JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria (OUT): Age Limit, Class 12th Percentage, Number of Attempts

Candidates applying for the JEE Main 2026 exam must fulfill all the conditions eligibility criteria failing which their application form might get cancelled. JEE Main 2026 Eligibility criteria have been released. Candidates can check here general conitions of applying for the exam which include age limit, number of attempts, and eligibility marks in class 12.

NTA has released the JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026. Candidates can check here all eligibility criteria to understand the conditions of applying for the exam like number of attempts in JEE Main, marks required in class 12, and age limit, and the JEE Main admission criteria 2026 for NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. Every JEE Main 2026 aspirant must fulfill the eligibility criteria mentioned by NTA to appear in the exam and take admission at IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. JEE Main eligibility criteria are of two types:

• Criteria for appearing in the exam
• Criteria for admission in institutes - IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs

The JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria for appearing in the exam consist of conditions related to age limit, qualifying exam, subjects in qualifying exam, number of attempts, and year of passing the qualifying exam. Eligibility for admission in institutes consists of conditions related to the nationality of the candidate, JEE Main class 12th percentage criteria, and year of passing class 12/qualifying exam. Candidates should check the detailed eligibility criteria of JEE Main 2026 before filling JEE Main 2026 application form. 

Read More: JEE Mains 2025 Question Paper PDF with Solution Download

JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria Highlights

Candidates can check here complete details about JEE Main eligibility criteria released by NTA.

NTA JEE Main 2026 eligibility

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026 - Complete Details

Check the eligibility criteria in detail that candidates need to fulfill to appear in JEE Main 2026.

JEE Main Age Criteria

There is no age limit for the candidates to appear in JEE Mains exam. The candidates who have passed the class 12/ equivalent examination in 2024, 2025, or appearing in 2026 irrespective of their age can appear in JEE Main 2026 examination.

JEE Main Number of Attempts

The number of attempts in JEE Main is six. NTA conducts JEE Main twice a year. As candidates can appear in JEE Main for three consecutive years of passing class 12 (including the year of passing), the JEE Main number of attempts is six. In 2026, the exam will be conducted twice in January and April.

Candidates who have passed class 12 in 2024 or 2025 or candidates who are appearing in their class 12 exam in 2026 are eligible to appear in JEE Main 2026. Candidates who have passed their class 12 exam before 2024 or would appear in class 12 after 2026 are not eligible to appear in the exam as per JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria. 

JEE Main Eligibility Marks in Class 12th

Candidates can appear in JEE Main irrespective of their percentage in class 12. Candidates must note that there is no requirement for JEE Main eligibility marks in 12th for appearing in the exam. The eligibility criteria of 75% marks is applicable only at the time of taking admission to the institute.

Qualifying Exam Criteria

Candidates need to have passed any one of the following exams to appear for JEE Main 2026

• The final examination of the 10+2 system, conducted by any recognised Central/ State Board, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi; Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi etc.

• Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination conducted by a recognised Board/ University.

• Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy

• Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects.

• Any Public School/ Board/ University examination in India or any foreign country is recognised as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

• Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination.

• A Diploma recognised by AICTE or a State board of technical education of at least 3 years duration.

• General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.

• High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.

Year of Passing Qualifying Examination

Only those candidates who have passed the Class 12/equivalent examination in 2024, 2025, or are appearing in 2026 are eligible to appear in JEE Main 2026. Candidates who passed the Class 12/equivalent examination in 2023 or before as well as those who will appear in such an examination in 2027 or later are not eligible to appear in JEE Main 2026.

Subjects in Class 12/Qualifying Exam

JEE Main 2026 will be held for three separate courses, BTech, BArch, and BPlan. The combination of subjects is different for all three courses.

• For JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 (BTech): Candidates need to have Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects and one subject among Chemistry/Biology/Technical Vocational Subject

• For JEE Main 2026 Paper 2A (BArch): Candidates need to have Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics in class 12/equivalent examination

• For JEE Main 2026 Paper 2B (BPlan): Candidates need to have Mathematics in class 12/equivalent examination.

State of Eligibility

State of eligibility in JEE Main eligibility criteria means the State from where the candidate appeared in Class 12 or equivalent qualifying exam. It is determined by the state from where the candidate passed class 12 and does NOT depend upon the native place or the place of residence of the candidate. 
For example, if a candidate appears for the Class 12 examination in New Delhi but is a resident of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, the candidate’s State code of eligibility will be Delhi and NOT Uttar Pradesh. Suppose a candidate has passed Class 12 or equivalent qualifying examination from one state, but appeared for improvement from another state than the candidate’s State code of eligibility will be from the state where the candidate first passed Class 12, and NOT the State from where the candidate has appeared for improvement. Candidates who passed/appeared in class 12th from NIOS should select the State of Eligibility according to the State in which the study centre is located.

For Indian nationals passing the Class 12 or equivalent examination from Nepal/Bhutan, the State code of eligibility will be determined based on a permanent address in India as given in the passport of the candidate.

State Code of Eligibility

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria for Admission in IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs - Minimum 75% Marks in Class 12

Candidates need to score above 75% marks, whereas SC/ST candidates need to have at least 60% marks in class 12 to get admission in NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs.

However, the criteria of marks in class 12 is lower in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, which accept JEE Main scores for admission to BTech course.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria for Appearing in JEE Advanced

Only those candidates whose NTA score is above the cutoff percentile can appear in JEE Advanced. One important condition is that candidates can appear in JEE Advanced twice, in two consecutive years from the year of passing class 12/equivalent examination.

Important Points to Remember

It is the candidate's responsibility to check all the details about eligibility criteria before filling application form. Candidates who do not fulfil the eligibility criteria but apply for JEE Main 2026, their application can get cancelled at any stage of the admission cycle. Candidates need to fill in the correct details in their application form as per the original documents and eligibility conditions. Only eligible candidates can apply for the exam, and candidates who complete the registration can download the JEE Main admit card to appear for the exam.

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