JEE Main 2026 Cutoff – Qualifying Cutoff and Previous Year Trends

The JEE Main cutoff refers to the minimum qualifying NTA Score required for a candidate to meet a particular admission or eligibility criterion. For JEE Main 2026, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially declared the category-wise qualifying cutoff for candidates to become eligible for JEE Advanced 2026.

It is important to distinguish between the JEE Main qualifying cutoff and the JEE Main admission cutoff. The qualifying cutoff determines eligibility for JEE Advanced, while admission cutoffs for NITs, IIITs and other participating institutes depend on the counselling process, institute, programme, category, quota and other applicable factors.

Important: Official 2026 qualifying cutoffs should not be confused with predicted or expected cutoffs. The 2026 qualifying cutoff values shown below are based on the official NTA result information.

JEE Main 2026 Official Qualifying Cutoff

NTA has declared the category-wise cutoff of NTA Score for candidates to become eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 for JEE Main Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.). The qualifying cutoff is category-specific.

Category	JEE Main 2026 Qualifying Cutoff (NTA Score)
UR-ALL	93.4123549
UR-PwBD	0.0023186
EWS-ALL	82.4164528
OBC-ALL	80.9232583
SC-ALL	63.9172792
ST-ALL	52.0174712

These are the official category-wise cutoff values declared by NTA for eligibility for JEE Advanced 2026.

JEE Main 2026 Qualifying Cutoff vs Admission Cutoff

Students should understand that the JEE Main qualifying cutoff and admission cutoff are not the same.

Cutoff Type	Purpose
Qualifying Cutoff	Determines eligibility for JEE Advanced for the applicable candidates.
Admission Cutoff	Refers to the closing rank or other admission criterion for a particular institute, programme, category and counselling round.

The admission cutoff for NITs, IIITs and other participating institutes should be checked through the applicable JoSAA/CSAB counselling and official seat-allocation information. It should not be represented by the JEE Main qualifying percentile alone.

JEE Main Previous Year Qualifying Cutoff Trends

Previous year qualifying cutoffs can be used to understand historical trends. They should be treated as historical data and should not be presented as the official 2026 cutoff.

Year	General / UR	OBC-NCL	SC	ST	Gen-EWS	PwD
2021	88	68	47	35	66	0.01
2020	90	73	50	39	70	0.06
2019	90	74	54	44	78	0.11
2018	74	45	29	24	-	-35
2017	81	49	32	27	-	-
2016	100	70	52	48	-	-
2015	105	70	50	44	-	-
2014	115	74	53	47	-	-

How is the JEE Main Cutoff Determined?

JEE Main uses NTA Scores/percentiles for multi-session examinations. The NTA Score is a normalized score based on the relative performance of candidates in their respective examination shifts. It is not the same as the percentage of marks obtained.

For JEE Main 2026, NTA used the final answer keys and declared the best NTA Score for candidates who appeared in both sessions of Paper 1.

Factors That Can Affect Admission Cutoffs

Number of candidates appearing: The number of candidates competing for available seats can influence admission competition.
Difficulty level: Variation in examination difficulty can affect score and rank distributions.
Number of available seats: Seat availability varies by institute, programme, category and admission year.
Institute and programme: Different institutes and branches have different admission demand.
Category and quota: Cutoffs vary according to the applicable category, quota and admission rules.
Counselling round: Admission closing ranks can change from one counselling round to another.

JEE Main 2026 Admission Cutoff

The JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff should not be used as the admission cutoff for a particular NIT, IIIT or other institute. Admission cutoffs are determined through the applicable counselling and seat-allocation process and can vary by institute, programme, category and round.

How to Use Previous Year JEE Main Cutoff Trends

Previous year cutoff trends can be useful for understanding how qualifying cutoffs have changed over time. However, historical data should not be treated as a prediction or guarantee of the cutoff for a future examination.

Use the latest official cutoff whenever it has been released.
Compare previous years only as historical reference.
Do not treat expected cutoffs as official cutoffs.
For college admission, check institute- and programme-specific counselling data.
Consider category and quota while analysing admission cutoffs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff?

For Paper 1, the official JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced eligibility is 93.4123549 percentile for UR-ALL, 82.4164528 for EWS-ALL, 80.9232583 for OBC-ALL, 63.9172792 for SC-ALL and 52.0174712 for ST-ALL. The official UR-PwBD cutoff is 0.0023186.

Is the JEE Main qualifying cutoff the same as the college admission cutoff?

No. The qualifying cutoff relates to eligibility for JEE Advanced, whereas admission cutoffs depend on the institute, programme, category, quota and counselling process.

Where can I check the official JEE Main 2026 cutoff?

The official JEE Main 2026 result and cutoff information is available through the NTA/JEE Main official website.

Can I use previous year cutoff trends to predict my chances?

Previous year trends can provide historical context, but they should not be treated as an official prediction. Admission outcomes depend on the current year's competition, seat availability, category, programme and counselling round.

What is the difference between percentile and percentage?

Percentile represents a candidate's relative performance compared with candidates appearing in the examination, whereas percentage represents marks obtained relative to the maximum marks. NTA's normalized NTA Score is not the same as percentage of marks.

Where can I check NIT and IIIT admission cutoffs?

For participating institutes, candidates should check the applicable JoSAA counselling and seat-allocation information for institute-, programme- and category-specific closing ranks.