The JEE Main cutoff for 2026 will be released by the National Testing Agency (NTA), expectedly by April 2026, along with the JEE Main session 2 results.- jeemain.nta.nic.in
The JEE Main cutoff is the minimum percentile required to qualify for JEE Advanced and to be eligible for IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs via JoSSA Counselling.
- With over 13 lakh candidates appearing for the JEE Main 2026 session 1, competition has increased compared to the previous years when participation was around 12 lakh, as a result, the cutoff is expected to remain high.
- For JEE Main 2026, the expected cutoff percentile for the General category is likely to be between 93 to 95 percentile.
- For the EWS and OBC categories, candidates can expect the cutoff to fall in the range of 80 to 82 percentile.
- SC and ST category candidates can expect the cutoff to be around 60-63 and 47-50, respectively.
JEE Main 2025 Cutoff as released by NTA Officially.
Related Links:
- JEE Main 2026 Rank vs Percentile Predictor
- JEE Main 2026 Category-wise Cutoff
- JEE Main College-List Rank Wise
- List of Colleges Accepting Scores Between 75 to 90 percentile in JEE Main 2026
There are 15 lakh+ seats for B.Tech in different institutes, 24000+ in NITs , 9000+ in IIITs and 10000+ in GFTIs.
Source: Indian Express
Also Check:
FAQs:
Ques. How many marks are needed for under 10,000 rank in 2026?
Ans. For under 10,000 rank in JEE Main 2026, candidates need to score marks above 195 out of 300. For rank under 5000,candidates need to score between 200-230 out of 300.
Ques. Is the JEE Main 2026 cutoff higher than 2025?
Ans. In JEE Main 2026 paper level was moderate ,similar to that of 2025, but due to higher number of candidates as compared to previous years, cutoff is expected to increase slightly.
What is the JEE Main 2026 cutoff?
The JEE Main Cutoff will be calculated by using normalised percentile, not the raw marks, for balancing the difficulty among various shifts.
- In JEE Main Qualifying cutoff & Admission cutoff will be different.
- The qualifying percentile will be used for eligibility for JEE Advanced, whereas the JoSAA Closing ranks will decide the actual admission cutoff.
JoSSA Opening and Closing Ranks
| Rounds | IITs | NITs | IIITs | GFTIs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF |
| Round 2 | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF |
| Round 3 | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF |
| Round 4 | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF |
| Round 5 | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF |
| Round 6 | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF | View PDF |
*Above PDFs are directly taken from JoSSA’s official website, josaa.nic.in .
Check: The Difference Between JEE Main All India Rank and All India Category Rank
Ques. What is a good score in JEE Mains 2026?
Ans. A good JEE Main score is generally above 200 out of 300, with these marks you can expect your percentile between 98 to 99.9 and make easy entry to Top NITs,IIITs and GFTIs.For candidates with lower percentile than 95 there are plenty of options of GFTIs and State Government Colleges.
Ques.Can I get NIT at 95 percentile?
Ans. Yes, with 95 percentile in JEE Mains , you can get into Mid-tier and Newer NITs via JoSSA Counselling. For top branches you can target GFTIs and State Government Colleges with this percentile.
Ques. Is JEE Main 2026 Harder than 2025?
Ans. In 2025,JEE Main exam was moderate,leading to a general qualifying cutoff to 93.1.In the year 2026 session 1, JEE Main exam was of moderate difficulty but number of candidates are expected to be high so expected cutoff will be around 93.5 to 95 percentile.
Also Check:
JEE Main Cutoff 2026 category-wise for Top Colleges:
As per previous year analysis,the qualifying cutoff is expected to be high due to high competition as more than 14 lakh candidates are expected to appear in JEE Main 2026 session 1 & session 2 combined.
Using JoSSA counselling officially released data of previous years and @WeWonAcademy ,we have concluded that,
General Cutoff for JEE Main 2026 for Top Colleges
- The CS and IT branches of Top NITs and IIITs are expected to have a closing rank around 1500 to 5000, which requires a percentile between 99 and 99.7.
- For ECE and Electrical branches, the expected closing rank lies around 5000 to 28000,which requires a percentile between 96 and 98.8.
- For Civil,Mechanical and other core branches,the expected closing rank lies around 15000 to 70000,which requires a percentile between 92 and 96.8.
