Enter your percentile or rank. You'll get a college list sorted into three bands — colleges you're safe for, colleges where it's a genuine contest, and colleges that are a reach. No login wall before your numbers. No false precision. Just the honest math, which is the rest of this page.
Know your rank? Try the JEE-Main: Joint Entrance Exam Main - JEE-Main College Predictor 2026 → · JEE-Main: Joint Entrance Exam Main - JEE-Main Exam Details → · All Predictors →
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Search by college name to see what cutoff you need in JEE-Main.
A JEE Main College Predictor is an online tool that estimates which NITs, IIITs, and Government-Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) you can realistically get into, based on your JEE Main percentile, All India Rank, category, home state, and quota preference. It does not guarantee a seat. What a well-built predictor does is convert years of real JoSAA counselling data into a probability-weighted shortlist — so you enter choice-filling with a strategy instead of a hope.
Here is the minimum it needs from you, and why each input is non-negotiable:
| Input | What It Determines | Why It Cannot Be Skipped |
|---|
| JEE Main Percentile | Your normalized score across sessions | Percentile, not raw marks, is the basis of your All India Rank |
| All India Rank (AIR) | Your position in the national merit list | Every college closes at a rank, never at a raw score |
| Category | UR / OBC-NCL / EWS / SC / ST / PwD | Each category has its own separate closing rank |
| Home State (Class 12 Board State) | Home State vs Other State quota eligibility | 50% of NIT seats are reserved for Home State candidates |
| Course | B.E./B.Tech / B.Arch / B.Planning | Each course is a separate seat pool with its own cutoffs |
| Branch Preference | CSE / ECE / Mechanical / Civil / etc. | Closing ranks vary by tens of thousands between branches at the same college |
The output — a college list ranked by your odds — is only ever as trustworthy as the data behind it and the honesty of the caveat attached to it. That second part is exactly where most of the internet fails you, and exactly where this page won't.
Status, May 2026: JEE Main 2026 Session 1 was conducted January 21–29 and Session 2 was conducted April 2–8. Session 2 results were declared on April 20, 2026. JoSAA counselling is expected to begin after JEE Advanced 2026 results. If you're using a predictor right now, the data landscape is stable — both sessions are complete, and your best percentile is finalized.
The weeks between your JEE Main result and the opening of JoSAA choice-filling are a strange kind of purgatory. Your percentile is a number you can recite in your sleep, but you have no idea what it actually means — which colleges it opens, which branches it reaches, whether your home-state advantage changes the picture entirely. So you search. "JEE Main College Predictor." "95 percentile which NIT." "Is 85 percentile enough for NIT?"
You're not just looking for a list of colleges. You're looking for control in a process that feels opaque. Reddit threads are full of students comparing conflicting predictions from Allen, Aakash, and five different websites — each giving a different answer for the exact same percentile. One tool says NIT Trichy ECE is realistic; another says it's a fantasy. The anxiety isn't from not having data. It's from having too much contradictory data and no way to know which source to trust.
This guide is built to cut through that noise. We show the methodology, name the limitations, and never pretend a prediction is more precise than the data allows. If a number is uncertain, we'll say so. If a college is a reach, we won't dress it up as "moderate" to make you feel better. The goal is to move you from anxious scrolling to a concrete, defensible choice-filling strategy.
Every predictor page says "advanced algorithm" and stops there. Almost none show the machinery. We will — because understanding the logic is the only way to know when the output deserves your trust and when it deserves a raised eyebrow.
Unlike NEET, JEE Main doesn't rank you by raw marks. NTA uses a percentile-based normalization because the exam runs across multiple sessions with different question papers. Your percentile reflects your relative position within your session, calculated to seven decimal places:
Percentile = (Candidates who scored ≤ your raw score in your session ÷ Total candidates in your session) × 100
Estimated AIR ≈ (100 − Your Best Percentile) ÷ 100 × Total Unique Candidates
In 2025, 14,75,103 unique candidates appeared. So a 99th percentile ≈ rank 14,751. A 95th percentile ≈ rank 73,755. A 90th percentile ≈ rank 1,47,510. The conversion is approximate because NTA uses the best-of-two-sessions percentile and merges all candidates into a single rank list — but this formula gets you within the right neighbourhood.
