Official JEE Main Cutoff
The table below shows the official qualifying percentile for the last five years. These numbers come from NTA. They are the marks used to decide JEE Advanced eligibility.
| Year | General (CRL) | OBC-NCL | EWS | SC | ST | PwD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 93.4123549 | 80.9232583 | 82.4164528 | 63.9172792 | 52.0174712 | 0.0029051 |
| 2025 | 93.1023262 | 79.4313582 | 80.3830119 | 61.1526933 | 47.9026465 | 0.0079349 |
| 2024 | 93.2362181 | 79.6757881 | 81.3266412 | 60.0923182 | 46.6975840 | 0.0018700 |
| 2023 | 90.7788642 | 73.6114227 | 75.6229025 | 51.9776027 | 37.2348772 | 0.0013527 |
| 2022 | 88.4121383 | 67.0090297 | 63.1114141 | 43.0820954 | 26.7771328 | 0.0031029 |
Source: JEE Main Official Website, NTA
The General mark moved from 88.41 in 2022 to 93.41 in 2026. That is a rise of about 5 percentile points in five years. The OBC-NCL mark jumped almost 14 percentile points over the same period. SC and ST marks rose the fastest, by about 21 and 25 percentile points.
Ques. Is the official cutoff the same as the college cutoff?
Ans. No. The NTA mark only decides your JEE Advanced eligibility. College admission to NITs and IIITs depends on the JoSAA closing rank, which is much higher.
Ques. Did the qualifying percentile increase in 2026?
Ans. Yes. The mark rose for every category in 2026. The General mark reached its highest value in four years at 93.41 percentile.
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff: Important Dates
The qualifying mark is part of a longer admission cycle. The table below lists the key dates for 2026. Upcoming events appear first, followed by the events that are already over.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| JEE Advanced 2026 Result | June 1, 2026 |
| JoSAA 2026 Counselling Registration Begins | June 2, 2026 |
| JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Exam (Over) | January 22 – 30, 2026 |
| JEE Main 2026 Session 1 Result (Over) | February 12, 2026 |
| JEE Main 2026 Session 2 Exam (Over) | April 2 – 9, 2026 |
| JEE Main 2026 Session 2 Result and Qualifying Cutoff (Over) | April 20, 2026 |
| JEE Advanced 2026 Exam (Over) | May 18, 2026 |
The qualifying mark came out with the Session 2 result on April 20, 2026. JoSAA counselling then uses your rank to allot seats. Choice filling starts once registration opens on June 2.
Factors Affecting JEE Main 2026 Cutoff
The JEE Main cutoff changes every year. Many factors decide where it lands. Here are the main ones you should know.
- Number of candidates: More students mean tougher competition. The mark usually rises when more students appear.
- Paper difficulty: An easier paper pushes scores up. This raises the qualifying percentile for that year.
- Seat availability: The number of JEE Advanced slots is fixed at about 2.5 lakh. This caps how many can qualify.
- Category reservation: Each category has its own mark. Reserved categories have a lower qualifying percentile.
- Overall performance: When more students score high, the mark climbs for everyone.
- Normalisation: NTA normalises scores across shifts. This affects the final percentile you get.
- Past trends: The mark rarely swings sharply. It usually moves a few percentile points each year.
JEE Main 2026 Category-Wise Cutoff
NTA sets a different qualifying mark for each category. The table below shows the official 2026 figures. You need this percentile to sit for JEE Advanced 2026.
| Category | Qualifying Percentile 2026 | Qualifying Percentile 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Common Rank List (General) | 93.4123549 | 93.1023262 |
| GEN-EWS | 82.4164528 | 80.3830119 |
| OBC-NCL | 80.9232583 | 79.4313582 |
| SC | 63.9172792 | 61.1526933 |
| ST | 52.0174712 | 47.9026465 |
| PwD (all categories) | 0.0029051 | 0.0079349 |
Source: JEE Main Official Website, NTA
The General mark rose by about 0.3 percentile points from 2025. The OBC-NCL mark crossed 80 for the first time in JEE Main history. The SC mark went past 63, and the ST mark went past 52. Both are record highs.
The OBC-NCL mark has risen by nearly 14 percentile points since 2022. Reserved-category competition is now far sharper than before.
