CSAB Special Round 2026 – Vacant Seats & Eligibility

After JoSAA Round 5 concludes, a significant number of seats remain unfilled — either because candidates rejected allotments, withdrew, or certain institutes/branches had insufficient demand. CSAB Special Rounds SR1 and SR2 are designed specifically to fill these vacancies.

In 2025, approximately 8,000–12,000 seats across NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs went through CSAB special rounds. The majority of these came from GFTIs and newer NITs, particularly those in North-Eastern states.

SR1 vs SR2 – Seat Differences

• SR1: All seats vacant after JoSAA Round 5. Largest pool. Best chance of getting a preferred option.
• SR2: Seats remaining after SR1 (not accepted or new vacancies). Smaller pool, fewer top options.
• NEUT Round: Only for NE state / UT candidates. Often more seats relative to eligible candidates.

CSAB Cutoff vs JoSAA Cutoff

CSAB closing ranks tend to be 5–15% more relaxed than JoSAA Round 5 for the same institute/branch. This is because:

• Most top-rank candidates are already placed in JoSAA
• Some candidates do not register for CSAB at all
• Total eligible candidate pool is smaller in CSAB

Example: If JoSAA Round 5 closed NIT Meghalaya CSE at rank 28,000, CSAB SR1 might close at 30,000–33,000.