The JEE Main Cutoff will be released on the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in, after the session 2 result will be released.

The JEE Main 2026 Session 1 is over now. The overall difficulty level was moderate to high, and more than 14.5 lakh candidates have registered, showing high competition as well.

  • As the total number of candidates and the difficulty level of JEE Main 2026 are high, the cutoff can increase as compared to 2025
  • The JEE Main category-wise expected qualifying cutoff can be around 93.5-95 for general candidates, 80-82 for OBC-NCL Candidates, 81 for EWS, 60-62 for SC and 48 to 50 for ST Candidates.
  • In JEE Main Qualifying cutoff & admission cutoff will be different. The qualifying percentile will be used for eligibility, whereas the JoSAA Closing ranks will decide the actual admission.

In Top NITs, the closing rank will be AIR 1,000-1,200, in lower NITs/GFTIs, candidates can get admission with AIR Upto 40,000 to 50,000.

The JEE Main cutoff is the minimum percentile which is required to get admission in NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, and to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026.

JoSAA 2025 Opening and Closing Ranks

Rounds IITs NIT IIIT GFTI
Round 1 Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF
Round 2 Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF
Round 3 Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF
Round 4 Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF
Round 5 Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF
Round 6 Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF

*These are directly taken from JoSAA’s official website, josaa.nic.in.

JEE Main Cutoff

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Key Summary

In this Article, we have discussed the JEE Main Cutoff 2026, including the Qualifying Marks and Percentiles for NITs, IIITs & GFTIs

  • For Admissions in top NITs, you should get a 99.2 to 99.6 percentile, around 180 to 210 marks.
  • The GFTI cutoff varies with lots of factors, with the rank range till 20,000 in top colleges.
  • If you have a home state quota, then your cutoff will have a relaxation of up to 30 to 50%, but in high competition states, the advantage is less.
  • For top colleges, a good score is 180+ marks, whereas with 120+, you can get into GFTIs and Newer NITs.
  • The Cutoff for the SC/ST Category has the highest relaxation, with ranks more than 1lakh+ as compared to the general category.

What is JEE Main Cutoff?

The JEE Main Cutoff is the minimum percentile, released by NTA to check the eligibility for JEE Advanced and JoSAA Counselling in NITs, IIITs and GFTIs.

The Cutoff will be calculated by using normalised percentile, not the raw marks, for balancing the difficulty among various shifts.

JEE Main Category-Wise Qualifying Cutoff 2026

  • The General category cutoff is above 93 percentile from 2024, which shows high competition.
  • The Cutoff percentile changes every year as per the total candidates, difficulty & overall performance.
  • The JEE Main Cutoff will differ for all categories due to the reservation criteria.
Category Expected Qualifying Cutoff (Percentile) Approx. Marks Range (Out of 300) Eligibility Impact
General (UR) 93.5 – 95.0 90 – 100 JEE Advanced + JoSAA
Gen-EWS 80.5 – 82.5 75 – 83 Category-wise eligibility
OBC-NCL 79.5 – 81.5 75 – 81 Reserved category eligibility
SC 61.5 – 64.0 50 – 55 JEE Advanced eligibility
ST 48.0 – 50.5 40 – 45 JEE Advanced eligibility
PwD 0.001 – 1.0 < 10 Eligibility only
JEE Main Qualifying cutoff

As per @WeWonAcademy, the category-wise expected cutoff marks of JEE Main 2026 are:

Check:

JEE Main 2026 Expected Cutoff PDF

JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for NITs (Expected)
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for GFTIs (Expected)
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for IIITs (Expected)

Ques. What Is a Good Score to Get Admission Through JEE Main?

Ans. A Good JEE Main Score will depend on the college you’re targeting. As the admissions are based on percentiles and rank, with a high percentile, you will directly get a better institute option.

Good Score for JEE Main 2026

Target College Type Good Percentile Approx. Score (Out of 300) Rank Range
Top NITs (Trichy, Warangal, Surathkal) 98.5 – 99.5 180 – 210 1,500 – 15,000
Top IIITs (Allahabad, Delhi, Hyderabad)* 97.5 – 99.2 165 – 200 5,000 – 25,000
Mid-tier NITs / IIITs 95 – 97.5 140 – 160 30,000 – 60,000
GFTIs (Overall Admissions) 90 – 95 110 – 140 60,000 – 1,20,000
Eligibility for JEE Advanced 93 – 95+ 120 – 150 70,000 rank & above

Ques. How did the difficulty level of JEE Main papers impact the cutoff changes across 2023, 2024, and 2025?