Ques. How many students qualified for JEE Advanced 2026?
Ans. About 2,50,182 students cleared the JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 mark. They are now eligible to register for JEE Advanced 2026.
JEE Main Qualifying Marks vs Admission Cutoff
Many students mix up these two terms. They mean very different things. Knowing the difference helps you plan your admission better.
The qualifying mark is the percentile set by NTA. It only decides if you can sit for JEE Advanced. Clearing it does not give you a seat anywhere.
The admission cutoff is the closing rank in JoSAA counselling. It decides your seat in an NIT, IIIT, or GFTI. This rank is far tighter than the qualifying mark.
- You clear the qualifying mark with a percentile, like 93.41 for General.
- You get a seat based on your rank, like a rank under 2,000 for a top NIT CSE.
- The qualifying mark gates JEE Advanced. The admission cutoff gates college seats.
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff: Session-Wise Analysis
NTA holds JEE Main in two sessions each year. Session 1 runs in January. Session 2 runs in April. You can appear in one or both sessions.
If you take both, NTA keeps your best NTA score. It does not set a separate mark for each session. The qualifying mark is one combined value, released after Session 2.
NTA uses normalisation to compare scores across different shifts. This keeps the result fair when papers differ in difficulty. Your final percentile reflects this normalised score, not your raw marks.
For 2026, NTA combined the best scores from both sessions. It then released one category-wise mark on April 20, 2026. This single value decided JEE Advanced eligibility for all students.
JEE Main Previous Year Cutoff Trends
The JEE Main cutoff has climbed steadily over five years. The rise is clearest for reserved categories. The table below tracks the General mark and the year-on-year shift.
| Year | General Cutoff | Shift from Previous Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 93.4123549 | Up about 0.3 percentile points |
| 2025 | 93.1023262 | Down about 0.1 percentile points |
| 2024 | 93.2362181 | Up about 2.5 percentile points |
| 2023 | 90.7788642 | Up about 2.4 percentile points |
| 2022 | 88.4121383 | Baseline year |
Source: JEE Main Official Website, NTA
The General mark stayed near 93 from 2024 onward. The bigger story is the reserved categories. The SC mark rose from 43.08 in 2022 to 63.91 in 2026. That is a climb of about 21 percentile points. The ST mark rose by about 25 percentile points in the same window.
Ques. Will the cutoff rise again next year?
Ans. The mark has trended upward for four years. If the candidate pool keeps growing, you should expect it to hold near or above the 2026 level.
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for Top Colleges
Your rank decides your seat in NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. IITs use the JEE Advanced rank instead. The table below shows General closing ranks for CSE in top NITs and IIITs.
| Institute | Branch | General Closing Rank (Other State, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| NIT Tiruchirappalli | CSE | 1,400 – 1,500 |
| NIT Warangal | CSE | 2,400 – 2,600 |
| NIT Surathkal | CSE | 2,700 – 2,900 |
| IIIT Hyderabad | CSE | 2,200 – 2,400 |
| NIT Calicut | CSE | 5,400 – 5,800 |
| MNIT Jaipur | CSE | 5,800 – 6,200 |
| IIIT Allahabad | CSE | 6,300 – 6,700 |
These figures are based on JoSAA 2025 closing ranks. The exact numbers shift slightly with each counselling round. CSE stays the tightest branch in every top NIT.
Source: Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA)
For IITs, admission runs on the JEE Advanced rank. As a guide, IIT Bombay CSE closed near rank 68 in JoSAA 2025. That seat is out of reach through JEE Main alone.
JEE Main Tie-Breaking Rules
Two students can score the same percentile. NTA then uses a fixed tie-breaking order to rank them. This decides who gets the better rank.
- First, NTA checks the Mathematics NTA score. The higher score gets the better rank.
- If still tied, NTA checks the Physics NTA score next.
- If still tied, NTA checks the Chemistry NTA score.
- If still tied, the student with fewer wrong answers ranks higher.
- If still tied, the older student gets the better rank.
NTA dropped the application-number step in recent years. The subject-wise order now settles almost every tie. This keeps the ranking fair and clear.
