CSAB Eligibility Criteria 2025: Who Should Appear for Special Round and Its Benefits

Q: Which rank is shown on the CSAB portal for EWS category: CRL rank or category rank?

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.

69 Students Q&A

Mamona Majumder

Assistant Manager

Updated on Aug 7, 2025 15:46 IST

Many of you might be wondering if you should take part in the CSAB counselling process and who exactly should get involved. Also, are you eligible for CSAB counselling if you have a seat allotted from JoSAA counselling 2025? In this article, we will explore these questions together. We’ll discuss who should consider participating in the CSAB 2025.

Who should actually participate in the CSAB counselling process? If you have already received a seat via the JoSAA counselling, should you participate in the JoSAA counselling too? Check all details regarding the CSAB 2025 eligibility criteria below.

CSAB Eligibility Criteria 2025: The Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) conducts CSAB counselling, and it is of three types - NEUT counselling, special round counselling and the Supernumerary round. Out of all these rounds, the most important and the most sought-after round is the CSAB special round, because this round deals with the allotment of seats which remain vacant after JoSAA counselling for the NIT+ system (NIT, IIITs and the GFTs).

NEUT round is especially for candidates from North-Eastern (NE) States and Union Territories (UTs) and to allocate seats across degree-level technical institutions approved by AICTE, Universities for North-Eastern (NE) States and Union Territories (UTs).

Staying updated about the latest educational events is just a click away

Enter Mobile Number

The Supernumerary is only for candidates from Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and for admission to supernumerary seats in NIT Calicut, NIT Durgapur, and SVNIT Surat.

In this article, we will talk about the CSAB special round 2025 - the eligibility to appear, whether you should appear for the special round even if you have a seat from JoSAA counselling, and some other major aspects. Read more below.

Table of contents

CSAB 2025 Special Round - Who Should Appear?
CSAB 2025 Special Round Eligibility
Shiksha Poll Reveals Maximum Candidates Hopeful of Getting a Seat via CSAB Counselling
CSAB 2025 Eligibility: Admission Criteria for NIT+ System
Benefits of Participating in CSAB Special Counselling 2025

CSAB 2025 Special Round - Who Should Appear?

You should appear for the CSAB special counselling round if you have a JEE Main 2025 rank and -

You were not allotted a seat via JoSAA counselling.
You were allotted a seat in JoSAA counselling 2025, but you want to upgrade the seat.
You were not able to participate in JoSAA counselling 2025.

If you haven't received a seat during the JoSAA 2025 counselling but believe you might be able to get one through the CSAB process, you must participate in the CSAB counselling for 2025. Additionally, if you did secure a seat through JoSAA but wish to improve or upgrade to a better option, you should also consider applying for the CSAB counselling.

Now, if you fall in any of the above three categories, you can participate in CSAB 2025 special counselling rounds. Let's check more about the CSAB special round 2025 eligibility criteria below:

CSAB 2025 Special Round Eligibility

The following candidates are eligible to participate in CSAB 2025 special counselling rounds:

All candidates who were eligible for JoSAA counselling 2025 are also eligible for CSAB counselling 2025. Below is the breakdown of the types of candidates eligible for CSAB counselling 2025 for the special rounds:

Category	Despcription
Category 1: Did not register for JoSAA	Candidates who were not able to register for JoSAA can register for CSAB counselling for seat allotment to the NITs, IIITs and GFTIs.
Category 2: Registered for JoSAA but did not get a seat	Candidates who have participated in JoSAA-2025 but have not been allotted any seat can also participate in CSAB.
Category 3: JoSAA allotment cancelled due to non-payment of SAF	Candidates who have participated in JoSAA-2025 and have been allotted seats but their allotment was cancelled due to non-payment of the Seat Acceptance Fee.
Category 3: Exited from JoSAA counselling	The candidates who were not allotted any seat in JoSAA and exited from JoSAA counselling can participate in CSAB.
Category 4: Got seats in IIT in JoSAA counselling	Those candidates who got seats in IITs but their seats were cancelled after document verification, or they have validly withdrawn from JoSAA or even if they have taken admission to the IITs, can apply for CSAB counselling.
Category 5: Got seats in NIT+system in JoSAA counselling	Candidates can participate in CSAB, even if they have taken admission in the NIT+ System by paying the Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF) and Partial Admission Fee (PAF). or Candidates who have been allotted seats in the NIT+ System and later have validly WITHDRAWN from their allotted seats. or Candidates whose seats have been CANCELLED after document verification and have not been allotted any seat in any of the subsequent JoSAA-2025 rounds. or Candidates who were allotted seats in JoSAA, paid the Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF) and completed document verification, but their seats were CANCELLED due to non-payment of the Partial Admission Fee.