Ans. The Difficulty level of JEE Main will affect your percentile directly, if paper is easy the cutoff will increase and if the difficulty will increase, the cutoff will decrease.

From the year 2023 to 2025, the difficulty level along with cutoff has changed.

Difficulty Level vs Cutoff Comparison

Year Overall Difficulty Key Subject Trend Impact on Qualifying Cutoff
2023 Moderate Maths is lengthy, Physics is easy Stable cutoff due to balanced paper
2024 Easy–Moderate Chemistry is easiest Cutoff increased due to higher scores
2025 Moderate Maths tougher, Physics scoring Cutoff slightly increased despite tougher Maths

Also, Check:

JEE Main Previous-Year Cutoff Trends

The Previous year JEE Main Qualifying cutoff will show the change in the competition level since the last few years. The official percentile is released by NTA after the second session 2 exam, which will decide the eligibility for JEE Advanced and JoSAA Counselling.

  • 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.

JEE Main Official Qualifying Cutoffs Percentile

Year General (UR) Gen-EWS OBC-NCL 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
JEE Main cutoff

Source: jeemain.nta.nic.in

Also, Check:

JEE Main Cutoff for NITs
JEE Main Cutoff for IIITs
JEE Main Cutoff for GFTIs

JEE Main Cutoff for NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs

The JEE Main Cutoff for NITs, IIITs and GFTIs will differ according to the total number of seats in each and the total number of candidates who appeared in JEE Main.

The JEE Main closing ranks will represent the rank at which the candidates will be admitted last for each category, course, and round.

Expected JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for Top NITs

  • The JEE Main Cutoff for NITs is high because of limited seats and more demand for CSE.
  • With the home-state quota, you can have an advantage of 25 to 40% in the closing ranks.
  • In 2026, the cutoff is expected to increase, as the total number of candidates is expected to be more than 14 lakhs.
  • With a difference of 5 to 10 marks, your rank can have a major shift.
Top NITs Expected Percentile Approx. Marks (Out of 300)
NIT Trichy 99.9+ 230 – 260+
NIT Surathkal 99.85 – 99.9 225 – 255
NIT Warangal 99.85 – 99.9 220 – 250
NIT Calicut 99.7 – 99.85 210 – 240

The table shows the JEE Main 2025 Last Round Closing Cutoff for Computer Science and Engineering across Categories at tthe op 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: JoSAA Counselling

JEE Main cutoff for NITs

Expected JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for Top IIITs

  • The IIITs are most preferred by the candidates for software and AI-based careers.
  • The IIITs have more focus on computer science. The New IIITs offer entry below 99.5 percentile.
  • The Competition is high in IIITs, which increases their cutoff above NITs. The Seat intake is low, which makes the percentile high.
  • In the metro cities, the IIITs will have more than 25 to 30% closing ranks because of high demand for technical jobs.
Top IIITs Expected Percentile Approx. Marks (Out of 300)
IIIT Hyderabad 99.95+ 240 – 270+
IIIT Bangalore 99.9+ 235 – 265
IIIT Allahabad 99.6 – 99.8 205 – 235
IIIT Gwalior 99.3 – 99.6 195 – 225
IIIT Lucknow 99.0 – 99.3 185 – 210

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: JoSAA Counselling

JEE Main cutoff for iits

Expected JEE Main Cutoff for Top GFTIs

  • The GFTIs are more accessible than the NITs and IIITs. The Cutoff can vary as per the location, branch and its reputation.
  • The Candidates looking to get into government-recognised institutions with lower cutoffs than NITs/IIITs can go for GFTIs.
  • The Cutoff for SC/ST candidates is around 40 to 45% lower than the general category ranks.
Top GFTIs Expected Percentile Approx. Marks (Out of 300)
BIT Mesra 97.5 – 98.5 155 – 185
PEC Chandigarh 97.0 – 98.0 150 – 180
IIEST Shibpur 96.5 – 97.5 140 – 170
Assam University 94.0 – 96.0 120 – 150

JEE Main Cutoff for NITs 2026

NIT Trichy JEE Main Cut off NIT Jaipur JEE Main Cut off
NIT Surathkal JEE Main Cut off NIT Silchar JEE Main Cut off
NIT Rourkela JEE Main Cut off NIT Nagpur JEE Main Cut off
NIT Warangal JEE Main Cut off NIT Durgapur JEE Main Cut off
NIT Calicut JEE Main Cut off NIT Jalandhar JEE Main Cut off

