JEE Main Cut-Off 2026: Expected Category-Wise Qualifying Marks & Percentile

JEE Main Cut-Off 2026 is one of the most crucial parameters for aspirants aiming to secure admission into NITs, IIITs, and other top engineering colleges in India. Understanding the expected JEE Main Marks vs Percentile 2026 helps students set realistic targets and plan their preparation accordingly.

What is JEE Main Cut-Off?

JEE Main Cut-Off refers to the minimum marks or percentile required by candidates to qualify for the exam and be eligible for the next stage, including JEE Advanced or admissions under various engineering colleges through JoSAA counselling. Cut-off marks vary each year depending on the exam difficulty, number of candidates, and available seats.

Factors Affecting JEE Main 2026 Cut-Off

Several factors influence the cut-off marks for JEE Main:

• Number of candidates appearing for the exam.
• Difficulty level of the exam.
• Total number of seats available in participating colleges.
• Reservation criteria for different categories.

Expected JEE Main Cut-Off 2026: Category-Wise

Based on previous trends and expert predictions, here’s an expected range for JEE Main 2026 cut-off percentile and marks:

Note: These are predicted ranges based on past years’ trends. The official cut-off will be released by NTA after the JEE Main 2026 results are declared.

Free JEE Prediction & Counselling Tools by Aakash

Choosing the right engineering college is one of the most critical decisions for JEE aspirants. To help students make informed choices, Aakash provides a range of free JEE Main and JEE Advanced prediction tools designed to estimate ranks, calculate marks, and predict colleges based on previous year trends.

These tools are trusted by lakhs of students every year and are built using official exam patterns, normalization rules, and historical cut-off data.

JEE Main 2026, 21st Jan Morning Shift Expected Marks vs Percentile Cut-off

This video breaks down the expected marks required for 99%, 95%, and 93% percentile based on exam difficulty and trends for Jan 21 Shift 1.

JEE Main 2026, 21st Jan Evening Shift Expected Marks vs Percentile Cut-off

 In this video, you’ll get

Expected marks vs percentile analysis for JEE Main 2026, Shift-wise difficulty impact on percentile and what score you actually needed for 99%, 95%, 93%?

JEE Main 2026, 22nd Jan Morning Shift Expected Marks vs Percentile Cut-off

This video analyses the expected score range for 99%, 95%, and 93% percentile based on paper difficulty level for the 22nd Jan Shift 1.

JEE Main 2026, 22nd Jan Evening Shift Expected Marks vs Percentile Cut-off

Expected marks vs percentile analysis for JEE Main 2026, Shift-wise difficulty impact on percentile and what score you actually needed for 99%, 95%, 93% for 22nd Jan Shift 2?

JEE Main 2026, 23rd Jan Morning Shift Expected Marks vs Percentile Cut-off

This video offers a detailed estimate of the marks required to secure 99%, 95%, and 93% percentile in the 23rd Jan Shift 1 JEE Main Examination.

JEE Main 2026, 23rd Jan Evening Shift Expected Marks vs Percentile Cut-off

Watch this video to understand how many marks are expected to be required to score 99%, 95%, and 93% percentile for 23rd Jan Shift 2.

JEE Main 2026, 24th Jan Morning Shift Expected Marks vs Percentile Cut-off

The video provides an estimate of the marks required for 99%, 95%, and 93% percentile, factoring in exam difficulty and performance trends for 24th Jan Shift 1.

JEE Main 2026, 24th Jan Evening Shift Expected Marks vs Percentile Cut-off

This live session helps JEE aspirants understand their performance, identify scoring areas, and plan the next steps effectively.

JEE Main 2026, 28th Jan Morning Shift Expected Marks vs Percentile Cut-off

Check the shift-wise difficulty impact on percentile, and what score you actually needed for 99%, 95%, 93%?

JEE Main 2026 Important Dates

Here’s the updated schedule (tentative) for JEE Main 2026 in a tabular format:

Note: Ensure to regularly check the official websites (jeemain.nta.nic.in and nta.ac.in) for any updates.

