DASA 2026 Counselling – Direct Admission for NRI/OCI Students

DASA (Direct Admission of Students Abroad) is a special admission scheme that allows NRIs, OCIs, PIOs, and foreign nationals to secure seats at top Indian engineering institutes — NITs, IIITs, SPAs, and other GFTIs. There is no separate DASA exam: seats are allotted on the basis of a valid JEE Main 2026 rank (Paper 1 for B.E./B.Tech, Paper 2A for B.Arch and Paper 2B for B.Planning).

The official DASA UG 2026 brochure (version 1.5, csab.nic.in) bases admission only on the JEE Main rank. SAT is not used. Some older web pages say DASA UG needs an SAT score, but that is not the case for the 2026 cycle. DASA reserves a defined set of supernumerary seats, up to 15 percent of each institute's program-wise seats, for this candidate pool. Because these are supernumerary seats, DASA admissions do not reduce the number of seats available to JoSAA candidates.

The 2026 seat allocation is coordinated by IIEST Shibpur with technical support from NIC, and is hosted on the same portal as CSAB (csab.nic.in). Candidates log in with their JEE Main 2026 application number and password, register, pay the DASA Enrolment Fee, upload documents, fill choices, and go through two allotment rounds after a mock allocation. The merit list is the JEE Main 2026 Common Rank List, used as it is.

DASA 2026 Key Facts

DASA 2026 Counselling Process

1. Log in and register on csab.nic.in with your JEE Main 2026 application number and password, and answer the nationality, OCI/PIO and CIWG questionnaire.
2. Pay the DASA Enrolment Fee (US$ 300 non-refundable registration plus first-semester tuition, in US dollars).
3. Upload documents: passport, date of birth proof, Class 10, 11 and 12 mark sheets, school certificate, medical certificate and OCI/PIO card if applicable.
4. Fill and lock choices of institutes and programs after successful document verification. Use the mock allocation to adjust them.
5. Seat allotment is done in two rounds on JEE Main rank, category tag and choice order. Exercise a willingness option after Round 1.
6. Report physically at the allotted institute with original documents and pay the balance fees.

Participating Institutes in DASA 2026

• 31 NITs and IIEST Shibpur
• 18 IIITs
• 38 other GFTIs and technical institutes, for example Punjab Engineering College, DTU, NSUT, SPA Delhi, Bhopal and Vijayawada, University of Hyderabad and Manipal Institute of Technology
• The final institute and seat list is on csab.nic.in

DASA vs JoSAA — Understanding the Distinction

It's important for eligible candidates and their families to understand that DASA is not simply "an easier way in" for anyone who happens to prefer it — eligibility is strictly limited to NRIs, OCI/PIO cardholders, and foreign nationals, and candidates who do not fall under the brochure's eligibility categories cannot apply through DASA regardless of their JEE Main rank or academic profile. Attempting to misrepresent NRI or OCI status to gain DASA eligibility is treated as a serious violation and can result in admission cancellation even after a student has already joined an institute, so all supporting documentation should be genuine and thoroughly verifiable.

Conversely, for genuinely eligible NRI, OCI, PIO and foreign national students, DASA offers a separate supernumerary seat pool in NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded institutes. A valid JEE Main rank is the one academic entry ticket, so candidates should plan to appear in JEE Main in the year they want to join. The brochure warns that no agency other than the official portal is responsible for seat allocation. Always confirm current-year details on csab.nic.in before making final decisions. The 2027 brochure has not been released yet.