The CSAB opening and closing rank is one of the most important factors candidates should analyse before making any decisions during the CSAB counselling rounds. On this page, get the CSAB cutoff for NITs, IIITs and GFTIs for all rounds.
CSAB Opening & Closing Rank 2026: The Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) publishes the opening and closing ranks following every round of the CSAB 2026 allotment process. These cutoffs apply to remaining vacant seats at NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. By reviewing these ranks, candidates can analyse admission trends across different institutes, branches, categories, and quotas. Ultimately, these metrics allow students to gauge their admission probability and compare cutoffs between various colleges.
LATEST: CSAB 2026 round 1 & 2 cutoff (OR-CR) is OUT.
- What is the CSAB Opening and Closing Rank 2026?
- CSAB 2026 Opening and Closing Rank Round-wise
- CSAB 2026 Opening and Closing Rank Institute-wise
- How to Check CSAB 2026 Opening and Closing Ranks?
- Why is Checking the CSAB OR-CR 2026 Important?
- Which Institutes Have the Highest CSAB OR & CR
- Which Institutes Have the Lowest CSAB Opening and Closing Ranks
- Which Branches Have the Highest and Lowest CSAB Opening and Closing Ranks
What is the CSAB Opening and Closing Rank 2026?
CSAB opening rank: The opening rank (OR) is the rank of the first candidate who secured admission to a particular institute, course, category and quota in a specific CSAB round.
CSAB closing rank: The closing rank (CR) is the rank of the last candidate who was allotted that seat in the same round.
So, if your JEE Main rank is better than or close to the closing rank of a programme, you have a reasonable chance of getting admission, subject to seat availability and competition.
CSAB 2026 Opening and Closing Rank Round-wise
CSAB 2026 has two Special Rounds after JoSAA counselling to fill vacant seats in the NIT+ system. After each round, separate opening and closing ranks (CSAB cutoffs) are published.
| CSAB Special Counselling | Opening & Closing Ranks (Cutoff Ranks) |
|---|---|
| Round 1 | Download CSAB 2026 OR-CR |
| Round 2 | Download CSAB 2026 OR -CR |
CSAB Round 1 Opening and Closing Rank
- Released after the Round 1 seat allotment.
- Includes fresh allotments.
- Helps candidates understand the initial cutoff trends.
CSAB Round 2 Opening and Closing Rank
- Released after the final round of CSAB counselling.
- Includes fresh allotments and upgraded candidates.
Closing ranks usually become more relaxed than Round 1 because more vacant seats are filled during the final round.
CSAB 2026 Opening and Closing Rank Institute-wise
The CSAB cutoff is released separately for every participating institute. Candidates can check opening and closing ranks institute-wise below:
| Institute | CSAB Special OR-CR |
|---|---|
| National Institute of Technology | Check NIT OR-CR here |
| Institute of Information Technology | Check IIIT OR-CR here |
| Government Funded Technical Institutes | Check GFTI OR-CR here |
The institute-wise cutoff is further available branch-wise, category-wise, gender-wise, quota-wise and round-wise. This allows candidates to compare admission trends across multiple colleges before locking their choices.
Commonly asked questions
With rank under 50,000, you can target CSE/ECE in newer IIITs (Kalyani, Dharwad), core branches in top NITs (Jalandhar, Bhopal), and tech branches in GFTIs (JNU, BIT Mesra).
The official website to check CSAB cutoff is csab.nic.in.
You can verify and analyse the previous year CSAB opening and closing ranks at csab.nic.in.
Yes, it is possible to get a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering through JOSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) or CSAB (Central Seat Allocation Board) in lower NITs (National Institutes of Technology). JOSAA handles the initial seat allocation for IITs, NITs, IIEST, IIITs, and other GFTIs based on JEE Main ranks. If there are any vacant seats remaining after the JoSAA rounds, CSAB conducts special rounds to fill those, also based on JEE Main scores.
How to Check CSAB 2026 Opening and Closing Ranks?
Candidates can check the CSAB opening and closing ranks by following these steps:
- Visit the official CSAB website - csab.nic.in
- Click on the Opening and Closing Rank link.
- Select the counselling type and round.
- Choose the round, institute, academic programme, category, quota and gender.
- Click on Submit.
- The opening and closing ranks will appear on the screen.
Link to check CSAB opening & closing ranks
Why is Checking the CSAB OR-CR 2026 Important?
Analysing the cutoff before choice filling offers several advantages.
- Helps estimate admission chances.
- Assists in preparing a balanced and realistic choice list.
- Enables comparison of colleges and branches.
- Shows how much the cutoff changes between different rounds.
- Helps identify institutes where admission is possible with a particular JEE Main rank.
- Provides insight into changing admission trends from previous years.
