JEE Advanced Cutoff 2026
Updated for 2026Qualifying cutoff (rank list) & IIT admission cutoffs (opening & closing ranks) published by JoSAA.
"JEE Advanced cutoff" is a term used loosely to refer to two genuinely different things, and confusing them is one of the more common mistakes candidates make while planning their admission strategy. The first is the qualifying cutoff — the minimum marks (both subject-wise and in aggregate) a candidate must score to be included in the official JEE Advanced rank list at all. This cutoff is set separately for each rank list category (Common Rank List, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and their PwD variants, plus the Preparatory Course list) and is released by the organizing IIT along with the result. Scoring below this threshold means a candidate does not receive a rank at all, regardless of how many questions they attempted.
The second, and far more consequential for admission planning, is the JoSAA opening and closing rank data (often abbreviated OR-CR) — the actual rank range within which candidates were admitted to a specific IIT, branch, category, and round in a given counselling cycle. This is published progressively through each round of JoSAA counselling and is the number virtually every serious aspirant tracks closely, since it reflects real admission outcomes rather than just eligibility to be ranked. A candidate can clear the qualifying cutoff comfortably yet still not get their preferred IIT/branch combination if their rank falls short of that combination's closing rank for their category in that year's counselling.
Because closing ranks fluctuate meaningfully year to year — influenced by total seats, how many candidates from each category actually participate in counselling, branch popularity trends, and how far into the round process seats fill up — using multiple recent years of official OR-CR data (rather than a single year) gives a more reliable picture for shortlisting realistic options. Treat any closing rank figure as a reference point for planning, not a guarantee, since your actual outcome depends on that specific year's applicant pool and choice-filling patterns.
Qualifying cutoff (rank list)
Minimum marks/percent required (subject-wise + aggregate) to be included in the JEE Advanced rank list.
IIT admission cutoffs (JoSAA OR-CR)
Opening and closing ranks for each IIT, branch, category and counselling round.
JEE Advanced qualifying cutoff (2025 reference table)
Official 2025 qualifying marks to be included in the rank list, shown here as a reference for the pattern of subject-wise and aggregate thresholds. JEE Advanced 2026 qualifying cutoffs were already released with the result on June 1, 2026 — see the JEE Advanced 2026 cutoff marks page for the current category-wise figures.
| Rank list | Min marks in each subject | Min aggregate marks |
|---|---|---|
| Common Rank List (CRL) | 7 | 74 |
| GEN-EWS Rank List | 6 | 66 |
| OBC-NCL Rank List | 6 | 66 |
| SC Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| ST Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| Common-PwD (CRL-PwD) | 3 | 37 |
| GEN-EWS-PwD Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| OBC-NCL-PwD Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| SC-PwD Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| ST-PwD Rank List | 3 | 37 |
| Preparatory Course (PC) | 1 | 18 |
IIT admission cutoffs (opening & closing ranks)
JoSAA publishes official OR-CR round-wise. Use it to filter by IIT, program, category and round.
It's worth understanding that opening and closing ranks shift across rounds within the same counselling cycle, not just across years — as candidates who received better allotments withdraw from lower-preference seats in later rounds, closing ranks for a given branch often move (usually loosen, i.e., the closing rank number increases, though not always). This is why serious aspirants track the OR-CR data across all rounds of the previous year (not just the final round) to understand realistic movement patterns for their target branches before finalizing their own choice list.
Pick institute type
Select IITs and choose the round to compare cutoffs.
Choose category
OPEN is CRL; others use category ranks as shown in JoSAA.
Use closing ranks
Shortlist options using closing rank and keep backups.
Illustrative Closing Rank Trend — Top IITs (CSE, CRL)
The table below illustrates the typical relative ordering of CSE closing ranks (Common Rank List, Round 1 reference) across some of the most sought-after IITs, based on broad historical patterns observed over recent JoSAA cycles. These are illustrative bands to understand relative competitiveness, not a specific year's exact closing rank — always verify the current year's figure using the official JoSAA OR-CR archive linked above.
| Institute | Branch | Relative Closing Rank Band (CRL) |
|---|---|---|
| IIT Bombay | Computer Science & Engg. | Tightest among all IITs — typically double/low-triple digits |
| IIT Delhi | Computer Science & Engg. | Very tight — close behind IIT Bombay |
| IIT Madras | Computer Science & Engg. | Tight — generally within the first few hundred CRL ranks |
| IIT Kanpur | Computer Science & Engg. | Tight to moderately tight |
| IIT Kharagpur | Computer Science & Engg. | Moderately tight — noticeably higher than IIT Bombay/Delhi |
| IIT Roorkee | Computer Science & Engg. | Moderate — wider band than the above six |
| IIT Guwahati | Computer Science & Engg. | Moderate to relaxed relative to older/larger IITs |
| Newer IITs (Bhubaneswar, Indore, Mandi, etc.) | Computer Science & Engg. | Relatively more accessible, though still competitive vs. core branches |
Category-wise Closing Rank Pattern
For the same institute-branch combination, closing ranks differ sharply across categories because each category list draws from a separate pool sized according to its reservation percentage (OBC-NCL 27%, SC 15%, ST 7.5%, EWS 10% of seats, with CRL/Open covering the unreserved portion). As a general pattern across recent JoSAA cycles:
- OPEN (CRL): tightest closing rank numerically, since it reflects the most competitive, largest pool.
- GEN-EWS: close to CRL, usually only modestly higher (less tight).
- OBC-NCL: noticeably higher closing rank number than CRL/EWS for the same seat.
- SC: substantially higher closing rank number than OBC-NCL.
- ST: typically the highest (most relaxed) closing rank number among the main categories.
- PwD variants: higher (more relaxed) than their respective parent category, reflecting the smaller PwD sub-pool.
JEE Advanced Cutoff FAQs
Qualifying cutoff vs JoSAA OR-CR, rank list criteria, and how to use official cutoffs for 2026 planning.
1What is JEE Advanced cutoff?
2What is the qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced 2026?
3Is qualifying cutoff enough to get an IIT seat?
4Where can I check official IIT opening and closing ranks?
5What does ‘closing rank’ mean in JoSAA OR-CR?
6Why do cutoffs change each year?
7Which is better for planning: previous year cutoffs or expected cutoffs?
8How much does the closing rank for IIT Bombay CSE differ from IIT Kharagpur CSE?
9Do older/established IITs always have tighter closing ranks than newer IITs?
10How many categories does JoSAA use for IIT closing ranks, beyond Common Rank List?
Predict Your IIT
Estimate IIT options using your JEE Advanced rank and previous year cutoffs.
IIT College Predictor