JoSAA Counselling 2026 | Dates, Registration, Seat Allotment, Apply Online

JoSAA counselling is expected to start on June 2, 2026, after the JEE Advanced results. Once the JEE Advanced 2026 exam is concluded and the results are out, JoSAA counselling is the next important step. Candidates who have qualified both JEE Main and Advanced can participate in the counselling process and book the seats in the colleges allotted to them.

The complete JoSAA counselling process is held online, and they typically conduct 6 rounds. The JEE Main 2026 Session 1 result is out now. Students are advised to finalise their list of target colleges based on their All India Rank. The exact counselling dates will be released soon on the official website https://josaa.nic.in/. If any seats are available after JoSAA counselling, they are allocated through CSAB special counselling rounds.

What is JoSAA Counselling 2026?

JoSAA stands for the Joint Seat Allocation Authority, which is a centralised body. The Ministry of Education set up the JoSAA counselling body to regulate the admission process and seat allocation to 127 engineering institutes based on JEE Main and JEE Advanced results. These include 23 IITs, 31 NITs, IIEST Shibpur, 26 IIITs, and 47 GFTIs (Government Funded Technical Institutes). Admission to all the academic programs offered by these engineering colleges is made through a single platform.

To be eligible for the JoSAA counselling process, candidates will have to qualify and clear JEE Main and JEE Advanced. Students should stay updated with JEE Main exam updates and the latest structure, as JoSAA counselling completely depends upon JEE Main rank and percentile. of both sessions. The whole online process will be conducted in six rounds, through which students will be allotted the seats to their desired colleges. In this blog, we will discuss the registration process, colleges participating in JoSAA, fee payment, college choice filing forms, and CSAB counselling.

JoSAA Counselling 2026 Complete Process (Step-by-Step)

The JoSAA counselling is an online merit-based JEE Main college counselling process done to manage and allot seats for all 127 institutes registered. The counselling process usually starts once the JEE Main Session 2 results are out and all candidates have been allotted their respective ranks and percentiles. NTA follows a normalisation formula to calculate the final JEE Main percentile, and ranks are allotted based on it. Students should be aware of how to calculate percentile in JEE Main exam to get a better idea. The registration will tentatively begin on June 2, 2026. Candidates who have cleared the cutoff and have qualified for JEE Advanced can register on the official website of JoSAA counselling. Here is a detailed step-by-step registration process that students can refer to while filling out the form:

JoSAA Registration Process (Online)

Follow the guide to complete the JoSAA registration process 2026. To register is the first step to participate in JoSAA counselling. Here is how to register on the JoSAA website:

• Visit the official website of JoSAA and log in using your JEE Main 2026 roll number.
• You will have to fill out a form with the necessary personal details.
• The next step is to read all the terms and conditions. Once done, accept the tick box.
• Click on the declaration button.
• The registration is complete, and you will receive details regarding the successful completion of registration.

Choice Filling (Selecting the Colleges and Branches)

After registration, the next step is the most crucial, which is JoSAA choice filling and locking. Students will have to fill out the college choice form. Candidates will have to choose options as their preferred institutes, preferred course, and academic programs. It is advised to carefully prioritise the colleges you prefer the most and rank them higher.

It is advised that students should make a target college list before filling out the college choice form. Make an informed decision by checking out the top IITs in India along with eligibility and cutoff. This form can be filled out only once and will be used for all 6 rounds. Students will not be able to make any more changes once the form is submitted.

Mock Seat Allotment (2 Rounds)

JoSAA conducts mock seat allotment for 2 rounds before starting the final seat allotment. The JoSAA mock allotment is basically a trial round to educate candidates on what colleges and branches they will get based on their preferences.

• 2 mock rounds will be conducted.
• Students can revise their preferred college and branch choices based on the mock round analysis. 
• The purpose of mock seat allotment is to help candidates make better choices regarding their preferred colleges and branches.

NOTE: Students will not be allowed to edit their college choice form after the deadline passes.

JoSAA Seat Allotment 2026 (6 rounds)

Once the mock rounds conclude, JoSAA allots the college seats based on the candidate’s JEE Main & Advanced All India rank, percentile, category (reservation), and the college choice preferences.

• There will be 5-6 rounds in the official JoSAA seat allotment process.
• In every JoSAA counselling round, students will receive the colleges they are allotted. They will have the choice to either freeze, float, or slide the choice.