Commonly asked questions
The official website for CSAB counselling is csab.nic.in. This website hosts the schedule and details related to CSAB counselling for all rounds - Special, NEUT and Supernumerary.
The CSAB (Central Seat Allocation Board) portal typically displays the category rank for the EWS (Economically Weaker Section) category. This rank is specific to the EWS candidates and helps determine seat allocation during counseling and admissions.
CRL refers to Common Rank List (CRL). CRL is the merit list that consists of all the ranks of students who appeared for JEE Mains exam. JEE Main CRL includes name of the candidates along with their caste, gender, JEE Main all India rank and category-wise rank.
For more accurate and the latest information please visit the official portal of CSAB.
The Supernumerary round of CSAB counselling is held for admission to supernumerary seats at:
- NIT Calicut
- NIT Durgapur
- SVNIT Surat
Candidates from the Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli are allowed to participate in the CSAB 2025 Supernumerary round.
Candidates from the Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli can participate in the CSAB Supernumerary round.
This counselling round is for admission to supernumerary seats in the following NITs:
- NIT Calicut
- NIT Durgapur
- SVNIT Surat.
Which Institutes Have the Highest CSAB OR & CR
The highest opening and closing ranks (meaning the most competitive admissions with the lowest numerical ranks) are generally seen in the top NITs, especially for Computer Science and related branches.
Some of the institutes that usually record the most competitive CSAB cutoffs include:
- NIT Tiruchirappalli
- NIT Surathkal
- NIT Warangal
- NIT Calicut
- NIT Rourkela
- MNNIT Allahabad
- MNIT Jaipur
Among IIITs, institutes such as IIIT Allahabad, IIIT Lucknow, IIIT Gwalior and IIIT Pune also attract highly competitive closing ranks, particularly for CSE and IT programmes.
Which Institutes Have the Lowest CSAB Opening and Closing Ranks
Commonly asked questions
Candidates can check CSAB opening and closing ranks on the official website, csab.nic.in. They have to enter the details asked to check the list of courses and colleges based on the or and CR of each counselling round.
- Opening Rank means the lowest rank at which admission was given in any college in CSAB.
- Closing Rank means the the highest rank at which the admission was closed in any college in CSAB.
CSAB cutoffs are usually lower or higher in rank (i.e., less competitive) than JoSAA cutoffs.
Yes. CSAB retains the Home State (50% quota) and Other State (50% quota) categorisations for NITs, just like in JoSAA.
The following institutes generally have the highest opening and closing ranks. These are the least competitive colleges:
- NIT Mizoram
- NIT Agartala
- NIT Srinagar
- NIT Puducherry (Karaikal)
- Mizoram University
Which Branches Have the Highest and Lowest CSAB Opening and Closing Ranks
The most competitive branches in CSAB generally remain:
- Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)
- Artificial Intelligence
- Information Technology (IT)
- Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE)
- Mathematics and Computing (where available)
These programmes usually close at lower numerical ranks because of high demand.
On the other hand, branches that generally witness higher opening and closing ranks include:
- Civil Engineering
- Metallurgical Engineering
- Mining Engineering
- Production Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Biotechnology
- Ceramic Engineering
- Polymer Engineering
These branches often remain available at comparatively higher JEE Main ranks, especially during the second CSAB round. However, the cutoff varies across institutes and categories every year.
Candidates should remember that CSAB cutoffs are dynamic and depend on factors such as the number of vacant seats after JoSAA, candidate preferences, reservation category, institute popularity and branch demand. Therefore, analysing both the latest and previous years' CSAB opening and closing ranks can help candidates make informed choices during CSAB counselling.
Commonly asked questions
No, if the candidate has physically reported at the allotted institute, then withdrawal is not permitted from the CSAB account. The CSAB headquarters will transfer the collected fee to the allotted/admitted institute. Thereafter, the cancellation and refund/forfeiture will be handled by the allotted institute as per their rules/norms.
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Student Forum
Answered a month ago
With your OBC-NCL rank of 38,613 and CRL rank of 1,16,715 with Odisha Home State quota, you can target lower or core/dual-degree and Science branches in mid-to-lower tier NITs, newer IIITs, and system-aligned GFTIs during the CSAB Special Round.
S
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 months ago
With rank under 50,000, you can target CSE/ECE in newer IIITs (Kalyani, Dharwad), core branches in top NITs (Jalandhar, Bhopal), and tech branches in GFTIs (JNU, BIT Mesra).
A
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 3 months ago
You can verify and analyse the previous year CSAB opening and closing ranks at csab.nic.in.
M
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 3 months ago
Yes. CSAB retains the Home State (50% quota) and Other State (50% quota) categorisations for NITs, just like in JoSAA.
N
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 3 months ago
CSAB cutoffs are usually lower or higher in rank (i.e., less competitive) than JoSAA cutoffs.
M
Contributor-Level 8
Currently - Deputy Manager, Content
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