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2026

JoSAA

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JEE Opening Rank 2026

Real branch-wise opening ranks for IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs through JoSAA counselling

JoSAA 2026 counselling has concluded, with Round 5 (final) released on July 16, 2026. The opening ranks below are based on JoSAA 2025 Round 5 (final) data — the most reliable reference for planning until complete 2026 round-wise data is published. For live 2026 cutoffs, see JoSAA Cutoffs.

What is Opening Rank?

Opening rank is the rank of the first candidate admitted to a specific branch at a specific institute, in a given category and quota, during a JoSAA counselling round. It marks the best (lowest) rank ever allotted that seat — it is not the cutoff. For admission planning, always compare your rank against the closing rank, which is the rank of the last candidate admitted and the real indicator of your chances.

Opening ≠ Cutoff

Opening rank is informational only — closing rank is the real admission threshold.

Category-Specific

Separate opening ranks exist for General, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, and PwD.

Quota-Specific

NITs split OS (Other State) and HS (Home State); IIITs use All India quota only.

Opening Rank Range by Institute Type

🏆

IITs

23 IITs, admitted via JEE Advanced + JoSAA

CSE Opening Rank Range (General)
1 – 30,000
🎯

NITs

31 NITs, 50% Home State + 50% Other State quota

CSE Opening Rank Range (General)
200 – 60,000
💻

IIITs

26 IIITs, 100% All India quota, no state reservation

CSE Opening Rank Range (General)
450 – 30,000
🏫

GFTIs

Government Funded Technical Institutes, varies widely

CSE Opening Rank Range (General)
5,000 – 1,00,000+

Most Competitive CSE Seats — Opening Ranks (JoSAA 2025, Round 5)

General / OPEN category · Gender-Neutral · IIT ranks via JEE Advanced, NIT/IIIT ranks via JEE Main

InstituteBranchTypeQuotaOpening Rank
IIT BombayCSEIITOPEN1
IIT DelhiCSEIITOPEN3
IIT MadrasCSEIITOPEN7
IIT KanpurCSEIITOPEN12
IIT KharagpurCSEIITOPEN20
IIT BombayElectrical EnggIITOPEN42
IIT RoorkeeCSEIITOPEN47
IIT GuwahatiCSEIITOPEN127
NIT WarangalCSENITOS201
NIT TiruchirappalliCSENITOS247
IIIT HyderabadCSEIIITAI452
NIT SurathkalCSENITOS398
IIIT DelhiCSEIIITAI864
NIT CalicutCSENITOS843
NIT RourkelaCSENITOS1,453

Source: JoSAA 2025 final round data. For 2026 live data and full branch coverage, see IIT opening ranks and NIT/IIIT opening ranks.

Factors Affecting Opening Rank

College Reputation & Placements

Top IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Madras) have the lowest opening ranks in the entire system.

High Impact

Branch Popularity

CSE opens far lower than core branches at the same institute — often by 10-50x.

High Impact

Quota (OS / HS / AI)

NIT Home State quota opens at a much higher (worse) rank than Other State for the same branch.

High Impact

Category Reservation

OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, and PwD each have separate, higher opening ranks than General/OPEN.

High Impact

Total Seats in Branch

Branches with more sanctioned seats (e.g., Mechanical) open at a higher rank than low-seat branches.

Medium Impact

Round Number

Opening rank shifts marginally between Round 1 and the final round as candidates upgrade or withdraw.

Low Impact

Opening Rank vs Closing Rank — Which Matters?

Opening Rank

  • • Rank of the first (best) candidate admitted
  • • Shows peak demand/prestige of a seat
  • • Not useful for predicting your own chances
  • • Example: IIT Bombay CSE opens at rank 1

Closing Rank

  • • Rank of the last candidate admitted — the real cutoff
  • • The number to compare your rank against
  • • Determines whether you get a seat or not
  • • Example: IIT Bombay CSE closes around rank 68
Check Closing Ranks

Explore Full Opening Rank Data

JEE Main Opening Rank (NITs, IIITs, GFTIs)

Full branch-wise opening rank tables for every major NIT and IIIT

JEE Advanced Opening Rank (IITs)

Full branch-wise opening rank tables for all 23 IITs

Closing Rank

The real cutoff — compare your rank against this, not opening rank

Category-wise Cutoff

Opening and closing ranks split by General, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, PwD

JoSAA Cutoffs (All Rounds)

Round-by-round opening and closing rank data for JoSAA 2026

Seat Matrix

Total seats available by institute, branch, and category

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JEE Advanced
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Frequently Asked Questions — JEE Opening Rank

Common questions about opening ranks, closing ranks, and how to use them for JoSAA counselling

1
What is opening rank in JoSAA counselling?
Opening rank is the rank of the first (best) candidate admitted to a specific branch at a specific institute, in a given category and quota, during a JoSAA round. For example, if IIT Bombay CSE opening rank is 1, it means the AIR 1 candidate was the first to be admitted to that seat. Opening rank alone does not tell you your admission chances — the closing rank is the real cutoff to compare against.
2
Should I compare my rank with opening rank or closing rank?
Always compare your rank with the CLOSING rank, not the opening rank. Closing rank is the rank of the last candidate admitted to that seat — it is the actual cutoff. Opening rank only tells you the best rank that seat has ever seen; it does not mean you need that rank to get in. If your rank is better than (lower number than) the closing rank of the final round, you have a realistic chance.
3
What was JEE Advanced 2025 opening rank for IIT Bombay CSE?
In JoSAA 2025 (final round), IIT Bombay CSE (General, Gender-Neutral) opened at rank 1 and closed around rank 68. This is consistently the most competitive seat in the entire JoSAA system every year, typically opening at AIR 1-3.
4
What was JEE Main 2025 opening rank for top NITs?
In JoSAA 2025 (final round), NIT Warangal CSE (Other State, General) opened at rank 201, and NIT Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) CSE opened around rank 247. These are consistently the two most competitive NIT CSE seats. IIIT Hyderabad CSE opened at approximately rank 452, ahead of most NITs except Warangal and Trichy.
5
Does opening rank change every counselling round?
Yes, slightly. Opening rank can shift marginally across JoSAA Rounds 1 through 5 as candidates upgrade, freeze, or withdraw. Round 1 opening ranks are usually close to the final numbers, but the Round 5 (final) opening rank is the most authoritative reference since it reflects the complete, settled allotment for that admission cycle.
6
Is opening rank useful for choice filling strategy?
Opening rank is mainly a reference point to gauge how prestigious or competitive a seat is — it is not a planning tool by itself. For choice filling, closing rank trends across the last 2-3 years (available via our College Predictor and Cutoffs pages) are far more useful, since they show the realistic rank at which a seat is actually accessible.

IIT Colleges in India

Browse all 23 IITs with details, fees, and rankings

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NIT Colleges in India

Browse all 31 NITs with details, fees, and rankings

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Seat Matrix

Total seats available in each college and branch

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JoSAA Counselling 2026

Complete counselling process guide, rounds, and dates

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