Choosing Freeze, Float & Slide Options

During the seat allotment rounds, students will have an option to choose freeze, float, or slide options. Based on the colleges they will be allotted in every round, candidates will have to choose each college allotted to them. Here is what these options mean and when to use them:

• Freeze Option: Choose this option if you want to accept the seat and not participate in further counselling rounds.
• Float Option: Students can choose this option when they want to accept the seat but also participate in later counselling rounds.
• Slide Option: Choose this option when you want to accept a college but want a better branch in the same college itself.
• Surrender/Withdraw: Choosing this option means to cancel the allotted seat (partial refund applicable).

JoSAA Seat Acceptance Fee Payment (SAF & PAF)

To confirm any college seat offered, candidates will have to make the fee payment. The fee payment options available are net banking, Credit/Debit, or UPI. Students should download the seat allotment letter after the fee payment is successfully made for future purposes. There are two types of fee payment done during JoSAA counselling:

Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF)

The SAF fee is a payment made to retain and seat and confirm your choice. The candidate can continue the counselling rounds after confirming their seat for a specific college.

Partial Admission Fee (PAF)

The Partial Admission Fee (PAF) is paid after the SAF to confirm admission in the respective college. This is like an advanced payment, and PAF confirms that the candidate will be joining that specific institute.

Fee Type	Category	Expected Amount (₹)	When Paid?	Purpose
SAF (Seat Acceptance Fee)	General / OBC-NCL / EWS	₹35,000	After seat allotment	Confirms acceptance of the allotted seat and allows participation in further rounds.
SAF (Seat Acceptance Fee)	SC / ST / PwD	₹15,000	After seat allotment	Same purpose, but reduced fee for reserved categories.
PAF (Partial Admission Fee)	All Categories	₹40,000 (approx.)	After final seat confirmation	An advance payment towards the institute admission fee and confirms final admission intent.

Document Verification (Upload Required Documents)

Once the payment is done and the seat is booked, students will have to upload the necessary documents to confirm their seat. Make sure all documents are updated, as online verification will happen. The following are the JoSAA document verification lists that students are required to submit:

Document Required	Required for NITs/IIITs/GFTIs	Required for IIT Admissions
Class X Mark Sheet/Certificate or Aadhaar Card (Date of Birth Proof)	Yes	Yes
Class XII Mark Sheet & Certificate	Yes	Yes
JEE Main 2026 Admit Card	Yes	Not Applicable
Category Certificate (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/GEN-EWS), if applicable	Yes	Yes
PwD Certificate, if applicable	Yes	Yes
Bank Cheque Copy or Passbook Image	Yes	Yes
Medical Certificate	Yes	Yes
OCI/PIO Certificate or Passport, if applicable	Yes	Yes

Report to the Allotted Institute for Verification

The final step is to report physically to the allotted institute to confirm and finalise admission. This step involves finishing the process offline after online registration is done. When the candidate reports to the respective institute, a complete verification of documents will be done again. The admission process will be considered complete only after the candidate visits the institute and the complete verification process is finalised. Failing to report to the institute or college allotted, the candidate’s seat will be cancelled. Hence, this is the complete JoSAA counselling registration process that students should be aware of. Use this as a guide and keep all the documents ready beforehand to avoid any delays or hassle.

JoSAA Counselling 2026 Important Dates

As per the timeline of the exam dates of JEE Main 2026, it can be expected that JoSAA counselling will start on June 2, 2026. Students should also find out the JEE Main cutoff 2026 to see if they are eligible for the institutes before applying. Check out the complete JoSAA 2026 counselling schedule with all the Tentative dates, and check the JoSAA website regularly to not miss any important updates.

JoSAA Counselling Event	Tentative Date (2026)	Details
JoSAA Registration	June 2026 (2nd week)	Online registration starts after the JEE Advanced results.
College Choice Filling	June 2026	Candidates can select preferred institutes and branches.
Last Date of choice filling	June 2026 (last week)	Lock choices before the deadline.
Mock Seat Allotment Round 1	June 2026	Based on initial choices filled
Mock Seat Allotment Round 2	June 2026	Helps candidates modify preferences
Seat Allotment Round 1 Begins	July 2026 (1st week)	Official allotment starts
Total Seat Allotment Rounds	6 Rounds (Tentative)	The entire JoSAA process will be conducted in 6 rounds.
Document Verification & Reporting	July–August 2026	The verification will happen online and in the institute as well.
JoSAA Counselling Ends	August 2026	Final admission confirmation

