JEE Main Cutoff 2026 — Category Wise (Gen/OBC/SC/ST/EWS)
JEE Main 2026 expected cutoff for General, OBC, SC, ST, and EWS categories. Qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced, NIT admission cutoffs, and previous year trends.
The expected JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff for General category is 88–92 percentile, OBC-NCL is 72–78 percentile, SC is 50–55 percentile, ST is 40–45 percentile, and EWS is 63–68 percentile. These are the minimum percentiles to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026. For NIT/IIIT/GFTI admission, cutoffs are higher — top NITs require 95+ percentile.
JEE Main 2026 Expected Qualifying Cutoff (for JEE Advanced Eligibility)
| Category | Expected Cutoff 2026 (Percentile) | 2025 Actual | 2024 Actual | 2023 Actual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General (CRL) | 88–92 | 90.0 | 93.2 | 90.8 |
| OBC-NCL | 72–78 | 75.6 | 78.2 | 75.6 |
| EWS | 63–68 | 65.0 | 68.3 | 63.6 |
| SC | 50–55 | 52.4 | 55.7 | 50.5 |
| ST | 40–45 | 42.3 | 45.1 | 40.2 |
| PwD (all categories) | 0.01–0.05 | 0.03 | 0.05 | 0.03 |
Note: Cutoff percentiles are indicative and based on previous year trends. Actual 2026 cutoffs will be released by NTA after the exam.
JEE Main NIT Admission Cutoff — Percentile Range by College Tier
Qualifying for JEE Advanced is one thing — getting into a good NIT requires a much higher percentile.
| College Tier | Examples | CSE Cutoff (Gen) | ECE/EE (Gen) | Mech/Civil (Gen) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 5 NITs | Trichy, Warangal, Surathkal, Allahabad, Rourkela | 98.5–99.8 | 97–98.5 | 95–97 |
| NITs Rank 6–15 | Calicut, Nagpur, Jaipur, Kurukshetra, Hamirpur | 96–98.5 | 93–96 | 88–93 |
| NITs Rank 16–25 | Patna, Raipur, Srinagar, Agartala | 92–96 | 88–92 | 82–88 |
| Newer NITs | Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Meghalaya | 85–92 | 78–85 | 70–80 |
| Top IIITs | IIIT Hyderabad, IIIT Allahabad, IIIT Delhi | 97–99.5 | 95–97 | — |
| Other IIITs | IIIT Kota, IIIT Sonepat, IIIT Vadodara | 88–95 | 82–90 | — |
Cutoffs based on JoSAA 2024–2025 closing ranks converted to approximate percentiles. OBC/SC/ST/EWS cutoffs are 5–15 percentile lower.
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Understanding the relationship between your raw score, percentile, and rank helps set realistic targets.
| Raw Score (out of 300) | Percentile (approx.) | All India Rank (approx.) | College Prospects |
|---|---|---|---|
| 280–300 | 99.95–100 | 1–500 | Top IITs — CSE, EE |
| 250–280 | 99.8–99.95 | 500–2,000 | Top IITs — most branches |
| 220–250 | 99.5–99.8 | 2,000–5,000 | IITs — popular branches |
| 190–220 | 99–99.5 | 5,000–10,000 | Top NITs CSE, IIT — less popular branches |
| 160–190 | 98–99 | 10,000–20,000 | Good NITs — CSE/ECE/EE |
| 130–160 | 95–98 | 20,000–50,000 | NITs — most branches, top IIITs |
| 100–130 | 90–95 | 50,000–1,00,000 | Newer NITs, IIITs, GFTIs |
| 70–100 | 80–90 | 1,00,000–2,50,000 | GFTIs, state colleges through JoSAA |
| 40–70 | 60–80 | 2,50,000–5,00,000 | Limited options through JoSAA, state-level counselling |
Score-to-percentile conversion varies with paper difficulty. Above mapping is approximate based on 2024–2025 data with ~12 lakh candidates.
Category-Wise Cutoff Trends (Last 5 Years)
| Year | General | OBC-NCL | EWS | SC | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 90.0 | 75.6 | 65.0 | 52.4 | 42.3 |
| 2024 | 93.2 | 78.2 | 68.3 | 55.7 | 45.1 |
| 2023 | 90.8 | 75.6 | 63.6 | 50.5 | 40.2 |
| 2022 | 88.4 | 72.8 | 61.4 | 47.2 | 37.3 |
| 2021 | 87.9 | 68.0 | 56.3 | 46.9 | 34.6 |
Key trend: General cutoff has stayed in the 87–93 range. Higher in years with easier papers (2024), lower when papers are difficult (2021). Plan your preparation assuming 90 percentile as the qualifying target.
