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2026

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5% Reservation — RPwD Act, 2016

PwD Quota Seats in IITs & NITs — JoSAA/CSAB 2026

Persons with Disabilities get a 5% horizontal reservation across all categories at IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. Here's how the quota works and how to claim it.

The 5% PwD Reservation Explained

The Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 mandates that central government-funded educational institutions — including all IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs participating in JoSAA/CSAB — reserve 5% of seats for candidates with benchmark disabilities. This reservation applies horizontally, meaning it's carved out within every vertical category rather than as a separate quota competing against all other candidates.

In practice, this means a PwD candidate belonging to, say, the OBC-NCL category is grouped into the "OBC-NCL (PwD)" sub-category and competes only against other OBC-NCL PwD candidates for those horizontally reserved seats, using the same JEE Main/Advanced rank as merit.

Because PwD seats within any given category and branch are typically few in number, PwD-specific cutoff ranks are usually significantly more relaxed than the general cutoff for that category — but the seat count is also small, so choice-filling strategy matters.

Eligibility & Certificate Requirements

  • Must have a certified benchmark disability as defined under the RPwD Act, 2016 (a specified minimum percentage of disability, verified by a competent medical authority).
  • Recognised categories include locomotor disability, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and other specified conditions listed in the Act's schedule — check the exact list in the JoSAA/CSAB brochure.
  • Disability certificate must be issued by a government-recognised medical board/authority in the prescribed format.
  • PwD status must be declared at JEE application stage and verified again during JoSAA/CSAB document verification.
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Key Points to Remember

  • PwD reservation is horizontal — it stacks on top of your social category, not a replacement for it.
  • Exact institute/branch-wise PwD seat counts vary — check the official seat matrix, don't assume uniform distribution.
  • Keep your disability certificate valid and ready for verification at every reporting stage.
  • PwD cutoffs are generally more relaxed but seat counts are small — plan your choice list accordingly.

Related Pages

CSAB 2026 PwD EligibilityCSAB 2026 PwD CutoffCSAB 2026 PwD Vacant SeatsPwD Certificate % RequiredJoSAA 2026 PwD Candidates GuideJoSAA 2026 PwD CertificateJoSAA 2026 PwD CutoffJoSAA PwD Cutoff (IIT-specific)

PwD Quota Seats – FAQs

Common questions about PwD reservation for IIT/NIT admission via JoSAA/CSAB 2026

1
What percentage of seats are reserved for PwD candidates in IITs/NITs?
Under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, central educational institutions — including IITs and NITs — reserve 5% of seats (horizontally, within each category) for persons with benchmark disabilities. This is a well-established, publicly documented figure applied across JoSAA participating institutes.
2
Is the PwD reservation horizontal or vertical?
PwD reservation is horizontal — meaning it cuts across all vertical categories (General/Open, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS). A PwD candidate is first placed in their applicable social category (e.g., OBC-PwD, SC-PwD, Open-PwD) and competes for the 5% horizontal reservation within that category's seat pool, not as a separate standalone category.
3
Which disabilities are covered under the PwD quota?
The RPwD Act, 2016 recognises a wide range of benchmark disabilities including locomotor disability, visual impairment, hearing impairment, and other specified conditions, subject to a minimum disability percentage (benchmark disability) as certified by a competent medical authority. Exact eligible categories and required disability percentage thresholds are listed in the JoSAA/CSAB 2026 brochure and the RPwD Act schedule — always verify against the official list.
4
What certificate do I need to claim the PwD quota?
You need a valid disability certificate issued by a competent medical authority/board as prescribed under the RPwD Act, 2016, confirming your disability type and percentage. The certificate format and issuing authorities are standardised nationally, but always check the validity period and any state-specific issuing hospital list mentioned in the counselling brochure.
5
Do PwD candidates get relaxed eligibility criteria too?
Many institutes and JEE processes provide relaxations for PwD candidates beyond just seat reservation — such as adjusted minimum qualifying marks in some contexts and permitted use of a scribe/compensatory time during exams. For admission cutoffs specifically, PwD-category cutoffs (e.g., Open-PwD, OBC-PwD) are typically lower than the corresponding non-PwD cutoffs within the same category, since fewer candidates compete for those seats.
6
Where can I check institute-wise PwD seat availability for 2026?
PwD-specific seat matrices are published alongside the general JoSAA/CSAB seat matrix, broken down by institute, branch, and category-PwD combination. Vacant seat lists after each round (including CSAB's PwD vacant seat lists) are also published — check the official JoSAA/CSAB websites and our related PwD tracking pages for round-wise updates.
7
Can a PwD candidate also claim SC/ST/OBC/EWS benefits simultaneously?
Yes. Since PwD reservation is horizontal, a candidate belonging to SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, or General category who also has a certified benchmark disability can claim both benefits together — for example, as an SC-PwD or OBC-NCL-PwD candidate — provided they submit valid certificates for both categories.

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Quick Facts

5% reservation under RPwD Act, 2016
Horizontal — applies within every category
Requires certified benchmark disability
Cutoffs typically more relaxed than general
→ Full JoSAA 2026 schedule

Important Links

CSAB PwD EligibilityJoSAA PwD Candidates GuideCSAB PwD Vacant Seats

Disclaimer

Exact institute-wise and branch-wise PwD seat counts, disability percentage thresholds, and certificate formats are published officially each year. Always verify with the JoSAA/CSAB 2026 brochure and official seat matrix before relying on this page.