JEE Main qualifying cutoff 2026 vs 2025: Key numbers
The JEE Main qualifying cutoff 2026 vs 2025 shows a rise for the General category. The General cutoff for 2026 is now expected at 93.5–95.0 percentile , up from 93.102 in 2025. This article was updated on Apr 1, 2026 .
JEE Main qualifying cutoff 2026 vs 2025 — Category-wise expectations
Cutoffs are expected to remain broadly stable because of the normalization process across shifts, but small percentage shifts can change ranks sharply. Below are the expected qualifying ranges for 2026 versus the 2025 baseline.
| Category | 2025 percentile | Expected 2026 percentile |
|---|---|---|
| General (UR) | 93.102 | 93.5 - 95.0 |
| EWS | 80.38 | 80 - 82 |
| OBC-NCL | 79.43 | 78 - 80 |
| SC | 61.15 | 60 - 63 |
| ST | 47.90 | 47 - 50 |
| PwD | 0.007 | Similar |
JEE Main qualifying cutoff 2026 vs 2025: What this means for NITs and IIITs
Clearing the JEE Main qualifying cutoff only makes you eligible for counselling. Actual admission cutoffs are much higher and depend on institute, branch, and category. For the CSE branch at top NITs and IIITs you typically need ~99.5 percentile and All India ranks around 8,000–10,000 .
A safe marks range for top NITs/IIITs is often cited as 170–220+ marks in JEE Main. Percentile targets you should aim for vary by tier:
- Top NITs/IIITs (CSE): 99.5–99.9 percentile
- Tier-2 NITs (CSE): 99.2–99.5 percentile
- Tier-3 NITs / IIITs (CSE): 96.5–99 percentile
There are more than 15 lakh B.Tech seats overall. Seat distribution includes roughly 24,000+ seats in NITs, 9,000+ in IIITs, and 10,000+ in GFTIs.
Why the numbers barely move year-on-year
Normalization across multiple shifts keeps qualifying cutoffs stable. But remember: even a 0.1 percentile change can shift your rank significantly. That makes every mark critical, especially near the top percentiles.
Short checklist for you
- Know that qualifying cutoff ≠ admission cutoff. Aim higher than the qualifying numbers.
- Target 98+ percentile for a good shot at top NIT/IIIT branches.
- Keep an eye on official counselling lists for seat matrices and opening/closing ranks.