JEE Main GFTI Cutoff 2026

Assam University, Silchar JEE Main Cut Off School of Engineering, Tezpur University JEE Main Cut Off
BIT, Mesra JEE Main Cut Off SPA Bhopal JEE Main Cut Off
Gurukula Kangri, Haridwar JEE Main Cut Off SLIET JEE Main Cut Off
SPA, New Delhi JEE Main Cut Off SPA Vijaywada JEE Main Cut Off
School of Engineering, Tezpur University JEE Main Cut Off Mizoram University JEE Main Cut Off

JEE Main IIIT Cutoff 2026

IIITDM Kancheepuram JEE Main Cut off IIIT Gwalior JEE Main Cut off
IIIT Nagpur JEE Main Cut off IIIT Allahabad JEE Main Cut off
IIIT Pune JEE Main Cut off IIIT Dharwad JEE Main Cut off
IIIT Vadodara JEE Main Cut off IIIT Bhagalpur JEE Main Cut off
IIIT Guwahati JEE Main Cut off IIIT Jabalpur JEE Main Cut off

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Ques. What percentile is needed for top NITs like Trichy, Warangal & Surathkal in 2026?

Ans. In Top NITs, the branches like CSE, ECE, and other branches like AI/ML have the highest cutoff.

  • As per the previous year's analysis, the expected percentile range for 2026 will be 98.5-99.5, which can differ according to seat type and category.
  • For CSE, the targeted percentile should be 99.4, as the seats are limited and demand is high.
  • The NIT Warangal and Trichy often have the closing rank of 100 to 300 above Surathkal.

Ques. Are GFTIs Easier to Get Than NITs and IIITs?

Ans. A lot of candidates think that GFTIs are a good backup option, but it varies according to the institute type and branch. Some GFTIs like IIEST Shibpur, PEC Chandigarh, and JEC Jabalpur have the same competition as NITs.

GFTIs vs NITs vs IIITs – Average Closing Rank Range

Institute Type General OBC-NCL EWS SC ST
Top NITs 5,000 – 22,000 3,000 – 10,000 4,000 – 12,000 18,000 – 55,000 8,000 – 30,000
Top IIITs 6,000 – 28,000 4,000 – 15,000 5,000 – 18,000 25,000 – 75,000 10,000 – 45,000
Top GFTIs 18,000 – 45,000 12,000 – 30,000 14,000 – 32,000 40,000 – 1,00,000 20,000 – 65,000
Mid–Low GFTIs 40,000 – 1,50,000+ 25,000 – 80,000 30,000 – 90,000 75,000 – 2,00,000+ 40,000 – 1,50,000+

What is the difference between JEE Main Qualifying & Admission cutoff

According to some candidates, by clearing the JEE Main cutoff, your seat will be guaranteed, but for admission, both the qualifying and admission cutoffs are important. The Qualifying cutoff will be used to qualify for the exam, and the admission cutoff to actually get into college.

Difference Between JEE Main Qualifying Cutoff & Admission Cutoff

Basis JEE Main Qualifying Cutoff JEE Main Admission Cutoff
Purpose To become eligible for JEE Advanced To secure admission in NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs
Released By NTA JoSAA / CSAB
Expressed As Percentile Opening & Closing Ranks
Category-wise Yes (UR, EWS, OBC, SC, ST, PwD) Yes (plus Home State, Gender, Quota)
When Released With the Session 2 result (April) During JoSAA counselling rounds
Competition Level Filters top ~2.5 lakh candidates Highly branch & college dependent
Admission Guaranteed? No Yes, if the rank falls within the cutoff
Changes Every Year? Slight variation Varies significantly by branch demand

JEE Main Cutoff Percentile 2026: What percentile is in each mark range?

By the JEE Main Cutoff percentile, candidates can understand which college and branch they can get intoat a given percentile.

As the admission will depend upon the percentile-to-rank conversion and JoSAA Closing ranks, each percentile range will have different opportunities.

  • The 99th percentile is a benchmark to get admission into top NITs and IIIT Admissions, mainly in CSE.
  • Between 95 to 97 percentile, the admission will depend upon the branch choice and JoSAA Strategy.
  • Below 93 percentile, the options of central institutes will reduce, and state counselling will be important.

