JEE Main 2026 Cutoff – Expected for General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS

Planning to check the JEE Main 2026 expected cutoff? Based on previous year trends and early exam analysis, the expected cutoff percentile for JEE Main 2026 is likely to be 93.5–95 for General, 80–82 for EWS, 79–81 for OBC-NCL, 61–63 for SC, 47.5–50 for ST, and 0.001–0.02 for PwD candidates. This data will help you understand the category-wise cutoff and estimate a safe score to evaluate your chances of qualifying for the exam.

The JEE Main cutoff percentile is a key factor in determining eligibility for JEE Advanced 2026 and securing admission into top institutes like NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. In this analysis, you will get insights into expected score ranges, admission chances, and cutoff trends. Note: These figures are based on analysis and may differ from the official cutoff released by NTA.

What is the JEE Main Cutoff 2026?

The cutoff percentile is essential for every candidate who took the exam. Candidates who scored equal to or above the qualifying cutoff set for JEE Main 2026 will proceed further to participate in the next selection round. The final cutoff will be purely based on the exam conducted for sessions 1 and 2. To calculate overall performance and equal marks distribution, NTA uses the normalisation method.

Every competitive exam has its own criteria to qualify, and for JEE Main 2026, NTA will soon release the JEE Main 2026 cutoff once the session 1 and session 2 normalisation is completed. As per the official schedule, the JEE Main Session 2 exam is being organised from April 2 to 8, 2026, with over 10 – 11 lakh candidates.

What are the Qualifying Cutoff and Admission Cutoff in JEE Main 2026?

Many candidates are still confused about differentiating between the qualifying cutoff and the admission cutoff. So here is a clear explanation of your question as mentioned below.

JEE Main Qualifying Cutoff: The qualifying cutoff is the score a candidate must secure in their JEE Main Exam to qualify for the JEE Advanced. It is noted that the JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff doesn’t guarantee you the final admission, but it qualifies you to appear for JEE Advanced.

JEE Main Admission Cutoff: The admission cutoff determines your eligibility to get admission into your preferred engineering college via JoSAA counselling. This is a closing rank that ensures your admission into NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs across India.

Category-wise Cutoff Percentile for JEE Main 2026 (Expected)

According to early analysis of the JEE Main April Session exam, the expected cutoff percentile of JEE Main 2026 is provided in the table below based on the exam difficulty level, competition and previous trends, and indicates the minimum cutoff percentile required to qualify for JEE Advanced.

JEE Main 2026 Expected Marks vs Percentile

Through this, you can get an expected idea of your marks and calculate the expected percentile score in the exam. The table below gives you an expected idea of what you can check your potential percentile.

Opening & Closing Rank for JEE Main 2026 (Expected)

The opening and closing ranks for top engineering institutes such as NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs are highly competitive. To get admission into a better institute, a 95+ percentile is required. According to this, general candidates require a rank under 10,000 to get a seat at top institutes, while the overall admission for NITs can go up to 678000 for the lower branch. For more information, please refer to the required data in the table below.

JEE Main Expected Admission Cutoff for NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs

As discussed above, the JEE Main admission cutoff is the opening and closing ranks for the candidates to secure a seat for admission in top engineering colleges in India. The admission cutoff will be different based on the institute’s reputation, branch demand, seat availability, and category. The following table shows you the expected admission cutoff for top engineering institutes with the closing ranks.

NITs Admission Cutoff 2026 (Expected)

Top NITs with popular branches remain extremely high closing ranks, as mentioned in the table below.

IIIT Admission Cutoff 2026 (Expected)

The IIIT Cutoff for admission into top branches like CSE and IT is rising due to increased competition. The expected Admission Cutoff for IIIT for 2026 are provided in the table below.

GFTI Admission Cutoff 2026 (Expected)

Here are the expected cutoff ranges for admission into GFTIs across India. The expected closing rank for GFTIS admission is given in the table below, significantly depending on the location, demand and branch.

Reservation Criteria to Qualify for JEE Advanced 2026

NTA defined category-specific JEE Main 2026 reservation percentages for the JEE Advanced 2026. The table below shows you the percentage across different categories to determine eligibility and selection for the next stage.

JEE Main Cutoff Trends from 2020 – 2026

The previous year’s cutoff trends for JEE Main can help you get an expected idea about the JEE Main 2026 cutoff percentile. This also helps you achieve your goal of admission into the institution you wish for.

How to Check the Official JEE Main 2026 Result & Cutoff?

NTA will release the official JEE Main Cutoff for 2026 after the exam is concluded with sessions 1 and 2. The session 1 exam was conducted in January 2026, for which the result was announced on 12^th February 2026. The Session 2 result will tentatively be released on 20^th April 2026. Follow the steps below to download the result and the cutoff.

• First of all, visit the official NTA JEE Main website, i.e. jeemain.nta.nic.in.
• Search for the link “JEE Main 2026 Result & Cutoff”.
• Click on the link available in the latest notification.
• Enter the login details and other required details to access the link.
• After that, click on the download option and wait.
• Your JEE Main Result or Cutoff is available on the screen.
• Check the details and also click on the download link.
• Download it or save it for further reference.

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