Most Asked Questions

1. When will the JEE Main 2025 Session 1 and Session 2 exams be held?

JEE Main 2025 Session 1 and Session 2 were conducted in January and April respectively. The final schedule will be posted in the official website and students are to confirm this.

2. What are the registration dates for JEE Main 2025?

In October, 2024, registration was held open to Session 1. Registration in session 2 was possible on January 31-February 24, 2025. Notices are always made on the NTA web site.

3. When will the admit card and result for JEE Main 2025 be released?

The admit card was available a week prior to the exam. The outcomes are announced 10-15 days upon the examination. The official NTA web site communicates dates.

JEE Main 2025 Category-Wise Cut Off (Updated)

Here are the official qualifying percentiles for JEE Main 2025:​

These percentiles indicate the minimum scores required to qualify for the JEE Advanced 2025 exam. Candidates meeting or exceeding these thresholds are eligible to appear for the next phase of the selection process.

Most Asked Questions

1. What is the qualifying percentile for General, OBC, SC, and ST in JEE Main 2025?

The General cut-off is about 93 percentile. According to the official data, OBC is approximately 79, SC is 61, and ST is 47, and PwD is less than 1 percentile.

2. How is the qualifying percentile for JEE Main calculated?

It is computed depending on the comparative performance of all the test-takers, the score of difficulty, and the total quantity of candidates. It determines the eligibility of the candidates to take the JEE advanced.

3. Do I need to score above the qualifying percentile to appear for JEE Advanced?

Yes, only those students who score equal and above the cutoff percentile in their group would be able to appear and compete in JEE Advanced to get an IIT admissions.

JEE Main Cut Off 2024

The cut-off marks of JEE Main 2024 released by the National Testing Agency (NTA) set the standard score to pass the JEE Main and the standard score to pass the JEE Advanced examination and to be eligible to join different engineering colleges.

JEE Main 2024 Qualifying Cut-Offs:

These cut-off marks are essential for candidates aspiring to pursue undergraduate engineering programs in institutes such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs).

Table of Contents

• JEE Main Cut-off 2025 (Category Wise)
• Previous Years' JEE Main Cut-off Analysis
• JEE Main Qualifying Cut-off 
• Types of JEE Main Cut-off 
• Factors Determining the JEE Main 2025 Cut-off
• JEE Main Cut-off for NITs
• FAQs of JEE Main 2025 Cut-off Marks

JEE Main Cut-off 2023 (Category Wise)

National Testing Agency (NTA) has already published the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2023 cut-off scores, which is used to define the requirement of the scores of the candidates to be able to take the JEE Advanced examination and apply to different institutes of engineering.

JEE Main 2023 Qualifying Cut-Offs:

JEE Main 2022 Cut-Off Analysis

The cut-off for JEE Main 2022 was released by NTA along with the JEE Main result 2022 of the second attempt. 

Previous Year’s JEE Main Cut-off Analysis

JEE Main Qualifying Cut-off 2021 and 2020

It is upon a wide range of factors such as number of students, number of seats available at the engineering college where they wish to be enrolled, trends of the previous year and the difficulty of JEE Main exam that determines the JEE Main cut-offs. The JEE Main qualifying cut off of 2020 and 2021 is provided in the below chart.

Types of JEE Main Cut-off 

JEE cut-off marks are divided into categories and announced by National Testing Agency (NTA). JEE Main cut-offs are of two types- qualifying and admission cut-offs. JEE Main qualifying cut-off is the lowest mark that JEE Main aspirants should attain in order to qualify in the JEE Advanced examination.

The entry Opening and closure Rank announced by the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) is referred to as JEE Main admission cut-off. The cut-offs of the JEE Main are determined keeping in view some parameters such as population that applied to the exam, level of difficulty of the exam, and supply of the exam.

Students are able to obtain the JEE Main cut off marks on this page and also get past year trends of JEE Main cut offs.

