JEE Main Cutoff: Expected Cutoff, Institutes Wise Cutoff, Factors Affecting

Add Getmyuni as a Trusted Source

JEE Main cutoff 2026 is an important release for aspirants aiming to qualify for JEE Main Session 1 and Session 2 exams. Both the JEE Main session 1 cutoff and the JEE Main session 2 cutoff have their own criteria. The cutoff is the minimum percentile or score required to proceed for JEE Advanced or securing admission into institutes like IITs, NITs, IIITs, or GFTIs.

Over the past years, the JEE Main 2026 cutoff has increased, depicting the increase in the competition. The JEE Main cutoff is released along with the release of the JEE Main result.

Read More: JEE Main Exam Dates 2026

Difference between JEE Main Qualifying Cutoff and Admission Cutoff

There are two types of cutoffs, i.e., the qualifying cutoff and the admission cutoff. The JEE Main qualifying cutoff is released by NTA, whereas the admission cutoff is released by JoSAA.

The difference between the JEE Main qualifying cutoff and the admission Cutoff is as follows:

Difference between JEE Main Qualifying Cutoff and Admission Cutoff
Aspect	Qualifying Cutoff	Admission Cutoff
Defined By	National Testing Agency (NTA)	Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA)
Purpose	To determine eligibility for JEE Advanced or the minimum requirement for merit lists	To determine actual admission into IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs
Format	Percentile-based	Rank-based (Opening & Closing Ranks)
Scope	Category-specific (e.g., General, OBC, SC, ST)	Institute-specific and Branch-specific
Applicable For	Shortlisting candidates for JEE Advanced	Allocating seats through JoSAA counselling
Relevance	Required to clear JEE Main, but not enough for admission	Required to secure a seat in a college or program

Will the Cutoff for JEE Main 2026 be Higher or Lower than the Previous Year?

As per the previous year's trends, the JEE Main 2026, the JEE Main session 1 cutoff and JEE Main session 2 cutoff will be slightly higher than the JEE Main 2025 cutoff for session 1 and 2, respectively. The qualifying cutoff percentile for 2026, the General category will be around 93.5% showing a marginal increase from 2025, which was 93.10%.

The admission cutoffs will depend on factors such as exam difficulty, number of takers, and seat availability.

If JEE Main is tougher or fewer students score high marks, admission cutoffs for top branches may go down. But if the exam is easier and more students perform well, the cutoffs can go up. Overall, cutoffs have been rising steadily over the years.

Read More: JEE Main Answer Key 2026

JEE Main 2026 Cut-Off (Expected) Category and Institute-wise

The expected JEE Main session 1 cutoff and JEE Main session 2 cutoff will be based on the previous year's cutoff. The expected qualifying cutoff and the admission cutoff for 2026 will be as follows:

The JEE Main 2026 Expected Qualifying Cutoff is as follows

The JEE Main 2026 expected qualifying cutoff is as follows
Category	Estimated Percentile
General (UR)	93.50%
EWS	81.00%
OBC‑NCL	80.20%
SC	62.20%
ST	49.00%

The JEE Main 2026 expected qualifying cutoff is as follows

The JEE Main 2026 Expected Qualifying Cutoff
Institute Type	Top Branches	Expected Percentile (General Category)	Approx. Marks
NITs	CSE, ECE	99+ percentile	200+ marks
IIITs	CSE, ECE	99+ percentile	200+ marks
GFTIs	CSE, ECE	~98–99 percentile	180–200 marks

Check This: JEE Main College Predictor

What is the JEE Main 2026 Expected Cut-off for IITs?

The competitive branches like CSE/ECE at top IITs typically require top ranks. Therefore, the cutoff required is higher for these branches. The expected JEE Main session 1 and JEE Main session 2 Cutoff 2026 for IITs is as follows:

What is the JEE Main 2026 expected cut-off for IITs?
Category	Purpose	Approx. Percentile (2026)
General (UR)	Eligible for JEE Advanced	~87–90%
OBC-NCL	Eligible for JEE Advanced	~72–75%
SC	Eligible for JEE Advanced	~50–55%
ST	Eligible for JEE Advanced	~45–50%
PwD	Eligible for JEE Advanced	~45% or lower

Read More: JEE Main Marks vs Percentile

What is the JEE Main 2026 Expected Cut-off for IITs?

For NIT admissions in the 2026 general category, Top branches like CSE and ECE at top NITs need around a 90–95 percentile score. The JEE Main session 1 Cutoff and JEE Main session 2 cut off 2026 for NITs is as follows

Category	Purpose	Approx. Percentile (2026)
General (UR)	Admission to CSE/ECE	90–92%
OBC-NCL	Admission to CSE/ECE	75–80%
SC	Admission to CSE/ECE	50–55%
ST	Admission to CSE/ECE	45–50%
PwD	Admission to CSE/ECE	40–45%

What is the JEE Main 2026 Expected Cut-off for IIITs?

JEE Main Cutoff 2026, expected closing rank for IIITs is as follows:

IIIT	Branch	Expected Closing Rank	Approx. Percentile (2026)
IIIT Hyderabad	CSE	1,000 – 1,200	99.90 – 99.87
IIIT Allahabad	CSE	4,500 – 6,000	99.70 – 99.50
IIIT Bangalore	CSE	5,500 – 7,000	99.60 – 99.40
IIIT Delhi	CSE	6,500 – 8,500	99.50 – 99.20

What Is the JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for GFTIs?

The JEE Main Cutoff 2026 may vary depending on the institute, branch, seat matrix, and whether the quota is for home or other states. The JEE Main 2026 closing ranks for the General category are as follows:

GFTI	Branch	Expected Closing Rank
BIT Mesra	CSE	18,000 – 22,000
Assam University, Silchar	CSE	50,000 – 55,000
IIEST Shibpur	CSE	22,000 – 28,000
JNU Delhi	CSE/ECE	30,000 – 45,000 (varies)
Sant Longowal Institute of Engg.	CSE/ECE	60,000 – 100,000+
Other GFTIs	Various	30,000 – 100,000+

Factors Affecting the JEE Main Cutoff 2026

The Factors Affecting the JEE Main cutoff 2026 are as follows:

Number of candidates taking the exam: The more the number of candidates, the higher the cutoff.
Difficulty Level of exam: The tougher the exam, the lower the cutoff where whereas the easier the exam, the higher the cutoff.
Seat Availability: More seats can make it easier to get admission, while fewer seats make it harder.
Performance of Top Candidates: If the candidates perform extraordinarily, the percentile goes up, and vice versa.

As the competition is increasing, the cutoff is expected to remain highly competitive, mainly for top branches like CSE. With increased competition, you should prepare exceptionally well to score higher percentile to secure the desired seat in the best institutes. Factors like exam difficulty, number of applicants, and seat availability will affect the final cutoffs. So stay focused and prepare well for the exam.