JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027: Age Limit, Qualification, Attempts & More

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria: Before applying for the JEE Main 2027, applicants must ensure that they fulfill the JEE Main 2027 eligibility criteria to apply for the exam. If someone does not meet the criteria for applying, he/she will not be allowed to sit for the exam. 

NTA has released the JEE Main 2027 eligibility criteria in the Information Bulletin (published 24 October 2026) on the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in. Session 1 (January 2027) applications are open from 24 October 2026 to 22 November 2026 (up to 11:50 P.M.).

Candidates can check details like educational qualification, age limit, nationality, year of passing, qualifying examinations, and State of eligibility in the JEE Main 2027 eligibility criteria.

JEE Main 2027 Eligibility Criteria: Highlights 

JEE Main 2027 Eligibility Criteria NTA Qualifying Exams

Note: These are admission criteria set by the counselling authority/institutes, not NTA eligibility conditions for appearing.

JEE Main 2027 Eligibility for Students from Open School or NIOS

Students who completed Class 12 through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), the Board of Open Schooling and Skill Education (BOSSE), Sikkim, or any recognized open schooling board are eligible to appear for JEE Main 2027, provided they fulfill the following conditions:

• NIOS candidates must have a minimum of five subjects in the Senior Secondary examination.

• The open schooling board must be recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) or relevant educational authorities.

• Students must have passed the exam in 2025, 2026, or be appearing in 2027.

• NIOS/BOSSE candidates must select the State of Eligibility according to the State in which their study centre is located.

However, for admission into IITs/NITs/IIITs through JEE, students must also meet the eligibility criteria set by the institutes, including subject combinations and percentage requirements.

JEE Main 2027 Eligibility for Foreign Nationals 

Foreign nationals can apply for JEE Main 2027 if they meet the eligibility criteria set by NTA and participating institutes. Here's what they need to know:

• Foreign students must have completed equivalent Class 12 education.

• Their qualification must be recognized as equivalent to the Indian 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Candidates who passed Class 12 (or equivalent) outside India, or from a board not listed, must produce an AIU equivalence certificate.

•  Foreign nationals (including OCI) must upload a scanned copy of their non-Indian passport in the online application form.

• OCI candidates who passed Class 12 (or equivalent) in India are treated at par with Indian nationals for State of eligibility. OCI candidates who passed Class 12 from an institution abroad are eligible for All India quota seats only (not Home State quota seats) in NITs, IIITs and other CFTIs.

• There is no age limit to appear in JEE Main 2027. Candidates may need to meet the age criteria of the institute where they seek admission.

• If the permanent or present address is outside India, choosing at least one examination city in India is compulsory.

Note: Foreign students are advised to regularly check the official NTA website and the DASA portal for updates and detailed instructions.

JEE Main 2027 State Code of Eligibility 

The JEE Main State Code of Eligibility refers to the Code of the State from where the candidate has passed the Class 12th / other qualifying examination and becomes eligible to sit for the JEE Main exam. 

Provided below are the codes of different JEE Main cities:

JEE Main 2027 Age Limit 

There is no age limit for appearing in JEE Main 2027. However, candidates should have passed Class 12 or equivalent in 2025, 2026 or be appearing in 2027, subject to the official eligibility conditions released by NTA. Candidates must also satisfy the age criteria, if any, prescribed by the institute where they seek admission.

Total Number of Attempts for JEE Main 2027

Aspiring candidates for JEE Main 2027 must meet the eligibility criteria regarding the number of attempts. Candidates can appear for the JEE Main 2027 examination for three consecutive years from the year they pass their Class 12 or equivalent examination. As JEE Main is generally conducted twice a year, candidates may get a maximum of six attempts over these three consecutive years. Appearing in both sessions gives candidates an opportunity to improve their NTA score, percentile, and overall rank.

JEE Main 2027 Eligibility Criteria: Admissions to NITs, IIITs and GFTIs

NITs/IIITs/GFTIs Admission: Students who have passed class 12th with a minimum of 75% marks or scored in the top 20 percentile in their class (65% for SC/ST candidates) are eligible. 

JEE Main 2027 Admission (B.Arch/B.Planning): Candidates must have passed a 10+2 or equivalent exam from any recognized board with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks.

JEE Main 2027 Qualifying Exams 

• The final examination of the 10+2 system is conducted by any recognized Central/State Board, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi; Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi; etc.
• Intermediate or two-year pre-university examination conducted by a recognised board or university.
• Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defense Academy
• Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects.
• Any public school/board/university examination in India or any foreign country is recognised as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
• Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination.
• A diploma recognised by AICTE or a state board of technical education of at least 3 years duration.
• General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.
• High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.
• Candidates who have completed the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination outside India or from a board not specified above should produce a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) to the effect that the examination they have passed is equivalent to the Class 12 Examination.
• In case the Class 12 Examination is not a public examination, the candidate must have passed at least one public (Board or Pre-University) examination earlier.

Note: Candidates should satisfy themselves about eligibility to appear for or get admission in any institute/university by checking its own criteria and website. NTA is responsible only for conducting JEE (Main), and no grievances/RTI will be entertained by NTA regarding qualification criteria for a particular institute.

JEE Main Related Links

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027: FAQs

Question: I belong to Haryana State. What will be my state code of eligibility?
Answer: The state of eligibility means the code of the state from where you have done your 12th. In case you have completed your 12th grade from Haryana, the state code of eligibility will be 13. 

Question: If I have done my class 12th from NIOS, what should I mention as the state of eligibility?
Answer: In such particular cases, candidates have to mention the code of the state in which their NIOS study center was located.  The same rule applies to BOSSE (Sikkim) candidates.

Question: What are the eligibility criteria to apply for NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs?
Answer: Students must secure a minimum of 75% marks (65% for the SC/ST category) or be the top 20 percentile scorer in class 12 to be eligible for NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs.

Question:  Are candidates who passed Class 12 in 2024 or earlier eligible?
Answer: No. Only candidates who passed Class 12 or equivalent in 2025 or 2026, or are appearing in 2027, are eligible for JEE Main 2027.

Question: I have appeared two times for the JEE Main exam. Can I appear for the third time too?
Answer: As per the JEE Main 2027 eligibility criteria laid down by the authorities, you can appear as many times in 3 consecutive years from the year of passing Class 12th.