JEE Main · Cutoffs
JEE Main Cutoff
"Cutoff" means two different things in JEE Main — the percentile needed to qualify for JEE Advanced, and the ranks at which NIT/IIIT seats actually close. Both matter; don't confuse them.
JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced
NTA publishes a percentile band per category. The lower bound is the number people mean by "the cutoff" — clear it and you were inside the top 2,50,000 eligible to register for JEE Advanced.
| Category | Percentile from | Cutoff (to) | Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| UR (General) | 100.0000000 | 93.4123549 | 96,873 |
| EWS | 93.4105172 | 82.4164528 | 25,009 |
| OBC-NCL | 93.4105172 | 80.9232583 | 67,597 |
| SC | 93.4105172 | 63.9172792 | 37,522 |
| ST | 93.4041748 | 52.0174712 | 18,790 |
| UR-PwBD | 93.3244144 | 0.0023186 | 4,391 |
Source: NTA, Declaration of the Result/NTA Scores for JEE (Main) 2026, Paper 1. The six candidate counts sum to 2,50,182.
Earlier years
Not yet verified against an official NTA notice. These figures are widely reported but we have not traced them to a primary source, so treat them as indicative. We publish only what we can cite, and will replace these once the original notices are located.
| Category | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| UR (General) | 90.78 | 93.24 | 93.10 |
| EWS | 75.62 | 81.33 | 80.38 |
| OBC-NCL | 73.61 | 79.68 | 79.43 |
| SC | 51.98 | 60.09 | 61.15 |
| ST | 37.23 | 46.70 | 47.90 |
| PwBD | 0.0013 | 0.0018 | 0.0079 |
What these numbers mean for you
- Qualifying cutoff ≠ admission cutoff. Clearing the percentile above only makes you eligible to write JEE Advanced. NIT and IIIT admission depends on your rank and the closing ranks of each branch in JoSAA counselling.
- Percentile is not a percentage of marks. A 93 percentile means you scored better than 93% of all candidates in your session — roughly the top 1.5 lakh of ~11–12 lakh candidates.
- Closing ranks vary hugely by branch. CSE at a top NIT can close within the first few thousand ranks, while other branches at newer NITs extend far beyond a lakh.
- Cutoffs move year to year with paper difficulty and applicant numbers — treat past cutoffs as a guide, not a promise.
The other cutoff: closing ranks →
Official JoSAA ranks at which each branch actually closed, for 140 institutes.
Counselling: how seats are allotted →
JoSAA rounds, choice filling, and CSAB special rounds.
See where you stand →
Take a real past paper as a timed mock and check your score.