JoSAA 2026, Dates, Eligibility, Counselling, Registrations, Seat Allotment

JoSAA 2026:The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) conducts a centralised counselling process for candidates with JEE Main and JEE Advanced ranks. Through JEE Main ranks, students get admission to NITs, IIITs, IIEST Shibpur and other GFTIs, while JEE Advanced ranks are used for IIT admissions. 

A total of 23 IITs, 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, IIEST Shibpur and 47 GFTIs participate. JoSAA offers undergraduate courses such as BTech, BSc, BArch, dual degree, and integrated programmes. Eligible candidates must qualify in JEE Main and/or Advanced. The counselling process includes registration, choice filling, mock allotment, seat allotment, fee payment, document verification, and reporting to the institute.

Refer to the table below to know about the event wise JoSAA counselling dates and schedule. 

The candidate must possess the JoSAA eligibility criteria to get admission to prestigious colleges. The minimum eligibility is different for IIT and other IIITs, NITs, and other colleges. Go through the section below to know about the eligibility for other courses. 

JoSAA Eligibility for IIT Admission 2026

The candidate must have the following eligibility to get admission to IIT colleges after qualifying for the JEE Advanced exam. 

• The candidate must have appeared for class 12 to get admission to the courses. One needs to study Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, which are compulsory subjects 

• The candidate must have passed and secured atleast 75% aggregate marks in class 12th. 

JoSAA Eligibility for NITs, IIEST, IIITs, and other GFTIs (NIT+System) Admission 2026

The candidate must have secured a good rank in the JEE Main 2026 paper 1 for admission to BE/BTech programs at NITs, IIEST, IIITs, and other GFTIs. 

• The candidate must have appeared for class 12th exam in 2024, 2025 or 2026.

• One must have a combination of Physics, Mathematics, and any one of Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Technical Vocation subject, a language, any subject other than the above four  (the subject with the highest marks will be considered).

The candidates have to register for JoSAA counselling 2026 online based on their score. The online registration has to be done on the official portal. One has to click on the new candidate registration link and authenticate oneself. One has to use their application number, candidate name, mother’s name, and date of birth. Once this is done, one must access the candidate’s portal with their application number and password.

JoSAA Choice Filling 2026

Registered candidates can begin the JoSAA 2026 choice filling process after verifying the OTP sent to their registered mobile number and email ID. Once verified, they can view the list of available institutes and programmes and select their preferred options. Candidates should add as many choices as possible in order of preference and can rearrange, interchange, or delete choices before the deadline. 

After finalising, they must lock their choices, as unlocked choices will be locked automatically. Candidates can then download the locked choices letter. Seat allotment results are released online based on preferences, rank, and category.

JoSAA Counselling 2026 Seat Allotment

JoSAA releases the 2026 round-wise seat allotment results through the candidate’s JoSAA login. Candidates can check their allotment by logging in with their JEE Main 2026 application number and JoSAA 2026 password. Seats are allotted based on JEE Main or Advanced rank, category, and the choices filled during counselling.

If a seat is allotted, the candidate must download the “Initial Seat Allotment Intimation Slip,” which contains details of the allotted seat. It is the candidate’s responsibility to regularly check the JoSAA portal, as no separate notification will be sent regarding seat allotment.

JoSAA 2026 Seat Allotment Confirmation - ‘Freeze’, ‘Slide’ or ‘Float’

After a seat is allotted in JoSAA counselling, the candidate must accept it and choose one of the options: Freeze, Float, or Slide.

Freeze: The candidate is satisfied with the allotted seat and does not want any other option. They must complete the fee payment. Such candidates cannot take part in further counselling rounds.

Float: The candidate accepts the seat but wishes to be considered for a better college or course in upcoming rounds.

Slide: The candidate wants a better course in the same institute allotted.

The Slide and Float options are available only if the first preference is not allotted and are not available in the last round. A Freeze option cannot be changed later.

JoSAA Counselling Fees 2026: SAF and PAF

In the next round of the JoSAA counselling process, candidates must pay the required counselling fee. First, they need to pay the seat acceptance fee. After making the payment, candidates must get their documents verified by the authorities. 

Once a seat is allotted, they must pay the seat acceptance fee in that round. If a candidate does not pay the fee on time, they will not be considered for the next round of JoSAA seat allotment.

SAF: JoSAA seat acceptance fee (SAF) is given below

PAF: JoSAA partial admission fee (PAF) is given below

After the last round of JoSAA 2026 is completed, candidates will receive a provisional seat if they have not applied for seat cancellation or withdrawal. To confirm the seat, they must pay the Partial Admission Fee (PAF). If a candidate does not pay the admission fee on time, their seat will be cancelled, and they will be removed from the admission process.

JoSAA Counselling 2026: Document Upload and Verification

The last round of the JoSAA counselling 2026 is the complete verification of the documents. However, the document list for NIT or IIIT is different. Read on to get the detailed list of the JoSAA counselling process. 

Document List for Admission to NIT Colleges 

• Class X Mark Sheet/Certificate or Aadhaar Card or Birth Certificate (for Date of Birth)

• Class XII Mark Sheet and Certificate (Qualifying Examination)

• JEE Main 2026 admit card

• Certificate of category (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/GEN-EWS), if applicable, as per Government of India format, available on JoSAA website, issued by the competent authority.

• Original Certificate for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD), if applicable, issued by competent authority.

• Original Certificate for persons having less than 40% disability and having difficulty in writing, if applicable

• Crossed Bank Cheque copy / Image of Passbook with bank account details

• Medical Certificate

• OCI certificate/ PIO card, if applicable

• Passport/Citizenship certificate, if applicable

Document List for Admission to IIT Colleges

• Class X Mark Sheet/Certificate or Aadhaar Card or Birth Certificate (for date of birth)

• Class XII Mark Sheet (Qualifying Examination)

• Certificate of category (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/GEN-EWS), if applicable

• Original Certificate for Persons with Disabilities (PwD), if applicable

• Original Certificate for persons having less than 40% disability and having difficulty in writing, if applicable 

• Crossed Bank Cheque copy / Image of Passbook with bank account details

• Medical Certificate

• OCI certificate /PIO card, if applicable

• Passport / Citizenship certificate, if applicable

JoSAA releases the provisional seat allotment letter to all the candidates after the verification of the documents is completed. However, one thing to note is that the seat allotment letter allotted by JoSAA is provisional, and it does not mean that candidates are eligible for admission. Only those who complete all the formalities and pay the remaining fee are called for final admission.

The candidates who clear either JEE Main or JEE Advanced will become eligible for admission to participating colleges. One has to complete all the different levels of the counselling process for final admission. We have prescribed the list of JoSAA participating institutes in the table below.