The tie-breaking cascade when two candidates share a percentile:
A predictor that ignores multi-session normalization is fundamentally broken for JEE Main. If it asks for raw marks instead of percentile, walk away.
This is the single most misunderstood aspect of JEE Main scoring. Because the exam runs across multiple shifts with varying difficulty, the same raw score can mean wildly different percentiles depending on which shift you sat in.
| Shift Difficulty | Approx. Raw Marks for 99th Percentile | Approx. Raw Marks for 95th Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Tough Shift | ~155 – 170 marks | ~120 – 135 marks |
| Moderate Shift | ~175 – 185 marks | ~140 – 150 marks |
| Easy Shift | ~190 – 200+ marks | ~155 – 170 marks |
Based on historical trends across JEE Main 2023–2025 sessions. The gap can exceed 40 marks for the same percentile across the toughest and easiest shifts.
The same percentile requires drastically different raw scores depending on your shift's difficulty.
Both achieve the same 99th percentile. The ~35-mark gap is why NTA normalizes.
This is precisely why NTA uses equi-percentile equating — a student at the 99th percentile in a tough shift is statistically equivalent to one at the 99th percentile in an easy shift. The raw marks are different; the relative performance is identical. Any predictor (or coaching WhatsApp group) that converts your raw marks to a rank without knowing your shift is committing a statistical fraud.
Your AIR is your position among all candidates. Your category rank is your position among candidates of your category only. JoSAA cutoffs for reserved categories are quoted in category rank, so this conversion is essential. An OBC-NCL candidate at AIR 50,000 may have an OBC rank of ~20,000–28,000 — and that category rank is what actually determines their NIT options.
This is the heart of it. The tool takes your estimated rank and compares it against the opening and closing ranks of each college, for each branch, under each quota (HS/OS), for each category, in each counselling round — typically over the last 3 to 5 years of JoSAA data.
Why closing rank and not percentile? Because a college doesn't admit "everyone above 95 percentile." It admits candidates in rank order until its seats run out. The last admitted candidate's rank — the closing rank — is the real boundary. Percentile is the input; the rank is the law.
Why does the round matter? Because closing ranks loosen as counselling progresses. A college might close Round 1 at rank 8,000 and Round 5 at 12,000 as higher-ranked candidates upgrade to better options. A predictor that only uses Round 1 data underestimates your real options badly.
A serious predictor doesn't return a flat yes/no. It buckets each college-branch combination:
A prediction is an estimate with a confidence interval, and the interval is honest only if you know what widens it:
A predictor that hides these is selling certainty it doesn't have. One that names them is handing you the instructions for using it well.
If you've visited multiple prediction tools, you've likely seen vastly different college lists for the exact same percentile. One tool promises NIT Trichy CSE; another barely shows you NIT Jamshedpur. This inconsistency is the number-one source of student frustration — and it has structural reasons.
Incomplete and self-reported data. Many coaching institute predictors rely on data from their own student pools. If high-percentile students from Kota don't report their ranks, the tool's model skews. The result: predictions that are optimistic for some percentile bands and pessimistic for others, depending on which students filled the form.
Marketing over accuracy. Some consultancies intentionally show you "better" colleges than your rank justifies. The strategy is simple: impress you first, then pitch premium counselling services. If a tool seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Round mismatch. Some predictors use only Round 1 closing ranks. Others use the final round. Round 1 is significantly tighter than Round 5 or Mop-Up — so the same rank looks "reach" on one tool and "safe" on another. Always check which round the prediction is based on.
Ignoring HS/OS split. A predictor that doesn't separate Home State and Other State quotas is structurally misleading for NIT predictions. The closing rank difference between HS and OS at the same NIT for the same branch can be 5,000–30,000 ranks.
This is why you must treat any prediction as a hypothesis, not a guarantee. Use tools that are transparent about their data sources, specify the JoSAA round, and separate HS from OS.