JEE Main Marks vs Rank Linkage
Your percentile maps to a rank. Your marks map to a percentile. The table below shows the rough link for 2025. Use it as a guide for 2026, since the pattern stays close.
| Marks (out of 300) | Percentile | Approx CRL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 286 – 300 | 99.99 – 100 | 1 – 60 |
| 250 – 285 | 99.95 – 99.99 | 60 – 1,400 |
| 220 – 249 | 99.85 – 99.95 | 1,400 – 4,000 |
| 195 – 219 | 99.5 – 99.85 | 4,000 – 9,000 |
| 160 – 194 | 99.0 – 99.5 | 9,000 – 14,000 |
| 130 – 159 | 98.0 – 99.0 | 14,000 – 28,000 |
| 100 – 129 | 95.0 – 98.0 | 28,000 – 70,000 |
| 80 – 99 | 90.0 – 95.0 | 70,000 – 1,40,000 |
The exact link changes a little each year. It depends on the paper and the number of students. A score above 250 marks usually keeps you under rank 1,400.
A 99 percentile score does not mean a three-digit rank. It still places you near rank 9,000 to 14,000 in a year with more than 14 lakh students.
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff: Counselling Process
The qualifying mark is only the first gate. Your seat comes through JoSAA counselling. JoSAA handles all IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs in one window.
JoSAA 2026 registration begins on June 2, 2026. You fill and lock your choices of college and branch. The system then allots seats based on your rank and choices.
- Registration and choice filling: You list your preferred colleges and branches in order.
- Seat allotment: JoSAA runs several rounds. Each round has its own closing rank.
- Seat acceptance: You pay the fee and confirm your seat after each round.
- Reporting: You report to the allotted college to complete admission.
Students who miss JoSAA can try CSAB special rounds later. CSAB fills the seats left empty after JoSAA. Both use your JEE Main rank.
How to Check JEE Main 2026 Cutoff
You can check the official mark in a few simple steps. It appears with your scorecard. Keep your login details ready.
- Visit the official website at jeemain.nta.nic.in.
- Click on the JEE Main 2026 scorecard or cutoff link.
- Log in with your application number and date of birth.
- Open your scorecard to see your percentile and category mark.
- Download the category-wise cutoff PDF for your records.
The scorecard shows your percentile next to the qualifying mark. If your percentile is higher, you qualify for JEE Advanced. Save a copy for counselling.
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff FAQs
Ques. What is the JEE Main 2026 cutoff for the General category?
Ans. The General category mark for 2026 is 93.4123549 percentile. You need this percentile or higher to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026.
Ques. When was the JEE Main 2026 cutoff released?
Ans. NTA released the qualifying percentile on April 20, 2026. It came out along with the Session 2 Paper 1 result.
Ques. Is the JEE Main cutoff in marks or percentile?
Ans. NTA releases the qualifying mark in percentile, not raw marks. The percentile comes from your normalised NTA score across both sessions.
Ques. Does clearing the cutoff guarantee a college seat?
Ans. No. The mark only makes you eligible for JEE Advanced. A college seat depends on your JoSAA closing rank, which is far tighter.
Ques. What is the OBC-NCL mark for JEE Main 2026?
Ans. The OBC-NCL mark for 2026 is 80.9232583 percentile. This is the first time it has crossed 80 percentile.
Ques. How many students qualified for JEE Advanced 2026?
Ans. About 2,50,182 students cleared the JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 mark. They can now register for JEE Advanced 2026.
Ques. What rank do I need for CSE in a top NIT?
Ans. You need a General rank under about 2,000 for CSE in NIT Trichy or NIT Warangal. The exact closing rank shifts each counselling round.
Ques. How many marks give a 99 percentile in JEE Main?
Ans. A 99 percentile usually needs about 160 to 175 marks out of 300. The exact figure changes with the paper difficulty each shift.
Ques. Is the qualifying mark different for each session?
Ans. No. NTA sets one combined mark after both sessions. It uses your best NTA score from Session 1 and Session 2.
Ques. Does the JEE Main cutoff change every year?
Ans. Yes. The mark depends on the number of students and the paper difficulty. It has risen for four straight years for most categories.
Ques. What happens if I score below the cutoff?
Ans. You cannot sit for JEE Advanced if you score below it. You can still use your JEE Main rank for NIT, IIIT, and GFTI counselling.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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