CSAB 2026 SC/ST Cutoff – Special Round Ranks

CSAB (Central Seat Allocation Board) allocates seats that remain vacant in NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs after JoSAA's main rounds finish. These vacancies arise from candidates not reporting, withdrawing, or upgrading elsewhere. CSAB conducts two Special Rounds — SR1 and SR2 — to fill these seats, and the same central reservation policy that governs JoSAA applies here: SC candidates get 15% reservation and ST candidates get 7.5% reservation, cutting across every institute's Home State and Other State seat pools.

Because SC and ST reservation is vertical, candidates in these categories compete only among themselves for their designated share of seats, not against the General or OBC-NCL pool. This structural separation is why SC/ST cutoff ranks (in terms of JEE Main All India Rank) appear numerically far higher than General category cutoffs for the exact same branch and institute — it does not reflect a lower academic bar, only a smaller, separately-ranked competition pool.

Why CSAB SC/ST Cutoffs Differ from JoSAA

In JoSAA, SC/ST seats at top NITs like Trichy, Warangal, and Surathkal fill up in early rounds itself given consistent demand. By the time CSAB begins, the SC/ST seats still vacant are typically concentrated at newer NITs (Northeast region), certain IIITs, and GFTIs where SC/ST candidate turnout in JoSAA was comparatively lower. This means CSAB SC/ST cutoffs at these institutes can open up substantially compared to JoSAA's final closing ranks, presenting genuine upgrade opportunities.

Unlike OBC-NCL, SC and ST certificates do not require annual renewal since caste/tribe status is not income-dependent. However, the certificate must be issued by a competent authority — typically the Tehsildar, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or District Magistrate — in the prescribed central government format, and must list the caste or tribe exactly as it appears in the Central List of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes applicable to your state of origin.

A common pitfall: SC/ST status is determined by the state of origin (where your father's caste is recorded), not the state you currently reside in or passed Class 12 from. If you have migrated states, ensure your certificate corresponds to your state of origin as per government rules, otherwise it may be rejected during CSAB document verification, converting your candidature to General category.

Class 12 Eligibility Relaxation

SC/ST candidates need only 65% aggregate marks in Class 12 (or being in the top 20 percentile within their board's SC/ST category) to be eligible for NIT/IIIT/GFTI admission through JoSAA and, by extension, CSAB. This is lower than the 75% (or top 20 percentile) requirement for General, OBC-NCL, and EWS candidates, and remains applicable throughout CSAB's special rounds.

Given the wide gap between SC/ST cutoffs and General cutoffs, candidates in these categories often have a genuinely strong shot at upgrading their branch or institute through CSAB, especially if they accepted a lower-preference seat in JoSAA out of caution. Actively track vacancy lists published before each CSAB round — SC/ST seat vacancies are often listed separately and can reveal exactly which institutes and branches have relaxed openings.

As with other categories, fill a broad set of choices (ideally 40+) spanning NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs rather than only your top 4-5 preferences, since CSAB's two special rounds move fast and a narrow choice list risks missing a viable upgrade.