- Overall a percentile between 92 and 99.8 is a safe score for Top NITs and IIITs.
| Branch | Expected Closing Rank | Expected Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| CSE | 500-8000 | 98.8-99.9 |
| IT/AI/CSE Specializations | 2000-12000 | 98.0-99.5 |
| ECE | 5000-18000 | 97.0-98.8 |
| Electrical | 8000-28000 | 96.0-97.8 |
| Mechanical | 15000-45000 | 94.5-96.8 |
| Civil/Other lower branches | 30000-70000 | 92.0-95.4 |
OBC Cutoff for JEE Main 2026 for Top Colleges
- For CSE , OBC candidates can expect a closing rank between 4,000 and 18,000, which requires around 97 to 99th percentile.
- IT/AI and ECE Branches can extend up to 25 to 40k ranks, giving high admission chances for candidates scoring in the 94th to 98th percentile.
- With the reservation benefits, the admission chances can increase, but still, for top branches 95+ percentile is required.
| Branch | Expected Closing Rank | Expected Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| CSE | 2000-15000 | 97.5-99.3 |
| IT/AI/CSE Specializations | 5000-20000 | 96.5-98.5 |
| ECE | 10000-35000 | 95-97.5 |
| Electrical | 18000-45000 | 93.5-96.0 |
| Mechanical | 30000-70000 | 91.0-94.0 |
| Civil/Other lower branches | 50000-110000 | 88.0-92.0 |
Check: List of colleges accepting 99+ percentile in JEE Main 2026
EWS Cutoff for JEE Main 2026 for Top Colleges
- For CS and IT branches in top NITs and IIITs,the closing ranks will be around 1500 to 15000, which requires a percentile above 97.0.
- Closing Ranks for lower branches can go up to 85000, which requires a percentile between 89 and 93.
| Branch | Expected Closing Rank | Expected Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| CSE | 1500-10000 | 98.5.5-99.6 |
| IT/AI/CSE Specializations | 3000-15000 | 97.5-99 |
| ECE | 7000-25000 | 96-98.5 |
| Electrical | 12000-35000 | 94.5-97.0 |
| Mechanical | 20000-55000 | 92.0-95.5 |
| Civil/Other lower branches | 35000-85000 | 89.0-93.0 |
SC Cutoff for JEE Main 2026 for Top Colleges
- For top branches, SC candidates can expect closing ranks up to 90000,which requires a percentile between 89 and 97.
- For lower branches,closing ranks can exceed up to 250000,which requires a percentile above 75.
| Branch | Expected Closing Rank | Expected Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| CSE | 10000-45000 | 94.0-97.0 |
| IT/AI/CSE Specializations | 20000-60000 | 92.0-95.0 |
| ECE | 35000-90000 | 89.0-93.0 |
| Electrical | 60000-120000 | 85.0-90.0 |
| Mechanical | 80000-160000 | 82.0-88.0 |
| Civil/Other lower branches | 120000-250000 | 75.0-85.0 |
ST Cutoff for JEE Main 2026 for Top Colleges
- For top branches, candidates need a rank between 25000 and 150000, which suggests the percentile between 80 and 95.
- For Civil and other core branches closing ranks can extend up to 500,000, making possibility for candidates with 70-80 percentile.
| Branch | Expected Closing Rank | Expected Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| CSE | 25000-80000 | 90.0-95.0 |
| IT/AI/CSE Specializations | 40000-100000 | 88.0-92.0 |
| ECE | 70000-150000 | 80.0-88.0 |
| Electrical | 100000-200000 | 75.0-85.0 |
| Mechanical | 150000-250000 | 70.0-80.0 |
| Civil/Other lower branches | 200000+ | 60.0-75.0 |
FAQs:
Ques. Are GFTIs(Government-Funded Technical Institutions) easier to get than NITs and IIITs?
Ans. Yes, GFTIs are easier to get than NITs and IIITs because of their low cutoffs.Candidates with percentile above 90 can target top GFTIs for best choice.
Ques. Which is the best among NIT,IIIT and GFTI?
Ans. Among NIT,IIIT and GFTIs, NITs hold the top position due to its amazing placements and reputation.IIITs are best for candidates targeting IT/AI based careers,as they are more learning oriented.
Check:
JEE Main Cutoff for Top NITs,IIITs and GFTIs
The JEE Main Cutoff for NITs,IIITs and GFTIs varies institute to institute depending on the seats available and number of candidates appearing for the exam.
The JEE Main Closing Ranks will represent the rank at which the candidates will be admitted last for each category,course and round.