Factors Affecting JEE Main Cut-offs:

The cut-offs of JEE Main are not permanent and may vary every year depending on a number of factors:

• Level of Difficulty of the Examination: Harder examination may lead to lower cut-offs whereas easier examination may lead to higher cut-offs.
• No. of Test-Takers: The more the students appearing in the exam, the more competitive will be the exam and hence there may also be increase in the cut-offs.
• Seat availability: In testing the institutions there are few seats which can result in an increased qualifying score.
• Performance of Candidates: General performance of all the candidates in a year will play a major role in determining the cut- offs. The greater the overall scores, the greater the cut-offs.
• Government reservations policies: Government reservations Policies Government reservation policies on various categories have direct bearing on the corresponding cut-off scores. The reserved categories will normally come with reduced qualifying marks so as to secure a representation.
• Historical Trends: Data on cut-offs in previous years may give a broad view, but cannot be regarded as a definite indication of future cut-offs.

Most Asked Questions

1. What things affect the cut-off for JEE Main every year?

JEE main cut-offs vary annually depending on the difficulty level of the paper, the number of the applicants, the performance of the candidates, the seats available, and category-wise reservation policy given by the government.

2. Does the number of students appearing in the exam impact the cut-off?

Yes, when more students seem to have transgressed, competition escalates and there could be an increment in cut-offs particularly of the best department in well-known institutes such as NITs and IIITs.

3. How does the difficulty level of the paper change the JEE Main cut-off?

When the paper is tough, the cut-off generally reduces and when the paper is easy, the cut-off increases because more students will tend to get higher marks and competition will be high.

JEE Main Cut Off for IITs 

The JEE Main Cut Off for IITS will be released on the official website of the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) - josaa.admissions.nic.in. JoSAA then conducts 6 rounds of counselling based on the JEE Main cut-off. Candidates can follow the step-by-step provided below to check the previous year JEE Main cut off details:

• Click on the link provided here - josaa.admissions.nic.in. 
• Select the year, round number, institute type, institute name, academic program, seat type/category 
• Click on Submit button to view the results of the counselling round.

Most Asked Questions

1. What is the opening and closing rank for top NITs in JEE Main?

Rank openings of top NIT for Computer Science is normally less than 1000 and the rank closing is more than 20,000 based on branch and type.

2. Is the cut-off different for each branch in NITs?

It is true that every branch has a cut off according to demand and number of seats available. The cut-offs of Computer Science and ECE tend to be the highest.

3. Do NIT cut-offs vary for different categories like General and SC/ST?

Yes, there are distinct cut- offs in each category. The cut-offs of general categories are normally more and the reserved categories have lower ranks of closing.

JEE Main Cut-off for GFTIs

The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) will release JEE Main Cut-off for GFTIs 2025 on the official website of the authority - josaa.admissions.nic.in. Candidates are then called in for seat counselling in different rounds based on their JEE Rankings. The candidates who have appeared for the IIT JEE 2025 exam can check the previous year's opening and closing ranks through the official website of the authority. The step-by-step guide for the same is provided below:

• Open the link for checking the josaa.admissions.nic.in.
• Select the year, round number, institute type, institute name, academic program, seat type/category 
• Click on the Submit button to view the results of the counselling round.

Most Asked Questions

1. What are the opening and closing ranks for GFTIs in India?

GFTIs programme cut-offs are different. Depending on program and category some institutes do Open Rank below 5000 and others close above 30000.

2. How are GFTI cut-offs decided in JoSAA counselling?

The cut-offs will be issued following the completion of every JoSAA counselling round. They rely on the preferences of the applicants, seats and category based reservations in GFTIs.

3. Are GFTIs good options for students with moderate JEE Main ranks?

Yes, there are good placements and academics in GFTIs. They suit those students who might fail to meet the cut off of IITs or the best NITs.

JEE Main Cut-off for NITs 

For getting admission into top engineering colleges including IITs, NITs, and other CFTIs in India, students must have secured a minimum of 75% of marks in their class 12th board exams along with the JEE Main pass marks. For the reserved category, students have scores of a minimum of 65% in their class 12 along with the JEE Main pass mark. Find below the JEE Main opening and closing ranks for the National Institute of Technology pan India.

Most Asked Questions

1. What JEE Main score is needed to get into an IIT through JoSAA?J

IIT admissions rely on the rank given by the JEE advanced. To get assessed into the IIT, you have to qualify JEE Main cut-off first, and then do well in JEE Advanced.

