What is B Category Seat in JEE Main 2026?

What is B Category Seat in JEE Main? In JEE Main 2026, B category seats refer to seats in participating colleges and institutes that are filled based on merit or JEE Main rank, but through a different process than A category seats.

Moreover, B category seats take place outside the JoSAA counselling. Colleges conduct their own separate counselling or admission process for these seats.

JEE Main 2026 Examination: Category Seat

The NTA follows a policy of seat reservation for candidates based on their categories. This category is broadly classified as categories A and B. The classification of these categories is according to the following criteria:

Category A: The seats belonging to this category are the convenor quota seats. Students falling under this category are eligible for admission to semi-government or government-sponsored colleges. The tuition fee is moderate.

Category B: The Category B seats are reserved for the students taking admission through the management quota. For admission to this category, the student must meet the general educational criteria and hold a valid JEE Main scorecard. The cost of admission for this category is very high.

Also Check: JEE Main 2026 Reservation Criteria

JEE Main 2026 Examination: B Category Seats

To apply for the B category seats in the JEE Main examination, the student must have passed the class 12 board examination must have appeared in the JEE Main examination and hold a valid scorecard. Admission to this category is often fixed by the governing board of a private college.

The student taking admission to the B category seats in the examination must not necessarily have appeared for the counselling program, depending on the rules followed by the college.

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JEE Main 2026 Examination: Reservation of Seats

The NTA reserves a particular percentage of seats for admission to the engineering course for every category as per the standard norms.

The percentage of reservations for each category has been shared in the table below:

Also Check: How to Apply for Colleges After JEE Main 2026?

Eligibility Criteria for the JEE Main 2026 Examination

To be eligible to apply for the JEE Main, the students must fulfil the JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria set by the NTA (National Testing Agency). The eligibility criteria are mentioned below:

• The student must attain at least 75% marks in aggregate in the class 12 board examination with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. For the SC and ST categories, the minimum qualifying percentage required is 65%.
• The student can be of any age. There is no age limit to apply for the JEE Main examination. However, a particular candidate can appear for the examination only thrice.
• The student taking the JEE Main exam must have passed the class 12 board examination in 2022 or 2023. A student who is appearing for the class 12 board examination in 2026 is also eligible to apply.
• To apply for B.E./B.Tech, the student must have passed the class 12 board examination with Physics and Mathematics, and one of the subjects among Biology, Chemistry, Biotechnology or a technical vocational subject, as the core subjects.
• To apply for the B.Arch course, the student must have passed the class 12 board examination with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
• To apply for the B.Planning course, the student must have passed the class 12 board examination with Mathematics as one of the core subjects.

Also Check: JEE Main 2026 Exam Day Guidelines and Instructions

List of Colleges Accepting JEE Main 2026 Scorecard

The JEE Main score is accepted by the NFTs, IIITs, and GFTIs throughout the country. The list of all such colleges has been shared below.

• NFTs Accepting JEE Main 2026 Score
• IIITs Accepting JEE Main 2026 Score
• GFTIs Accepting JEE Main 2026 Score

NFTs Accepting JEE Main 2026 Score

There are 23 NITs accepting JEE Main 2026 score. Candidates can go through the participating NITs given below.

1. Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur
2. Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad
3. Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal
4. National Institute of Technology, Andhra Pradesh
5. National Institute of Technology, Agartala
6. National Institute of Technology, Arunachal Pradesh
7. National Institute of Technology, Delhi
8. National Institute of Technology, Calicut
9. National Institute of Technology, Goa
10. National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur
11. National Institute of Technology, Durgapur
12. National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra
13. National Institute of Technology, Meghalaya
14. National Institute of Technology, Puducherry
15. Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
16. National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur
17. National Institute of Technology, Manipur
18. National Institute of Technology, Mizoram
19. National Institute of Technology, Nagaland
20. National Institute of Technology, Patna
21. Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur
22. Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat
23. Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur

IIITs Accepting JEE Main Score

There are 15 IIITs accepting JEE Main 2026 score. Candidates can go through the participating IIITs given below.

1. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
2. Indian Institute of Information Technology Guwahati, Assam
3. Indian Institute of Information Technology Kota, Rajasthan
4. Indian Institute of Information Technology Kilohrad, Sonepat, Haryana
5. Indian Institute of Information Technology Sri City, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh
6. Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
7. Indian Institute of Information Technology Kalyani, West Bengal
8. Indian Institute of Information Technology Una, Himachal Pradesh
9. Indian Institute of Information Teckhnology Vadodara, Gujarat
10. Indian Institute of Information Technology Lucknow
11. Indian Institute of Information Technology Dharwad
12. Indian Institute of Information Technology Manipur
13. Indian Institute of Information Technology Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli
14. Indian Institute of Information Technology, Vadodara International Campus Diu (IIITVICD)
15. Pandit Dwarka Prasad Mishra Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

GFTIs Accepting JEE Main 2026 Score

There are 18 GFTs accepting JEE Main 2026 score. Candidates can go through the participating GFTs given below.

1. Assam University, Silchar
2. Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi
3. Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar
4. Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Bhadohi
5. Institute of Infrastructure, Technology, Research and Management-Ahmedabad
6. Institute of Technology, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya (A Central University), Bilaspur, (C.G.)
7. J.K. Institute of Applied Physics & Technology, Department of Electronics & Communication, University of Allahabad- Allahabad
8. National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology, Aurangabad (Maharashtra)
9. National Institute of Foundry & Forge Technology, Hatia, Ranchi
10. Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology
11. Mizoram University, Aizawl
12. School of Planning & Architecture, Bhopal
13. School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi
14. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Katra, Jammu & Kashmir
15. International Institute of Information Technology, Naya Raipur
16. Birla Institute of Technology, Deoghar
17. Birla Institute of Technology, Patna
18. School of Engineering, Tezpur University, Napaam, Tezpur