This is the asset students screenshot, share, and search for at midnight — "99 percentile JEE rank," "95 percentile kitni rank." Here it is, built from JEE Main 2023, 2024, and 2025 actuals, and — unlike the overconfident tables elsewhere — presented as bands, not false single-point promises.
| JEE Main Percentile | AIR — Optimistic | AIR — Expected | AIR — Conservative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99.9+ | 1 – 150 | 1 – 250 | 1 – 500 |
| 99.5 – 99.9 | 150 – 750 | 250 – 1,500 | 500 – 2,500 |
| 99.0 – 99.49 | 1,500 – 7,500 | 2,500 – 14,750 | 5,000 – 20,000 |
| 98.0 – 98.99 | 14,750 – 15,000 | 14,750 – 29,500 | 20,000 – 35,000 |
| 97.0 – 97.99 | 29,500 – 44,250 | 30,000 – 44,250 | 35,000 – 50,000 |
| 95.0 – 96.99 | 44,250 – 73,750 | 44,250 – 73,750 | 50,000 – 80,000 |
| 93.0 – 94.99 | 73,750 – 1,03,250 | 73,750 – 1,03,250 | 80,000 – 1,10,000 |
| 90.0 – 92.99 | 1,03,250 – 1,47,500 | 1,03,250 – 1,47,500 | 1,10,000 – 1,60,000 |
| 85.0 – 89.99 | 1,47,500 – 2,21,250 | 1,47,500 – 2,21,250 | 1,60,000 – 2,40,000 |
| 80.0 – 84.99 | 2,21,250 – 2,95,000 | 2,21,250 – 2,95,000 | 2,40,000 – 3,20,000 |
| 70.0 – 79.99 | 2,95,000 – 4,42,500 | 2,95,000 – 4,42,500 | 3,20,000 – 4,80,000 |
| 60.0 – 69.99 | 4,42,500 – 5,90,000 | 4,42,500 – 5,90,000 | 4,80,000 – 6,40,000 |
Notice the steep zone: between roughly 95 and 99 percentile, a fractional improvement of 0.5 percentile can move your rank by thousands. That's the zone where candidate density is highest and where session-to-session normalization noise matters most. It's also exactly where branch-level choices (CSE vs ECE vs Mechanical) make the biggest difference.
Visualizing the candidate density cliff (95-99 percentile).
X-Axis: JEE Main Percentile | Y-Axis: Density of Candidates (Red zone = extreme density)
Here's the structural fact that determines your college list more than almost anything else, and that badly-built predictors routinely fumble: every NIT has two separate closing ranks for the same branch — one for Home State, one for Other State.
Every NIT reserves 50% of its seats for Home State (HS) candidates and 50% for Other State (OS) candidates. Your Home State is determined by the state where you passed your Class 12th exam — not your domicile, not your Aadhaar address, not where you currently live. This is a common and costly misunderstanding.
| Dimension | Home State (HS) | Other State (OS) |
|---|---|---|
| Seat share | 50% at each NIT | 50% at each NIT |
| Eligibility | Class 12 passed in that NIT's state | Class 12 passed in any other state |
| Competition pool | Only students from that state | All students from the rest of India |
| Typical cutoff behaviour | More relaxed (smaller pool) | Tighter (national competition) |
| Rank advantage | Often 2,000–30,000 ranks more favourable | — |
The consequence students miss: a candidate at rank 25,000 locked out of NIT Warangal CSE via the Other State quota might walk into the same branch comfortably through Home State quota — if their Class 12 was in Telangana. This single distinction can be the difference between an NIT seat and no NIT seat. A predictor that lumps everything into one closing rank is not just imprecise — it's structurally misleading.
When the tool returns a list, mentally split it. Your HS options are your highest-probability NIT seats — the realistic backbone of your list. Your OS options are your national reach — the route to NITs in other states. Strong strategy uses both tracks deliberately: anchor security through your home-state NIT, chase ambition through OS at NITs where your rank stretches. Most students under-use their home-state advantage because the predictor never made the distinction clear.
This is the section students actually came for: "I'm at 95 percentile — be honest, what's realistic?" No hype, no doom. Just the bands, by category and quota, with the kind of colleges each band genuinely opens.
The top tier. Top NITs (Trichy, Surathkal, Warangal) in CSE/ECE via Other State quota, all NITs in all branches via Home State, all IIITs in top branches. If you also cleared JEE Advanced, IITs are in play. At the very top (99.5+), you're choosing between the best NIT CSE seats in the country. Your job isn't whether you get an NIT — it's optimising which branch at which premier institute.