2. Do all IITs have the same cut-off rank or percentile?

No, cut-offs in IITs are different according to abhorrence, course, and division. The closing ranks of matters are far lower in top IITs such as Bombay and Delhi.

3. Can I get into an IIT with a low rank if I belong to a reserved category?
Yes, reserved categories have relaxed cut-offs. A lower rank may still secure admission, depending on seat availability and chosen branch.

Importance of JEE Category-Specific Cut-offs:

Assessing Yourself: You should be aware of the cut-offs in the past years in your particular category, as this would give you an insight on how your practice run is going. It gives a standard against which one can know the range of score that one should attain.

Strategic Study Planning: In case you fall in the reserved category, you may plan to achieve less in your exams (than the general category students) as they often have lower cut-offs. Even though it is always a good step to want to achieve the best score possible, knowing at which level of score a specific category qualifies can aid you in being able to target your efforts better. On the other hand, students who belong to General category ought to keep in mind the moderately higher cut-offs and be ready to study accordingly.

Realistic Expectations: Look at the cut off trends of your category so that you do not expect a lot and be disappointed when you fail to qualify. This will help save you the disappointments and make you think of the other possibilities in cases where your performance can be ranked considerably low than the standard cut-off.

Post-Result Informed-Decision Making: The announcement of the JEE Main result will allow you to make informed decisions later (such as whether to apply to the JEE Advanced, or whether to join the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA)/Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) counselling to NITs, IIITs, and other Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs)) based on the category-wise cut-offs.

Most Asked Questions

1. Why are there different cut-offs for each category in JEE Main?

The JEE Advanced rank is required to gain entry into IIT and not the JEE Main. You have to first pass JEE Main cut-off, and then show appropriate score in JEE Advanced.

2. How do category cut-offs help in planning preparation for JEE?

No, the cut-offs of IITs vary due to popularity, program and location. The closing ranks of the top IITs such as Bombay and Delhi are much lower.

3. Can I still get admission in a good college if I just clear the category cut-off?

Yes, there are relaxed cut-offs in reserved categories. Even a lower ranking can get an admission but this will depend on the seat availability and also the selection of a branch.

JEE Main Related Links

FAQs for JEE Main 2025 Cut-off

Q 1. Who finalises the JEE Main cut-off?
Answer: JEE Main cut-offs are finalised by the National Testing Agency (NTA) based on several parameters including the previous year’s cut-off trends, the difficulty level of the JEE Main exam, and the total number of candidates who appeared for the exam and the number of seats available for admission.

Q 2. What is the meaning of cut-off in the JEE Main exam?
Answer: The JEE Main cut-off is the minimum qualifying score that a candidate must secure in order to be eligible for the JEE Advanced exam. Students aspiring to get into top engineering colleges including IITs and NITs in India must qualify for the JEE Main exam.

Q 3. How is the JEE Main cut-off finalized?
Answer: JEE Main Cutoff is finalized based on various factors such as:

- Previous year’s cut-off trends.
- The total number of students who appeared for the exam.
- The difficulty level of the JEE Main 2025 exam.
- Previous year’s JEE Main cut-off scores.
- The total number of seats available in the colleges.

Q 4. Does the JEE Main cut-off change every year?
Answer: Yes, the JEE Main cut-offs including category-wise cut-offs are subject to change every year depending on the difficulty of the exam, the total number of candidates appearing for the exam and the total number of seats available. 

Q 5. What are the types of JEE Main cut-offs?
Answer: There are two types of cut-offs in JEE Main, admission cut-off and qualifying cut-off. The qualifying cut-off is released by NTA and is the qualifying marks required by the candidates to write the JEE Advanced. The admission cut-off is prepared by JoSAA and it is the minimum marks required for admission. 

Q 6. What is the JEE Main Cutoff for NITs?
Answer: For getting admission into top engineering colleges including IITs, NITs and other CFTIs in India, students must have secured a minimum of 75% of marks in their class 12th board exams along with the JEE Main passing marks. 

Q 7. Is the JEE Main cut-off for all categories the same?
Answer: The JEE Main cut-off is different for each category of the candidates. The NTA releases a separate cut-off list for each category. Candidates are advised to visit the official website of NTA to check further details.