JEE Main Reservation Criteria: Categories and Documents Required

JEE Main Reservation Criteria is released by NTA to provide advantages to reserved-category candidates in terms of age-limit relaxation, seat allocation, qualifying scores, etc. As the JEE Main exam allows you to get admission into top IITs, IIITs, NITs, and GFTIs, to promote social inclusion and diversity, a certain percentage of seats in these institutions are reserved for candidates belonging to categories like SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, and PwD, along with home state quotas and female candidate reservations. 

Understanding these criteria is important for you to take advantage of them if they fall within the eligibility criteria and improve your admission chances. In this article, we will discuss the JEE Main 2026 reservation criteria, its eligibility, and the documents required to claim the reservation in JEE Main.

Read More: JEE Main Exam Dates 2026

Category-Wise Reservation in JEE Main 2026

The reservation criteria are assigned for you after reviewing your social and economic background. If you pass the eligibility criteria, you can apply for the reservation allotted by NTA. NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs follow this reservation criterion. However, state-level colleges or private institutions may follow different rules based on the respective state government policies.

The category-wise reservation in JEE Main 2026 is as follows:

Check This: JEE Main Previous Year Question Paper

Who is eligible to claim a reservation in JEE Main 2026?

To claim reservation benefits in JEE Main 2026, candidates must fulfill the following eligibility criteria:

Check This: JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026

State-Wise Reservation Policies in NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs

While central rules govern the category-wise reservations, the state-wise quota varies depending on the type of institution.

NITs (National Institutes of Technology)

• NITs follow a 50% Home State (HS) quota and 50% Other State (OS) quota system.
• Home State quota applies to you if you completed Class 12 from the same state where the NIT is located.
• It gives an advantage to the local candidates. 

IIITs (Indian Institutes of Information Technology)

• There is no Home State quota for new IITs. 
• Admission is based entirely on All India Rank (AIR) and category-based reservation.
• A few older IIITs (like IIIT-Hyderabad) may have different admission criteria

.GFTIs (Government Funded Technical Institutes)

• Reservation policies vary based on whether the institute is centrally funded or state-funded, or depending on the location and state policies
• Some GFTIs offer Home State quotas, others follow the All India Quota only.
• You must carefully check every institute's policies during JoSAA counselling.

Read More: JEE Main Exam Pattern 2026

Home State vs. Other State Quota in NITs

To select the JoSAA Seat allotment, you must understand the Home State (HS) and Other State (OS) quota system. 

Home State Quota – Key Points

• Reserved for candidates who have completed Class 12 (or equivalent) from the same state/UT where the NIT is located.
• Covers 50% of the total seats in each NIT.
• Candidates are eligible only if their school is located in the same state as the NIT.
• Admission is based on JEE Main rank, category reservation, and seat availability within the HS quota.
• Offers better chances of selection for local students, especially in less competitive states.
• Encourages regional representation and makes NITs more accessible to local students.
• Automatically applied during JoSAA counselling based on the state of eligibility.
• Example: A student from Rajasthan applying to NIT Jaipur (MNIT) qualifies under the Home State quota.

Other State Quota – Key Points

• Open to candidates who have completed Class 12 from any state/UT other than the NIT’s home state.
• Covers the remaining 50% of seats in each NIT.
• Admission is based on JEE Main rank, category reservation, and availability of seats within the OS quota.
• Often more competitive, especially in top-ranked NITs with national-level applicants.
• Promotes national diversity and equal opportunity for students across India.
• No extra steps needed – candidates are automatically considered under OS if they’re not eligible for HS.
• Example: A student from Kerala applying to NIT Jaipur will fall under the Other State quota.

Reservation for Female Candidates

To overcome the gender gap in technical education, the Government of India and participating institutions provide a female supernumerary quota in engineering colleges. In this reservation policy,

•  Most NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs have 5% to 17% of the seats for female candidates.
• The seats allotted to the female candidates are a separate number of seats and are not taken out of the general category seats.
• This reservation is accessible for all females, all the categories, i.e,. from General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS, etc. 

Check This: JEE Main 2026 Dress Code

Documents Required to Claim Reservation in JEE Main

To take the benefits of the reservation criteria during JoSAA Counsellings, you must upload or present valid supporting documents. Here is a list of mandatory documents, category-wise:

The JEE Main reservation criteria 2026 are designed to give a fair chance to students across different social, economic, and geographical backgrounds to get admission into engineering colleges. Whether you fall under SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, PwD, or are a female candidate, if you are well aware of the key points for reservation criteria, this can help you get admission into a good engineering college.