JEE Main Cutoff for 99 Percentile (99.0 – 99.9)

Percentile Band Expected AIR Range Estimated Marks (Out of 300) Admission Outlook (2026)
99.9+ < 1,000 235 – 260+ Top NITs (CSE/IT), IIIT Hyderabad/Bangalore*
99.7 – 99.89 1,000 – 2,500 225 – 240 Top NITs (ECE/Mech), IIIT Allahabad (CSE)
99.4 – 99.69 2,500 – 5,000 215 – 225 Top–Mid NITs, Top IIITs
99.0 – 99.39 5,000 – 12,000 195 – 215 Mid NITs, High-demand GFTIs

JEE Main Cutoff for 96 Percentile (96.0 – 96.9)

Percentile Band Expected AIR Range Estimated Marks Admission Outlook
96.8 – 96.99 40,000 – 45,000 145 – 155 Lower NIT branches, Top GFTIs
96.4 – 96.79 45,000 – 50,000 140 – 145 GFTIs, New IIITs
96.0 – 96.39 50,000 – 55,000 135 – 140 Core branches at select institutes

JEE Main Cutoff for 95 Percentile (95.0 – 95.9)

Percentile Band Expected AIR Range Estimated Marks Admission Outlook
95.7 – 95.99 55,000 – 60,000 130 – 135 HS quota NIT seats, GFTIs
95.3 – 95.69 60,000 – 65,000 125 – 130 GFTIs, IIITs (core branches)
95.0 – 95.29 65,000 – 70,000 120 – 125 Limited JoSAA options

JEE Main Cutoff for 92 Percentile (92.0 – 92.9)

Percentile Band Expected AIR Range Estimated Marks Admission Outlook
92.6 – 92.99 90,000 – 95,000 105 – 110 Few GFTIs, peripheral branches
92.3 – 92.59 95,000 – 1,00,000 100 – 105 Mostly state-funded institutes
92.0 – 92.29 1,00,000 – 1,10,000 95 – 100 Very limited central options

JEE Main Cutoff for 90 Percentile (90.0 – 90.9)

Percentile Band Expected AIR Range Estimated Marks Admission Outlook
90.6 – 90.99 1,20,000 – 1,25,000 95 – 100 State counselling preferred
90.3 – 90.59 1,25,000 – 1,30,000 90 – 95 Private engineering colleges
90.0 – 90.29 1,30,000 – 1,40,000 85 – 90 Limited central seats

Check:

200 Marks In JEE Main Percentile 120 marks in JEE Main percentile
250 marks in JEE Main percentile 150 Marks in JEE Main Percentile
180 Marks in JEE Main Percentile 220 Marks in JEE Main Percentile
50 Marks in JEE Main Percentile 190 Marks in JEE Main Percentile
70 Marks in JEE Main Percentile 40 Marks in JEE Main Percentile
30 Marks in JEE Main Percentile 10 Marks in JEE Main Percentile
170 Marks in JEE Main Percentile 100 Marks in JEE Main Percentile
240 Marks in JEE Main Percentile 20 Marks in JEE Main Percentile
160 Marks in JEE Main Percentile 210 Marks in JEE Main Percentile

JEE Main College-Predictor Based on your cutoff

A JEE Main College Predictor will use the opening & closing ranks from the previous year JoSAA Rounds to check the expected colleges you can get as per your rank/percentile.

JEE Main college predictor

JEE Main College Predictor (Based on Cutoff Ranges)

  • The College Predictor follows the previous year's closing ranks to provide you with the expected college.
  • The Flexibility for branch choice will increase as the rank improves. With top ranks, you can select popular branches at an early stage.
JEE Main Rank Range Approx. Percentile Likely Colleges Branch Possibilities
Up to 500 99.95+ Top NITs, IIIT Hyderabad* CSE, AI, Data Science
501 – 2,000 99.5 – 99.94 NIT Trichy, Warangal, Surathkal CSE, ECE
2,001 – 5,000 99.0 – 99.49 NIT Allahabad, Rourkela CSE, ECE
5,001 – 10,000 98.0 – 98.99 Mid-tier NITs, Top IIITs ECE, EE
10,001 – 20,000 96.5 – 97.99 NITs, IIITs EE, Mechanical
20,001 – 40,000 94.0 – 96.49 NITs, GFTIs Civil, Chemical
40,001 – 60,000 90.0 – 93.99 GFTIs, State Colleges Core branches
60,000+ Below 90 State / Private Colleges Branch-dependent

*IIIT Hyderabad follows a separate admission process.