How JEE Main Cutoff Is Determined
- NTA conducts JEE Main in multiple sessions (typically January and April).
- Raw scores are normalised using NTA's percentile-based system across all sessions.
- Qualifying cutoff is set by NTA/JAB — this determines JEE Advanced eligibility (top 2,50,000 candidates).
- Category-wise cutoffs are calculated based on reservation percentages: General 40.5%, OBC 27%, EWS 10%, SC 15%, ST 7.5%.
- Admission cutoffs are determined during JoSAA counselling based on seat availability, student preferences, and multiple rounds of allotment.
What to Do Based on Your Expected Percentile
| Your Percentile | Recommended Action |
|---|---|
| 99+ | Prepare for JEE Advanced seriously. Top IITs are realistic. Also register for JoSAA. |
| 95–99 | Good NITs/IIITs possible. Register for JoSAA. Apply to BITS, VIT, SRM as backup. |
| 90–95 | Newer NITs, IIITs, GFTIs. Also apply through state-level counselling (MHT-CET, KCET, WBJEE). |
| 80–90 | Limited JoSAA options. Focus on state counselling. Consider private universities with good placements. |
| Below 80 | State-level exams (MHT-CET, KCET) may offer better options. Consider lateral entry, diploma + degree path. |
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Start JEE Prep — FreeImportant Dates — JEE Main 2026
| Event | Expected Date |
|---|---|
| Session 1 Exam | January 2026 |
| Session 1 Result | February 2026 |
| Session 2 Registration | February–March 2026 |
| Session 2 Exam | April 2026 |
| Session 2 Result + Final Cutoff | May 2026 |
| JoSAA Counselling Starts | June 2026 |
Dates are tentative based on NTA's typical schedule. Check jeemain.nta.ac.in for official dates.
Cutoff data based on NTA's officially released qualifying cutoffs for 2021–2025. NIT admission cutoffs based on JoSAA closing ranks. All figures are indicative — actual 2026 cutoffs will depend on paper difficulty, candidate count, and NTA's normalisation methodology. Last updated: February 2026.
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Try Super Tutor — It's FreeFrequently Asked Questions
What is the expected JEE Main 2026 cutoff for General category?
The expected JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff for General category is 88–92 percentile. This is the minimum percentile required to qualify for JEE Advanced. For NIT admission through JoSAA, you typically need 95+ percentile for top NITs and 85+ percentile for newer NITs. The exact cutoff depends on paper difficulty, total candidates, and NTA's normalisation.
What is the difference between qualifying cutoff and admission cutoff?
Qualifying cutoff is the minimum percentile to be 'eligible' for JEE Advanced or counselling. Admission cutoff (also called closing rank) is the actual rank at which the last student got admitted to a specific college and branch. Qualifying cutoff is much lower than admission cutoff. You can qualify with 88 percentile but need 98+ percentile for top IIT branches.
How is JEE Main cutoff calculated?
NTA calculates JEE Main cutoff using normalisation across multiple sessions. Your raw score is converted to a percentile score (0–100) based on the performance of all candidates in your session. The qualifying cutoff is then set as a percentile threshold. Category-wise cutoffs are different — General has the highest, followed by OBC, EWS, SC, and ST in decreasing order.
What percentile is needed for NIT Trichy, Warangal, or Surathkal?
For top NITs (Trichy, Warangal, Surathkal) in popular branches like CSE: 98.5–99.5 percentile (General). For ECE/EE: 97–98.5 percentile. For Mechanical/Civil: 95–97 percentile. For newer NITs in less popular branches, 85–90 percentile can secure admission. These are approximate — actual cutoffs vary each year based on seat availability and preference patterns.
Can I get into an NIT with 90 percentile?
Yes, but options are limited for General category. With 90 percentile, you can get admission to newer NITs (NIT Manipur, NIT Mizoram, NIT Sikkim, NIT Arunachal Pradesh) in most branches. For OBC/SC/ST/EWS candidates, 90 percentile opens many more options including established NITs in non-CS branches. Consider IIITs and GFTIs as well — many good options exist at 90 percentile.
Does JEE Main cutoff change every year?
Yes. Cutoffs fluctuate based on: (1) paper difficulty — harder paper means lower cutoff, (2) number of candidates — more candidates means higher cutoff, (3) number of sessions — multi-session normalisation affects distribution, (4) total seats available. Over the past 5 years, General qualifying cutoff has ranged from 87 to 93 percentile.