JEE Main 2026 Expected Cutoff for NITs
- JEE Main Cutoff for NITs are high due to Limited Seats and High Demand.
- Candidates can take advantage of up to 40% in closing ranks with Home State Quota.
The table shows the JEE Main 2025 Last Round Closing Cutoff for Computer Science and Engineering across Categories at the top NITs.
| Institute | General(Closing Rank) | OBC(Closing Rank) | SC(Closing Rank) | ST(Closing Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIT Jalandhar | 16325 | 8919 | 3454 | 3795 |
| NIT Jaipur | 6013 | 1922 | 1369 | 358 |
| NIT Bhopal | 11415 | 4437 | 2905 | 1330 |
| NIT Allahabad | 6562 | 2599 | 1132 | 1280 |
| NIT Agartala | 75417 | - | 8718 | 10738 |
| NIT Arunachal Pradesh | 78084 | 35124 | 26592 | 18929 |
| NIT Calicut | 8428 | 2881 | 4674 | 655 |
| NIT Delhi | 10165 | 7180 | 2093 | 1301 |
| NIT Durgapur | 11587 | 7980 | 1562 | 2230 |
| NIT Goa | 16198 | 12567 | - | 1475 |
Source: JoSSA Official Website
Also Check:
JEE Main 2026 Expected Cutoff for IIITs
- The IIITs are preferred by the candidate mostly for Software and AIML-based careers.
- Seat intake in IIITs are comparatively low which increases its cutoff.
- With the increasing demand for IT Jobs,cutoffs for IIITs are increasing.
The table below shows the JEE Main 2025 Last Round Closing Cutoff for Computer Science and Engineering across Categories at top IIITs.
| Institute | General(Closing Rank) | OBC(Closing Rank) | SC(Closing Rank) | ST(Closing Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIITM Gwalior | 9527 | 3413 | 2092 | 933 |
| IIIT Nagpur | 29123 | 11280 | 7431 | 3785 |
| IIIT Pune | 21029 | 8439 | 5646 | 3128 |
| IIIT Ranchi | 38063 | 14896 | 9351 | 4536 |
| IIIT Chittoor | 26387 | 10575 | 7536 | 3530 |
| IIIT Kota | 27400 | 11048 | 7467 | 3310 |
| IIIT Bhagalpur | 44476 | 16641 | 10415 | 5187 |
| IIIT Bhopal | 27095 | 11401 | 7875 | 3928 |
| IIIT Guwahati | 22739 | 8583 | 5708 | 2799 |
| IIIT Manipur | 58080 | 19787 | 11300 | 5495 |
Source: JoSSA Counselling
Also Check: JEE Main college for rank 1 lakh to 2.5 lakh, Check Colleges for CSE and Other JEE Main Courses
JEE Main 2026 Expected Cutoff for GFTIs
- The GFTIs are more accessible than the NITs and IIITs. The Cutoff can vary as per the location, branch and its reputation.
- GFTIs are a great option for candidates looking for government-recognised institutions with lower cutoffs than NITs/IIITs.
| Top GFTIs | Expected Percentile Required (CSE,General) |
|---|---|
| BIT Mesra | 97.5 - 98.5 |
| PEC Chandigarh | 97.0 - 98.0 |
| IIEST Shibpur | 96.5 - 97.5 |
| Assam University | 94.0 - 96.0 |
FAQs:
Ques. How does competition affect the JEE Main cutoff?
Ans. Higher competition leads to higher cutoff in JEE Mains.For JEE Mains 2026,expected number of candidates are between 14 lakh to 15 lakh, which is higher as compared to previous years.
Ques. How many candidates appeared in JEE Main 2026?
Ans. A total of 13,04,653 candidates appeared for JEE Main Session 1 out of 13,55,293 registered candidates ,as per NTA Official Release. This makes JEE Main 2026 session 1 appearance one of the Highest ever.
You can check the JEE Main Cutoffs for NITs, IIITs and GFTIs, in the tables given below:
JEE Main Cutoff for NITs
JEE Main Cutoff for IIITs
JEE Main Cutoff for GFTIs
Also, Check:
Previous Year JEE Main Cutoff Trends
The Previous years JEE Main Qualifying cutoff will show the change in the competition level since the last few years.
- The General category cutoff has increased from 88.41 in 2022 to 93 in 2024, which shows high participation and better performance.