JoSAA Counselling Eligibility 2026

To participate in the JoSAA counselling process, candidates must fulfil certain eligibility criteria. The JoSAA counselling session has different eligibility criteria for admissions into IITs and other top engineering colleges. Here is a detailed list of all the eligibility criteria that a candidate needs to meet:

IIT Admission Eligibility Criteria Through JoSAA Counselling

• A candidate must have cleared and qualified for the JEE Advanced exam. Since admissions into IITs only happen through the JEE Advanced exam, students should also check the JEE Advanced 2026 eligibility criteria along with the JoSAA counselling eligibility.
• The candidate must have 5 subjects in class 12 or equivalent exams. Compulsory subjects are physics, maths, chemistry, and one language subject.
• Candidates must be in the top 20%of their 12 board examinations.
• The minimum percentage class 12 eligibility for admissions into IITs is 75% (aggregate) for the general category and 65% for SC/ST.
• The student should be in the top 2,50,000 JEE Main 2026 qualified candidates.

Eligibility Criteria for Other Engineering Colleges (NITs, IIITs & GFTIs)

Candidates who have qualified for JEE Main 2026 can sit for the JoSAA counselling process. The admission to IITs happens through the JEE Advanced exams. But the admissions to NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, and other top engineering colleges are done on the basis of the JEE Main exam. Students who want to take admission in engineering, architecture, and planning courses can sit for JoSAA counselling. Here is the detailed eligibility criteria:

• Students should have appeared for the class 12 or equivalent exam for the first time in the year 2024 or 2025. Students who are appearing for the Class 12 or equivalent exam in the year 2026 are also eligible.
• The compulsory subjects required in class 12 are physics and mathematics. Any one subject can be chosen from chemistry, biology, biotechnology, or technical vocation.

Colleges Participating in JoSAA Counselling 2026

For the year 2026, there are 127 premier engineering colleges participating in the JoSAA counselling. These colleges include IITs, NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, and other top engineering institutes. The admission process is based on JEE Main and JEE Advanced results, which are their final percentile and rank. Students can check out the list below of all JoSAA counselling participating institutes, and also check out the top 10 IIT colleges in India to make their target college list.

NITs Participating in JoSAA Counselling 2026 

S.No.	NIT Name	Seats Available
1	Dr. B.R. Ambedkar NIT, Punjab	1103
2	MNIT Jaipur, Rajasthan	888
3	NIT Puducherry	275
4	NIT Trichy, Tamil Nadu	1038
5	VNIT Nagpur, Maharashtra	933
6	NIT Sikkim	190
7	MANIT Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh	1203
8	NIT Srinagar, J&K	899
9	MNNIT Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh	1134
10	NIT Uttarakhand	200
11	SVNIT Surat, Gujarat	1400
12	NIT Andhra Pradesh	480
13	NIT Mizoram	190
14	NIT Warangal, Telangana	1049
15	NIT Rourkela, Odisha	1065
16	NIT Jamshedpur, Jharkhand	751
17	NIT Arunachal Pradesh	230
18	NIT Nagaland	201
19	NIT Calicut, Kerala	1278
20	NIT Silchar, Assam	903
21	NIT Agartala, Tripura	1160
22	NIT Durgapur, West Bengal	969
23	IIEST Shibpur, West Bengal	810
24	NIT Surathkal, Karnataka	961
25	NIT Meghalaya	165
26	NIT Patna, Bihar	981
27	NIT Raipur, Chhattisgarh	1159
28	NIT Delhi	374
29	NIT Goa	224
30	NIT Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh	944
31	NIT Kurukshetra, Haryana	1147
32	NIT Manipur	226

IIITs Participating in JoSAA Counselling 2026

S.No.	IIIT Name	Seats Available
1	IIITM Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh	360
2	IIIT Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh	439
3	IIIT Surat, Gujarat	282
4	IIIT Manipur	660
5	IIIT Raichur, Karnataka	220
6	IIIT Kancheepuram, Chennai	593
7	IIIT Dharwad, Karnataka	486
8	IIIT Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh	550
9	IIIT Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh	331
10	IIIT Sri City, Andhra Pradesh	438
11	IIIT Ranchi, Jharkhand	320
12	IIIT Pune, Maharashtra	445
13	IIIT Guwahati, Assam	254
14	IIIT Nagpur, Maharashtra	648
15	IIIT Vadodara, Gujarat	228
16	IIIT Kalyani, West Bengal	237
17	IIIT Vadodara (DIU Campus)	108
18	IIIT Bhagalpur, Bihar	344
19	IIIT Agartala, Tripura	100
20	IIIT Una, Himachal Pradesh	294
21	IIIT Kota, Rajasthan	330
22	IIIT Trichy, Tamil Nadu	225
23	IIIT Sonepat, Haryana	240
24	IIIT Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh	240
25	IIIT Kottayam, Kerala	556
26	IIIT Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh	705

