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2026

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JEE Advanced 2026 Category-wise Cutoff Trend

How closing ranks moved across General, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST and PwD categories through JoSAA 2026 rounds

Understanding the Category-wise Trend

JEE Advanced seat allotment through JoSAA reserves seats separately across General/CRL, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD categories, each with its own closing rank. Tracking how these cutoffs trend — both across institute types (IIT/NIT/IIIT/GFTI) and across the 5-6 JoSAA rounds — helps you judge realistic chances for your category and rank.

Below is real round-wise closing rank data (all branches combined) from JoSAA 2026, showing how the overall rank cutoff relaxed as rounds progressed.

JoSAA 2026 Round-wise Closing Rank Movement (All Categories Combined)

Average and worst closing CRL rank across institute types, Round 1 to Round 5.

RoundIIT Avg ClosingIIT Worst ClosingNIT Avg ClosingNIT Worst Closing
Round 17,44326,22024,60256,710
Round 27,59127,09326,77663,012
Round 37,60627,09327,17565,212
Round 47,63927,09327,36165,828
Round 58,36928,48028,87768,753

* Source: JoSAA 2026 Round 1–5 allotment data (CRL rank, all categories/branches combined). Category-specific splits (EWS/OBC-NCL/SC/ST/PwD) follow the same relaxation pattern but at different absolute rank levels.

General Pattern Across Categories

As a rule of thumb seen historically: EWS cutoffs are usually close to General/CRL cutoffs (slightly relaxed), OBC-NCL cutoffs run roughly 1.5–2x higher (worse) than General, while SC and ST cutoffs can be 3-5x higher than General for the same institute-branch, reflecting the smaller reserved-seat pool relative to applicant volume in some branches.

For exact category-specific numbers, check EWS cutoff, OBC-NCL cutoff, SC cutoff, and ST cutoff pages, or try the JEE Advanced college predictor for a rank-and-category-based estimate.

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Frequently Asked Questions – Category-wise Cutoff Trend

Common questions about JEE Advanced category-wise cutoff movement

1
Why do cutoff ranks differ so much by category?
Each category (General/CRL, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD) has a separate, reserved pool of seats as mandated by government reservation policy. Since each pool is filled independently against candidates of that category only, the rank number at which seats close ('cutoff') is specific to the size and competitiveness of that category's applicant pool — not directly comparable across categories.
2
How does the cutoff trend change across JoSAA rounds?
Cutoffs (closing ranks) generally loosen — i.e., the closing rank number increases — in each successive round as more candidates upgrade, withdraw, or new seats get released. Based on JoSAA 2026 data, the average IIT closing rank moved from roughly 7,443 in Round 1 to about 8,369 by Round 5, while NIT average closing rank moved from roughly 24,602 to 28,877 over the same period.
3
Which category typically has the steepest cutoff relaxation?
SC and ST categories typically show the widest rank range between the best and worst closing ranks because the applicant pool size relative to seats is smaller and more variable branch-to-branch. OBC-NCL cutoffs usually sit at roughly 1.5–2x the General/CRL cutoff for a comparable institute-branch, while EWS cutoffs are generally closer to General cutoffs than OBC-NCL.
4
Do category cutoffs vary by home state / other state quota at NITs?
Yes. At NITs, each category cutoff is further split by home-state (HS) and other-state (OS) quota, since 50% of seats are reserved for home-state candidates. This means a candidate's effective cutoff depends on category AND quota simultaneously, making NIT category cutoffs more granular than IIT cutoffs (which don't have a home-state quota).
5
Can I use last year's category cutoff to predict this year's trend?
Previous year category-wise cutoffs are a reasonable starting reference, but year-on-year movement of 5-15% is common due to changes in total applicants, seat matrix revisions, and new institutes/branches being added. Use last year's data as a directional guide, not an exact predictor, and cross-check with a rank predictor tool for a more personalized estimate.
6
Where can I see institute-specific category cutoffs?
For category-specific cutoff pages by institute type, see our dedicated EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD cutoff pages for JEE Advanced, or use the JEE Advanced college predictor for a personalized, category-filtered estimate based on your exact rank.

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EWS CutoffOBC CutoffJEE Advanced College PredictorCollege Cutoffs

Disclaimer

Information based on real JoSAA 2026 round data and previous year patterns. Verify specific institute cutoffs at josaa.nic.in.