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2026

JoSAA

College Predictor

IITs · NITs · IIITs · GFTIs

#1 Growth in JoSAA 2026

IIITs: +1,578 Seats in JoSAA 2026 — Highest Growth of Any Category

15.8% growth rate, 11,518 total seats — IIITs outpace IITs, NITs and GFTIs in seat expansion this year

Seat Growth Ranking: JoSAA 2026

RankInstitute Type20252026AddedGrowth
#1IIITs9,94011,518+1,57815.8%
#2GFTIs10,22811,692+1,46414.3%
#3IITs + IISc18,16018,951+7914.4%
#4NITs24,52525,162+6372.6%

What This Means for JEE Main Students

1

More IIIT options in your choice list

With 1,578 new IIIT seats, you can add more IIIT choices — especially from mid-tier IIITs that may now have competitive programs in AI, DS, or CS.

2

Marginal cutoff relaxation at some IIITs

IIITs that added significant seats may see slightly lower closing ranks in 2026 vs 2025. This is most likely at smaller and newer IIITs, not at IIIT Hyderabad or IIIT Allahabad.

3

New branches with no prior cutoff data

Several IIITs are launching new programs (Cybersecurity, AI, Data Science). Without historical cutoffs, these can be harder to predict — but may also be opportunities for aspirational choices.

4

IIITs still require JEE Main rank only

No JEE Advanced needed. All 26 IIITs in JoSAA are accessible via JEE Main — making them the most accessible premium tech institutes after NITs.

Top IIITs by Reputation (JoSAA 2026)

1

IIIT Hyderabad

Best IIIT in India; strong CS/AI research

2

IIIT Allahabad

Oldest PPP IIIT; strong placements in IT

3

IIIT Bangalore

Industry-linked; Bengaluru tech ecosystem

4

IIIT Gwalior

Strong in IT & Maths; established alumni network

5

IIIT Delhi

Research-oriented; strong publications

6

IIIT Jabalpur

Older IIIT; decent placements in core IT

1
By how much did IIIT seats increase in JoSAA 2026?
IIITs added 1,578 seats in JoSAA 2026 — from 9,940 (2025) to 11,518 (2026). This is a 15.8% growth rate, which is the highest of any JoSAA institute category in 2026, exceeding IIT (+4.4%), NIT (+2.6%), and GFTI (+14.3%) growth rates.
2
Which IIITs added the most seats in JoSAA 2026?
The official JoSAA 2026 seat matrix at josaa.nic.in lists institute-wise seat details. Generally, the expansion is spread across newer and mid-sized IIITs rather than the oldest ones (like IIIT Hyderabad and IIIT Allahabad, which are near capacity). Check the official portal for exact figures per institute.
3
Why did IIITs grow faster than IITs and NITs in 2026?
IIITs are in a faster expansion phase because: (1) Most are younger and have headroom to grow, (2) They use the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model which allows quicker program additions, (3) Their IT-focused curriculum is in highest demand, (4) Many are adding new branches like AI, Cybersecurity, Data Science which are high-demand areas.
4
Is studying at an IIIT better than an NIT for CS/IT programs?
It depends on the specific institutes being compared. Top IIITs (Hyderabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Gwalior) rival top NITs for CS/IT programs in terms of placement, curriculum quality, and industry linkages. IIITs have a narrower CS/IT focus while NITs offer broader engineering disciplines. For pure CS/IT, top IIITs are often preferred over mid-tier NITs.
5
How many IIITs are there in JoSAA 2026?
26 IIITs participate in JoSAA 2026. These include 5 older IIITs (Hyderabad, Allahabad, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Kancheepuram) and 21 newer PPP-model IIITs funded jointly by the central government, state governments, and industry partners.
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Source: Official JoSAA 2026 seat matrix at josaa.nic.in (released June 2, 2026).