GFTIs Participating in JoSAA Counselling 2026

S.No.	GFTI Name	Seat Intake
1	Assam University, Silchar	180
2	BIT Deoghar Off-Campus	266
3	BIT Mesra, Ranchi	1284
4	BIT Patna Off-Campus	426
5	Central Institute of Technology Kokrajhar	24
6	Central University of Haryana	210
7	Central University of Jammu	210
8	Central University of Jharkhand	240
9	Central University of Rajasthan	90
10	CSVTU Bhilai, Chhattisgarh	210
11	Ghani Khan Choudhury Institute, Malda	187
12	Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar	575
13	Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Bhadohi	33
14	IIHT Varanasi	33
15	IIHT Salem	30
16	ICT Mumbai – IOCL Odisha Campus	66
17	IET, Dr. H.S. Gour University, Sagar	360
18	IITRAM Ahmedabad	156
19	IT, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur	500
20	IIIT Bhubaneswar	223
21	IIIT Naya Raipur	95
22	J.K. Institute, University of Allahabad	86
23	Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi	126
24	Mizoram University, Aizawl	96
25	NIAMT Ranchi	270
26	NIELIT Aurangabad	60
27	NIFTEM Kundli	100
28	NIFTEM Thanjavur	90
29	NERIST Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh	16
30	NEHU Shillong	80
31	Puducherry Technological University	317
32	Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh	800
33	SLIET Longowal	498
34	Tezpur University, Napaam	149
35	SPA Bhopal	132
36	SPA New Delhi	177
37	SPA Vijayawada	132
38	GGV Bilaspur (School of Engineering)	711
39	SMVD University, Katra	270
40	University of Hyderabad	110

JoSAA Cutoff 2026

The JoSAA counselling 2026 cutoff will be released with opening and closing ranks once the JEE Main Session 2 results are declared. To be eligible to participate in the JoSAA counselling and get admissions to the top engineering colleges, students have to clear the cutoff. The official cutoff will be released soon, but here is the expected cutoff that students can expect for this year. Find the JoSAA counselling 2026 expected cutoff below based on previous year trends:

Category	Maximum Percentile Cutoff	Minimum Percentile Cutoff
General	100	93.1023262
Gen-PwD	93.0950208	0.0079349
EWS	93.0950208	80.3830119
OBC-NCL	93.0950208	79.4313582
SC	93.0950208	61.1526933
ST	93.0950208	47.9026465

CSAB Counselling Process After JoSAA 2026

The Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) is a government counselling body for admissions into NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, and IIEST. The CSAB counselling happens after the JoSAA counselling finishes. The purpose of CSAB is to allot the vacant seats remaining after the JoSAA counselling. Eligible students are those who have cleared the JEE Main exam.

CSAB Eligibility Criteria

• Qualified for JoSAA and cleared JEE Main.
• Students who were allotted seats in JoSAA can participate in CSAB if they wish to get better seats.
• Students who have already paid PAF in JoSAA and wish to upgrade their seats.
• Candidates who have chosen the option of not participating in the special round will not be eligible. 

CSAB 2026 Registration Process

• Visit the official CSAB website to register.
• You will have to register using the JEE Main roll number.
• You will be asked to enter details, including category, gender, nationality, and other information.
• Upload all the necessary documents asked for.
• Pay the registration fee for CSAB counselling.
• Click on submit, and you will be registered.

Conclusion

The JoSAA counselling is the most crucial step to get admissions in the top engineering colleges of India. Around 127 institutes, including 23 IITs, 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, and 47 GFTIs, take part in the counselling process to give admissions based on their JEE Main rank. The process will be held in 6 seat allottment rounds. In case the admissions seats of institutes are still vacant, a separate CSAB counselling round is conducted. Candidates should note that the JoSAA counselling round will tentatively begin on June 2, 2026. And the cutoff closing and opening ranks will be officially released on the JoSAA counselling website itself. Students are advised not to miss any important deadlines by regularly checking the official JoSAA counselling website.

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