Excellent. Established NITs in good branches (ECE, EE, Chemical) via OS, top NIT CSE/ECE via Home State, premier IIITs in CSE. This is a comfortable NIT band for most categories. OBC/EWS candidates here have exceptionally wide government NIT options. The branch-vs-college tradeoff becomes real: a top-3 NIT in Mechanical, or a mid-tier NIT in CSE?
The strong-but-fight band. NIT seats are realistic — more so through Home State than OS for competitive branches. Many solid NITs open in branches like EE, Civil, Chemical, Metallurgy. IIITs in mid-tier branches are achievable. OBC/EWS candidates have strong NIT CSE chances here. This is where HS-vs-OS stops being academic and becomes the whole game.
The pivotal band — and the one where most competitive aspirants sit. NIT seats via OS are branch-limited (Civil, Mining, Metallurgy at established NITs). Via HS, more branches open. Newer NITs and IIITs in multiple branches become realistic. GFTIs with good programmes open broadly. For General candidates, this is the honest fork: strong HS-NIT chances in non-CSE branches, plus IIITs and GFTIs with CSE/IT. Reserved-category candidates are comfortably placed at NITs in many branches.
NIT options narrow to HS quota at newer/less-competitive NITs in limited branches. IIITs and GFTIs become the primary realistic targets. OBC candidates retain in-state NIT chances; SC/ST candidates still have meaningful NIT options. This band also opens strong state-level engineering colleges (outside JoSAA) and competitive private institutions.
GFTIs and newer IIITs in select branches. NIT seats are reserved-category-dependent. State engineering colleges (via state counselling, not JoSAA) become the realistic backbone. Well-regarded private institutions (BITS, VIT, SRM — via their own exams) are relevant here for those with the budget.
JoSAA NIT/IIIT options are very limited. State-level counselling for state engineering colleges, private university entrances, and polytechnic routes. These are legitimate engineering careers — the honest move is to explore them deliberately.
| Percentile Band | Approx. AIR | General | OBC/EWS | SC/ST | Realistic Best (General) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99+ | 1 – 14,750 | Top NIT CSE/ECE | Top NIT CSE/ECE | Top NIT CSE/ECE | NIT Trichy / Surathkal CSE |
| 97–98.99 | 14,750 – 44,250 | Established NIT good branches | Wide NIT options | Wide NIT options | Established NIT ECE/EE |
| 95–96.99 | 44,250 – 73,750 | NIT (HS-leaning) | Strong NIT | Comfortable NIT | HS-NIT / IIIT CSE |
| 90–94.99 | 73,750 – 1,47,500 | NIT limited branches / IIIT | NIT achievable | NIT comfortable | Newer NIT / IIIT |
| 85–89.99 | 1,47,500 – 2,21,250 | IIIT / GFTI | In-state NIT possible | NIT in many states | IIIT / GFTI / State college |
| 80–84.99 | 2,21,250 – 2,95,000 | GFTI / State college | GFTI possible | GFTI possible | GFTI / State engineering |
| <80 | 2,95,000+ | State / Private | Same, check quotas | Same, check quotas | State college / Private |
This is the data students cross-check against. Approximate closing ranks for Computer Science (CSE) and Electronics & Communication (ECE) at top NITs, General category, based on JoSAA 2025 trends.
| NIT | Branch | Closing Rank (OS, General) | Closing Rank (HS, General) |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIT Trichy | CSE | ~1,200 – 1,600 | ~2,500 – 4,000 |
| NIT Surathkal | CSE | ~1,800 – 2,800 | ~3,500 – 5,500 |
| NIT Warangal | CSE | ~2,100 – 2,200 | ~3,800 – 5,000 |
| NIT Trichy | ECE | ~3,800 – 4,500 | ~6,000 – 8,000 |
| NIT Surathkal | ECE | ~4,200 – 5,200 | ~7,000 – 9,500 |
| NIT Warangal | ECE | ~4,400 – 5,600 | ~7,500 – 10,000 |
These are indicative ranges from 2025 JoSAA data. Actual 2026 cutoffs will vary. HS cutoffs shown are for the respective NIT's home state. Reserved categories have separate, generally more relaxed, closing ranks.