- Since 2024, the cutoff has been stable for all categories.
| Year | General | OBC | EWS | SC | ST | PwD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 93.10 | 80.06 | 79.43 | 60.09 | 46.70 | 0.001 |
| 2024 | 93.24 | 81.33 | 79.67 | 60.09 | 46.70 | 0.001 |
| 2023 | 90.78 | 75.62 | 73.61 | 51.98 | 37.23 | 0.001 |
| 2022 | 88.41 | 63.11 | 67.01 | 43.08 | 26.77 | 0.001 |
Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in
JEE Main 2026 Marks vs Percentile
The relation between JEE Main Marks and Percentile will help candidates understand their rank. As JEE Main exam is held in different shifts, NTA uses normalisation to determine candidate’s percentile.
- JEE Main Ranks are based on percentile not raw marks in the exam.
- Candidates are expected to have different percentiles on the same marks due to varied difficulty in different shifts.
| Marks Range (Out of 300) | Expected Percentile Range | Performance Band |
|---|---|---|
| 285-300 | 99.9-100 | Top Ranker (AIR <100) |
| 260-284 | 99.7-99.9 | Top 1000 candidates |
| 240-259 | 99.3-99.69 | Excellent |
| 220-239 | 98.8-99.29 | Very Strong |
| 200-219 | 98.0-98.79 | Strong |
| 180-199 | 96.5-97.99 | Above average |
| 160-179 | 94.0-96.49 | Competitive |
| 140-159 | 91.0-93.99 | Average |
| 120-139 | 87.0-90.99 | Below average |
| 100-119 | 80.0-86.99 | Low |
| Below 100 | Below 80 | Needs improvement |
FAQs:
Ques. JEE Main 2026 Marks vs Rank?
Ans. As per previous years data by NTA,Marks above 200 is expected to give rank under 5000, marks between 190-200, can rank between 5000-12000,marks in range of 170-180 can get rank around 15000 to 25000 and candidates with marks near 150 out of 300 can expect rank of around 40000.
Ques. Marks required for 99 percentile in JEE Main 2026?
Ans. For 99 percentile, candidates need to score 190+ marks out of 300 in JEE Main 2026, though it slightly varies with shifts and normalisation,as per previous years data by NTA,200+ marks is a safe score for 99 percentile irrespective of shifts.
JEE Main 2026 Shift-wise Marks vs Percentile vs Rank
After analysing the difficulty level of each shift in JEE Main 2026 session 1, and @DivineJEE youtube video , we have concluded that the marks required for 99+ percentile is highest in 21 Jan Shift 1 , marks this shift as easiest ,whereas least in 21 Jan Shift 2, makes this shift most difficult among all shifts in session 1.
| Percentile | 21 Jan Shift 1 | 21 Jan Shift 2 | 22 Jan Shift 1 | 22 Jan Shift 2 | 23 Jan Shift 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99.50+ | 200 | 190 | 193 | 200 | 198 |
| 99.00-99.49 | 190 | 175 | 177 | 185 | 183 |
| 98.00-98.99 | 172 | 154 | 158 | 165 | 162 |
| 97.00-97.99 | 155 | 138 | 142 | 148 | 145 |
| 96.00-96.99 | 142 | 125 | 128 | 133 | 131 |
| 95.00-95.99 | 132 | 114 | 117 | 120 | 119 |
| 94.00-94.99 | 124 | 105 | 107 | 110 | 109 |
| 93.00-93.99 | 115 | 98 | 99 | 102 | 102 |
| 92.00-92.99 | 108 | 93 | 93 | 96 | 96 |
| 91.00-91.99 | 103 | 88 | 89 | 92 | 93 |
| 90.00-90.99 | 99 | 85 | 86 | 90 | 89 |
Also, Check:
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FAQs
Ques. What is the Expected JEE Main 2026 cutoff for NIT admission forGeneral category?
Ans. For admissions into NITs , General category candidates should target at least 96.5+ percentile as the admission cutoffs are expected to increase due to high demands of NITs and low seat intake.
Ques. What is the JEE Main cutoff 2026 for PwD category UR-PwD?
Ans. For PwD candidates, in 2025 JEE Main cutoff was as low as 0.007 percentile . A total of 3950 PwD candidates qualified for JEE Advanced in 2025.
Ques. Has the JEE Main cutoff increased in 2026 compared to 2025 for General?
Ans. JEE Main 2026 Cutoffs are not released officially yet, but the cutoff is expected to be high as compared to previous years due to higher number of applicants. For general category , candidates can expect the qualifying cutoff to be around 93-95 percentile.
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