🏆 Must Be Among the Top 2,50,000 in JEE Main 2026

Candidates must be among the top 2,50,000 successful candidates (across all categories) in the B.E./B.Tech. paper (Paper 1) of JEE Main 2026.

The category-wise percentage split for shortlisting is:

• OPEN (General): 40.5% of 2,50,000
• GEN-EWS: 10%
• OBC-NCL: 27%
• SC: 15%
• ST: 7.5%

Within each of the five categories above, a 5% horizontal reservation is available for PwD (Persons with Disabilities) candidates.

🎂 Date of Birth Requirements for JEE Advanced 2026

• General / OBC-NCL / EWS candidates: Must be born on or after October 1, 2001.
• SC / ST / PwD candidates: 5-year age relaxation applies — must be born on or after October 1, 1996.

Note: The age limit for 2026 has been updated from the 2025 cutoff (Oct 1, 2000). Candidates must verify their birth date against these revised criteria.

🔁 Maximum 2 Attempts in 2 Consecutive Years

A candidate can attempt JEE Advanced a maximum of two times, and both attempts must be in two consecutive years.

This means if you attempt JEE Advanced 2026, you can only be eligible if you have not already attempted it twice in 2024 and 2025. If you appeared only in 2025 (or not at all), you are still eligible for 2026.

📚 First Appearance in Class XII Must Be in 2025 or 2026

A candidate must have appeared for Class XII (or equivalent) examination for the first time in either 2025 or 2026, with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects.

Candidates who appeared in Class XII for the first time in 2024 or earlier are NOT eligible for JEE Advanced 2026, regardless of the subjects attempted.

Special Exception (Board Result Delay): If a Board declared Class XII results for the academic year 2023–24 on or after June 18, 2024, then those 2024 candidates may also be eligible for JEE Advanced 2026, provided all other criteria are met. However, if the Board declared results before June 18, 2024 but a candidate's result was withheld, that candidate is not eligible.

🏛️ Must NOT Have Been Admitted to an IIT Previously

A candidate should NOT have been admitted to an IIT under any academic program listed in JoSAA Business Rules of 2025 — irrespective of whether they continued in the program or accepted a seat by reporting online/at a reporting centre.

Candidates whose IIT admission was cancelled after joining are also NOT eligible.

Candidates who ARE still eligible under A5:

• Candidates admitted to a preparatory course at any IIT for the first time in 2025.
• Candidates allocated a seat in an IIT through JoSAA 2025 but:
  • Did not report online or at any reporting centre, OR
  • Withdrew before the last round of seat allotment, OR
  • Had their seat cancelled before the last round of seat allotment for IITs.

In all the above cases, the candidate must still fulfil Criteria A1 through A4.

🌍 Separate Eligibility Criteria (Criterion B1–B4)

Candidates who are not citizens of India (by birth or naturalized) and are not OCI/PIO cardholders (with card issued before March 4, 2021) must fulfill a separate set of four criteria (B1–B4) to appear for JEE Advanced 2026. Key differences:

• No JEE Main required: Foreign nationals can apply directly for JEE Advanced 2026 without appearing in JEE Main.
• Age: Born on or after October 1, 2001. Relaxation given in countries with mandatory armed forces stints before/after Class XII.
• Attempts: Up to three attempts in three consecutive years (different from the two-attempt rule for Indian nationals).
• Class XII: Must have appeared in 2024, 2025, or 2026 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

🪪 OCI / PIO (I) Cardholders — Important Restrictions

• OCI/PIO (I) cardholders are treated differently based on when the card was issued.
• They are not eligible for category reservations: GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, or ST. They can only appear in the OPEN or OPEN-PwD rank lists.
• Must fulfil the same criteria as Indian nationals (Criterion A1–A5) for IIT seat allocation purposes.