Check: JEE Main College Predictor

JEE Main Marks vs Percentile: How Your Score Converts to Percentile

The Relationship between JEE Main Marks vs Percentile will help the candidates to understand what is their rank as compared to other candidates. The admissions are based on percentile and not your raw marks.

As JEE Main is conducted in different shifts, your percentile can be different even with the same marks.

JEE Main Expected Marks vs Percentile

  • By Scoring 95 Percentile, your performance will be better than that of the other 95% candidates.
  • The NTA will use the normalisation method for score calculation; for tougher shifts, the cutoff will be lower.
  • The College cutoff will depend on the percentile, not raw marks.
Marks Range (Out of 300) Expected Percentile Range Performance Band
285 – 300 99.9 – 100 Top rankers (AIR < 500)
260 – 284 99.7 – 99.9 Top 1,000 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

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FAQs for JEE Main Cutoff 2026

Ques. What Is the Safe Score for JEE Mains 2026?

Ans. The JEE Main “Safe Score” will depend on whether you are targeting NITs, IIITs or GFTIs, or only eligibility for JEE Advanced.

JEE Mains 2026 Expected Safe Score

Target Level Safe Percentile Safe Score Range Safe Rank Range
Top NITs (CSE/ECE) 99.2 – 99.6 180–210 1,000 – 6,000
Top NITs (Non-CSE) 98 – 99.2 160–180 6,000 – 20,000
Top IIITs (CSE) 98.2 – 99.3 165–190 4,000 – 18,000
Mid NITs / IIITs 95 – 98 130–160 25,000 – 70,000
GFTIs (Overall) 90 – 95 110–140 60,000 – 1,20,000
JEE Advanced Eligibility 93–95 120–150 ~70,000

Ques. What Is the JEE 2026 Prediction?

Ans. The JEE Main 2026 predictions will include expected cutoff, percentile shift and demand for other branches and changes.

JEE Mains 2026 Prediction

Prediction Area Expected Trend 2026
Qualifying Cutoff Slightly higher (General: 94–96 percentile)
Cutoff for Top NITs CSE to close earlier due to AI/Data surge
Percentile–Score Variability More compressed around 95–98%ile
Most Demanded Branches CSE, AI/ML, DS, IT
Rank Inflation at High Percentiles 99+ percentile becomes tougher by 5–10 marks
Competition Level Higher due to more test-takers

Ques. What Rank Is 99.5 in JEE Mains?

Ans. The 99.5th Percentile is considered a high score, with which you can get admission into top NITs for non-CSE Branches. The Rank Changes depend upon the shift normalisations.

Rank Range for 99.5 Percentile

Percentile Expected Rank Range 2026
99.5 4,000 – 6,500
99.6 3,000 – 5,000
99.7 2,000 – 3,800

Ques. What percentile is required for IIIT Hyderabad vs IIIT Delhi vs IIIT Allahabad?

Ans. The Top IIITs Hyderabad, Delhi and Allahabad have high JEE Main cutoff demand majorly for CSE, where the competition is higher than the top NITs.

The following table shows the 2026 expected percentiles for all major categories, as per previous year trends.

IIIT Hyderabad Expected Cutoff Percentile

Category CSE CSD/ECD
General 99.80 – 99.95 99.5 – 99.8
EWS 99.4 – 99.7 99.1 – 99.4
OBC-NCL 98.8 – 99.3 98.5 – 99.0
SC 95 – 97 94 – 96
ST 92 – 95 90 – 94

IIIT Delhi Expected Cutoff Percentile

Category CSE CSAM/CSB
General 99.30 – 99.70 98.7 – 99.4
EWS 98.7 – 99.2 98.0 – 98.6
OBC-NCL 97.8 – 98.9 97.0 – 98.5
SC 92 – 95 90 – 94
ST 85 – 90 83 – 88

IIIT Allahabad Expected Cutoff Percentile

Category CSE IT/ECE
General 99.10 – 99.50 98.6 – 99.2
EWS 98.4 – 99.0 97.5 – 98.7
OBC-NCL 97.2 – 98.5 96.5 – 98.0
SC 87 – 92 84 – 90
ST 75 – 82 72 – 80