Notice the HS advantage: NIT Trichy CSE closes around rank 1,200–1,600 for OS, but 2,500–4,000 for HS (Tamil Nadu). That's a ~2x relaxation. This is exactly why understanding HS/OS is non-negotiable.
A prediction is a demand-side estimate sitting on top of a supply-side reality. If you don't understand the seat matrix, you'll misread every number the tool gives you.
| Pool | Approx. Institutes | Approx. Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IITs | 23 | ~18,160 | Most competitive; via JEE Advanced only |
| NITs | 31 | ~24,525 | Via JEE Main rank; 50% HS / 50% OS |
| IIITs | 26 | ~9,940 | Via JEE Main rank; focused on IT/CS |
| GFTIs | 48 | ~10,228 | Via JEE Main rank; diverse programmes |
| Total (JoSAA) | 128 | ~62,853 | — |
Beyond JoSAA, the CSAB (Central Seat Allocation Board) runs a separate process for seats unfilled after JoSAA, plus seats at some additional institutes. State-level counselling adds lakhs more engineering seats across government and private colleges.
Registered ~15+ lakh
↓
Appeared ~14.75 lakh (unique candidates)
↓
Qualified for JoSAA Variable (percentile-based)
↓
JoSAA seats ~62,853 (NITs + IIITs + GFTIs + IITs)
Roughly 14.75 lakh candidates competed for ~62,853 JoSAA seats — a ratio of roughly 23 candidates per seat. For CSE at top NITs, the effective ratio is far worse. The funnel, not the percentile, is the true picture of how competitive your rank really is.
Most predictor pages dead-end the moment they show you a list. That's where the actual danger begins. Students with strong percentiles lose good seats every single year — not to low ranks, but to counselling mistakes.
| Round | Who Participates | Seat Action | Key Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | All registered, eligible candidates | Initial allotment | Accept / Freeze / Float / Slide options available |
| Round 2 | Unallotted + those seeking upgrade | Upgrades possible | Same flexibility as Round 1 |
| Round 3 | Unallotted + those seeking upgrade | Upgrades possible | Same flexibility |
| Round 4 | Unallotted + those seeking upgrade | Upgrades possible | Same flexibility |
| Round 5 | Unallotted + those seeking upgrade | Final regular round | After accepting here, withdrawal forfeits seat + deposit |
| CSAB Special Round 1 | Unfilled JoSAA seats + additional institutes | Fresh allotment | Separate registration required on csab.nic.in |
| CSAB Special Round 2 | Final leftover seats | Last chance | Non-joining heavily penalised |
The critical understanding: In Rounds 1–4, you have flexibility to Float (keep current seat, stay in for upgrades) or Slide (accept any upgrade within same institute). After Round 5, the flexibility ends. Treat your Round 5 locked choice as a commitment.
Most students should Float in early rounds and only Freeze when they've landed a choice they're genuinely happy with. Freezing too early is the most common counselling mistake.
Engineering forums are full of hope about "massive cutoff drops" in later rounds or CSAB. Here's the reality:
For top NITs in CSE/ECE, closing ranks barely move after Round 3. The students who could upgrade already did. Waiting for a miracle in CSAB while holding no seat is a gamble that frequently leaves strong-percentile candidates entirely unallotted. Minor drops (a few hundred to ~2,000 ranks) do occur for mid-tier branches at mid-tier NITs, but relying on this as a strategy is reckless.
The smart move: Accept your best realistic seat early, Float for upgrades, and let the system work. Don't pass up a solid NIT seat hoping for a CSAB miracle.
The data tells a clear story. For top NIT CSE, the movement is negligible. For core branches at mid-tier NITs, there is meaningful relaxation — but not the "massive drops" forums fantasize about.
| NIT + Branch | Round 1 Closing Rank (OS, General) | Round 5 Closing Rank (OS, General) | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIT Trichy · CSE | ~1,200 | ~1,400 – 1,600 | ~200 – 400 ranks |
| NIT Warangal · CSE | ~2,100 | ~2,200 – 2,400 | ~100 – 300 ranks |
| NIT Surathkal · ECE | ~4,200 | ~4,800 – 5,200 | ~600 – 1,000 ranks |
| Mid-tier NIT · Mechanical | ~18,000 | ~20,000 – 21,000 | ~2,000 – 3,000 ranks |
| Mid-tier NIT · Civil | ~25,000 | ~28,000 – 30,000 | ~3,000 – 5,000 ranks |
Approximate figures based on JoSAA 2024-2025 trends. Actual numbers vary by year. HS quota may show slightly more movement than OS.
