CSAB 2026 Special Round 1 (SR1) — Complete Date Schedule

CSAB Special Round 1 (SR1) is the first of two special rounds the Central Seat Allocation Board runs after JoSAA's five rounds are fully reconciled. Its schedule wasn't arbitrary — it was deliberately sequenced after JoSAA Round 5 (July 16, 2026), the NIT+ withdrawal window (July 16–20) during which candidates gave up a JoSAA seat to become CSAB-eligible, and the Partial Admission Fee/category-restoration window (July 22–24). Only once that reconciliation was complete did CSAB know the true vacant-seat count, which is why registration opened on July 28 and ran through August 3 (now closed).

Unlike JoSAA, where each of the 5 rounds has its own separate choice-fill period, CSAB SR1 and SR2 share a single registration and choice list. Candidates registered once (July 28–August 3), locked one preference list (by August 5, 2:00 PM), and that same list was used for both the SR1 allotment (declared August 6) and the SR2 allotment (declared August 12). This is a common point of confusion for candidates coming from the JoSAA process, where re-filing choices every round is the norm.

Registration, choice locking, and both special rounds for this cycle are now fully complete — there is no further action needed. SR1 result was declared August 6, and SR2 result was declared August 12, 2026, with reporting through August 17, marking the end of CSAB 2026 counselling with no SR3.

Category-wise, the timeline itself is identical for General, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD candidates — there is no separate registration window by category. Where category matters is in eligibility verification (certificate upload during registration) and in the seat-acceptance fee amount, not in the dates themselves. PwD candidates should keep certificates ready in advance since document verification can occasionally extend processing time near the choice-locking deadline.

Institute-tier also has no bearing on the SR1 timeline — old NITs (Trichy, Warangal, Surathkal, etc.), newer NITs (Delhi, Goa, Manipur, etc.), the IIITs under the PPP model, and GFTIs all allot on the same SR1 date. What differs is seat availability: older, high-demand NITs typically show far fewer vacant seats in SR1 than newer NITs, most IIITs, or GFTIs, where vacancy counts can be substantial. See our NIT vacant seats breakdown for institute-level detail.

Finally, remember that SR1 is not the last chance — CSAB SR2 follows roughly a week later, using the same locked choice list. If you're not allotted in SR1, or you float for an upgrade, you remain automatically in contention for SR2 without re-registering. See the SR1 vs SR2 comparison for exactly what changes between the two rounds.