Category-wise Cutoff 2026

Category-wise cutoff refers to the opening and closing ranks for JEE Main and Advanced counselling separately for each category - General, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, and PwD. Each category has different reservation percentages and therefore different cutoff ranks.

General category (GEN) typically has the highest cutoff (lowest ranks) because it's open to all candidates without reservation. This is followed by EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST in that order.

For JEE Advanced shortlisting, the category distribution is OPEN 40.5%, OBC-NCL 27%, SC 15%, ST 7.5%, and GEN-EWS 10%. PwD reservation is horizontal at 5% within each category.

Category change is generally not permitted after admission. You must apply with your correct category and produce valid certificates during document verification. False category claims lead to cancellation of admission.

EWS cutoff ranks are typically 2-4 times higher (worse) than General category cutoff ranks. For example, if IIT Bombay CSE closes at rank 100 in GEN, EWS cutoff might be around rank 500-1000.

The JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoffs for JEE Advanced eligibility were: General — 93.41 percentile, EWS — 75.72, OBC-NCL — 73.01, SC — 52.37, ST — 43.08, PwD — 0.0096 percentile. Top 2,50,182 unique candidates qualified across all categories combined.

Yes. OBC-NCL (Other Backward Classes — Non-Creamy Layer) candidates get 27% reservation in IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. Their closing ranks are typically 3-6x higher (worse numbers) than the General category closing rank for the same institute and branch. A valid OBC-NCL certificate issued by a competent authority is mandatory.

PwD (Person with Disability) reservation is a 5% horizontal reservation applied across all categories — meaning 5% of seats within each category (GEN, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS) are reserved for PwD candidates. PwD cutoffs are significantly relaxed compared to the base category cutoffs. Candidates need a valid disability certificate with ≥40% benchmark disability.