The pattern is unmistakable: the more popular the branch, the less the cutoff moves. Top NIT CSE seats are essentially locked by Round 2. If your rank is 500+ away from the Round 1 closing, the chances of a late-round miracle are statistically negligible.
Keep originals plus multiple photocopies ready before counselling opens:
A missing or wrong-format certificate at reporting can cost you an allotted seat. This is the most preventable failure in the entire process.
It's vital to have an honest conversation about alternatives. What happens if your percentile doesn't reach JoSAA NIT/IIIT cutoffs? Engineering offers multiple fulfilling pathways.
State Government Engineering Colleges: Every state runs its own counselling (KCET for Karnataka, COMEDK, WBJEE for West Bengal, AP EAMCET, MHT CET for Maharashtra, etc.). These offer excellent engineering education at subsidised fees. Many state NITs/government colleges accept JEE Main scores directly.
Private Universities with Strong Placements: BITS Pilani (via BITSAT), VIT (via VITEEE), SRM, Manipal, IIIT Hyderabad (via their own exam) — these have placement records that rival many NITs. Budget matters, but ROI can be strong if you pick the right branch.
Lateral Entry via Polytechnic: A 3-year diploma followed by lateral entry into the second year of B.Tech is a valid and cost-effective route, especially if your family needs you earning sooner.
Dropping a Year: If your heart is set on an NIT and your current percentile is within striking distance (say, 90+ but needed 95+), a focused drop year can close that gap. But be analytical — rising candidate volumes mean the bar doesn't stay still.
Having a Plan B isn't giving up. It's strategic preparedness.
For broad, mid-range estimation, a well-built predictor on good JoSAA data is genuinely useful. If your rank is well inside or well outside a college-branch's historical closing rank, the call is robust. Predictors are also reliable for direction: which tier of colleges your rank belongs to, HS-vs-OS contrast, and category-rank implications.
Treat the output as a probability band, not a verdict. Cross-check against official JoSAA opening/closing-rank PDFs every round — those are ground truth; the predictor is the hypothesis. When in doubt, over-list safe options.
You can earn a strong percentile and still lose a good seat. Every one of these is preventable.
His expected AIR lands around 32,000–35,000. Through Home State at VNIT Nagpur, ECE and EE are realistic; CSE is a stretch but worth listing. Through Other State, mid-tier NITs in branches like Chemical, Civil, and Metallurgy open up, plus several IIITs in CSE. His ladder: ambitious top-NIT CSE at the top via OS; the realistic core from VNIT Nagpur HS choices and IIIT CSE options in honest preference order; a safe floor of newer NITs and GFTIs he'd genuinely accept. He runs the same list at a "2,000 ranks worse" scenario and confirms the floor still holds.
AIR roughly 95,000–1,00,000; OBC category rank materially better — likely ~40,000–48,000. That category rank changes everything. Through Rajasthan HS at MNIT Jaipur, OBC seats in several branches are achievable. Through OS, OBC closing ranks at newer NITs and IIITs open wide. Her ladder: ambitious MNIT Jaipur CSE OBC at the top; the realistic core from MNIT Jaipur HS OBC in ECE/EE and IIIT options; a safe base of GFTIs and newer NITs she's genuinely open to. She doesn't fixate on one dream college — she ranks ten she'd be happy at and lets the algorithm work.
AIR around 2,05,000–2,15,000; SC category rank far stronger — potentially ~15,000–22,000. Through UP Home State at MNNIT Allahabad, SC seats in several branches are genuinely in play. If not MNNIT, newer NITs and IIITs via SC category rank are well within reach. His ladder leads with MNNIT Allahabad SC HS choices, then IIIT and GFTI SC seats, then state engineering colleges as a deep safety. The predictor's job here isn't to inflate or deflate — it's to show him the several real doors open and help him walk through the best one.
