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JEE Counselling

2026

JoSAA

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JEE Main to JEE Advanced 2026 – Complete Journey

Two-stage exam · NIT vs IIT path · JoSAA counselling · What happens after each result

The Two-Stage JEE Journey: Main → Advanced

India's engineering admission system has two distinct stages. JEE Main (conducted by NTA in January and April) is the first stage — it determines eligibility for NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, and filters candidates for JEE Advanced. About 12-14 lakh students appear in JEE Main annually.

The top 2,50,000 candidates from JEE Main qualify to appear in JEE Advanced (conducted by IITs in May). JEE Advanced is the gateway exclusively to the 23 IITs. Only about 40,000-45,000 candidates clear JEE Advanced with a valid rank (above cutoff). Of these, JoSAA offers roughly 17,000 IIT seats.

JoSAA counselling uses both ranks simultaneously: your JEE Advanced rank determines IIT eligibility, and your JEE Main rank determines NIT/IIIT/GFTI eligibility. You can fill choices from both categories in a single choice list.

JEE Main vs JEE Advanced – Key Differences

FeatureJEE MainJEE Advanced
Conducting BodyNTAIIT (rotating)
Sessions2 (Jan + Apr)1 (May)
Candidates~13 lakh~2 lakh
College AccessNITs, IIITs, GFTIs23 IITs
DifficultyModerate-HighVery High
Attempts Allowed2 per year (Jan + Apr sessions)2 attempts total
EligibilityClass 12 passJEE Main top 2,50,000

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JEE Main College PredictorIIT College PredictorJoSAA 2026 GuideChoice Filling Tips
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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the JEE Main to JEE Advanced 2026 journey

1
What is the difference between JEE Main and JEE Advanced?
JEE Main is conducted by NTA and serves as the qualifying exam for NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, and state engineering colleges. JEE Advanced is conducted by IITs and is the gateway exclusively to IIT programs. You must first qualify JEE Main (top 2,50,000 ranks) to become eligible for JEE Advanced.
2
How many JEE Main marks are needed to qualify for JEE Advanced 2026?
Approximately the top 2,50,000 scorers in JEE Main 2026 (across all categories) qualify for JEE Advanced. In 2025, the General category cutoff was around 89-93 percentile. SC/ST/PwD cutoffs are lower. The exact cutoff percentile is announced by NTA after Session 2 results.
3
Can I get an NIT without appearing in JEE Advanced?
Yes. JEE Main rank alone is sufficient for NIT, IIIT, and GFTI admissions through JoSAA counselling. You do not need to appear in JEE Advanced for NIT seats. JoSAA uses both JEE Main and JEE Advanced ranks for NIT/IIT/IIIT allotments simultaneously.
4
What counselling process do I follow after JEE Main and JEE Advanced?
After JEE Advanced results, JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) conducts a single combined counselling for IITs (via JEE Advanced rank) and NITs/IIITs/GFTIs (via JEE Main rank). You register once on josaa.nic.in, fill preferences for all institutes you are eligible for, and participate in 5 rounds of seat allotment.
5
If I qualify JEE Advanced, should I still fill NIT choices in JoSAA?
Yes. Qualifying JEE Advanced does not guarantee an IIT seat you want. Always fill NIT and IIIT choices as backup in JoSAA. The counselling is unified — if you get a good IIT seat, you can reject the NIT allocation; if not, your NIT allotment serves as safety.

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Important Links

JEE Main College PredictorIIT College PredictorJoSAA 2026 GuideCollege CutoffsCollege Predictor

Disclaimer

Dates and eligibility based on 2025 patterns and 2026 official notifications. Verify on jeemain.nta.nic.in and jeeadv.ac.in.