You've got the full picture. Here's the five-step recap, in order:
We update this page as JEE Main 2026 counselling dates and cutoffs are confirmed. Bookmark it, and rely on josaa.nic.in and csab.nic.in for anything official.
Last verified: May 2026. JEE Main 2026 Session 2 results declared April 20, 2026. JoSAA counselling dates pending official announcement. Cutoff, percentile-vs-rank, and seat figures are indicative ranges drawn from JEE Main 2023–2025 cycles. This guide supports planning and does not replace official sources or guarantee admission.
Yes, most predictors include all IIITs that admit through JoSAA. However, IIIT Hyderabad has its own admission mode (JEE Main + UGEE) so that seat matrix isn’t fully covered by any JEE Main predictor. Check the institute’s website.
Absolutely. Many students in the 3–6 lakh range secure seats in GFTIs, North‑Eastern NITs, and newer IIITs through CSAB. A good predictor (like Admission Guardian) models these rounds. Don’t count yourself out.
Free tools cover 90% of needs. Premium versions sometimes offer personalised counselling or live cutoff updates. If you feel completely lost, a small investment can save you from a bad decision. For most, free is fine.
Most established predictors now include EWS and all reservation categories. Always check the dropdowns before submitting.
Right after NTA releases your CRL rank, and again just before each JoSAA round’s choice filling deadline. Cutoffs shift, and your revised list should too.
Reliable for broad bands and stable college-branches; unreliable at borderline ranks, top-NIT CSE with small OS quotas, brand-new branches (AI/ML), and CSAB rounds. Treat it as a probability band, cross-checked against official JoSAA PDFs.
There's no single number — it depends on the NIT, the branch, HS/OS, and your category. As a 2025 reference: top NIT CSE (OS, General) closed around rank 1,200–2,800 (99.8+ percentile); any NIT seat at all requires roughly 85+ percentile for General via HS in non-competitive branches.
Around 95 percentile historically maps to roughly AIR 73,000–75,000 (based on ~14.75 lakh candidates). That opens HS-NIT seats in several branches, IIIT options, and GFTIs broadly. OS-NIT CSE is tight for General at this range.
For General via OS, 90 percentile (~AIR 1,47,000) limits you to newer NITs in less-competitive branches. Via HS, more options open. For OBC/EWS, NIT options are meaningfully wider; for SC/ST, comfortable NIT placement in many states. It also opens IIITs and GFTIs strongly.
JoSAA handles the main counselling for all 128 participating institutes (IITs, NITs, IIITs, GFTIs) in 5 rounds. CSAB runs special rounds after JoSAA to fill leftover seats and includes some additional institutes. You can participate in both if eligible.
Float: Accept your seat but stay in for upgrades to any higher-preference college-branch. Freeze: Lock your seat and exit counselling permanently. Slide: Accept but stay in for upgrades only within the same college. Most students should Float in early rounds.
Both matter. At top-tier NITs, even non-CSE branches have strong placements. At lower-ranked NITs, CSE clearly outperforms other branches in placement statistics. The right answer depends on your career goals, not a blanket rule.
JoSAA counselling is expected to begin after JEE Advanced 2026 results, typically in late June or July. Exact dates will be announced at josaa.nic.in. State counselling runs its own parallel schedule.
Yes. You can register for JoSAA and your state's engineering counselling simultaneously. However, you can hold only one final seat — if you accept a JoSAA seat, you must withdraw from state counselling and vice versa.
Additional seats created to increase female representation at NITs (typically a 20% female supernumerary quota). These do not reduce seats for male candidates — they are over and above the sanctioned intake. Female candidates benefit from these as an extra layer of opportunity.
Percentage is your raw marks as a fraction of total marks. Percentile is the share of candidates you scored at or above. JEE Main ranks are based on percentile, not percentage. This confusion is extremely common and worth getting right.
No tool is perfectly accurate. The right one uses recent all-rounds JoSAA data, separates HS from OS, converts category ranks, returns probability bands, and states its limits honestly. Judge by method and transparency, not by ranking position.
Content verified by Shaswat Manoj Jha, Admission Guardian.