Q: Which rank is shown on the CSAB portal for EWS category: CRL rank or category rank?

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.

Q: Can a Uttar Pradesh student apply for the CSAB round for NITs or IIITs?

Yes, you can apply for CSAB spot counselling round. If you don't get a seat or desired seat in the JoSAA counselling rounds, then you might get a seat in CSAB spot round. So please apply for CSAB spot round.

Q: I did not register for NEUT. Is it possible to get a seat at NIT through CSAB? I belong to ST category and live in North-East India.

Even if you did not register for the CSAB NEUT (North Eastern States and Union Territories) counseling and belong to the ST category, and you are from North-East India, you can get a seat in an NIT during the subsequent rounds. CSAB NEUT rounds for students applying from North-East states and UTs to decide their seat allotment in NITs alongside other participating institutes, according to JEE Main scores. You have secured 6373 rank in ST category, therefore you can apply for few NIT’s but the actual number of seats possible depends on the seat matrix. To participate, one has to register for the CSAB NEUT rounds, give the choices, and then wait for the seat allocation. Nevertheless, treat it as a proceed alert that the registration and choice-filling deadlines have probably already elapsed and therefore will require you to find out on its acceptance of late registration.

Shiksha Poll Reveals Maximum Candidates Hopeful of Getting a Seat via CSAB Counselling

Shiksha.com conducted a poll that revealed 83% of the candidates will participate in CSAB counselling as they are hopeful of getting a seat via the CSAB counselling process.

On the flip side, 16% of the candidates have expressed that they do not think they will be getting a seat in the NI+system via the CSAB counselling process. While a mere 2% have said that they have already secured admission via other counselling processes.

Explore more B.Tech exams with upcoming dates

NUCAT

NUCAT 2026 Test 1 Mock Test

15 Feb '26 - 16 Feb '26

JEE Main

LIVE

JEE Main...

16 Feb '26

Check live updates

Uni-GAUGE

Uni-Gauge 2026 mock test available

17 Feb '26

LPU NEST

LPU NEST 2026 Admission Dates ...

12 Feb '26 - 20 Feb '26

SAT India

Last date to apply for March A...

27 Feb '26

IEMJEE

IEMJEE 2026 Exam Date - Online...

5 Jan '26 - 28 Feb '26

AMUEEE

AMUEEE 2026 application form (...

2 Feb '26 - 28 Feb '26

CT SET

CT SET 2026 Application Form

28 Feb '26

Pulse

PULSE Exam Date 2026

28 Feb '26

Assam CEE

Assam CEE 2026 application form

28 Feb '26

CSAB 2025 Eligibility: Admission Criteria for NIT+ System

For admission to the NIT+ system, candidates must also fulfil the following admission criteria:

Year of passing class 12 exam: Candidates must have passed the class board exams for the first time in the year 2023, 2024 or 2025.
Minimum marks in class 12: Candidates must have secured at least 75% aggregate marks in the Class XII (or equivalent) Board examination. The aggregate marks for SC, ST and PwD candidates should be at least 65%. Or, candidates should be within the category-wise top 20 percentile of successful candidates in their respective Class XII (or equivalent) board examination.

Benefits of Participating in CSAB Special Counselling 2025

Here are some benefits of participating in CSAB special counselling rounds:

You get more options and opportunities: If your JoSAA counselling rounds were not as per your expectations, then CSAB can be a second opportunity. CSAB might give you a better seat than the one that has been allotted in JoSAA.

Popular courses can be available: There can be chances that some popular courses might be made available in this counselling that were left out in JoSAA.

Read More:

Q: Who can apply for the CSAB supernumerary rounds?

Candidates from the Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli can participate in the CSAB 2025 Supernumerary round.

This counselling round is for admission to supernumerary seats in the following NITs:

NIT Calicut
NIT Durgapur
SVNIT Surat.

Q: Can a student with 1.10 Lakhs OBC NCL Rank and 3 Lacs CRL Rank in JEE Mains get CSE in a government college through CSAB?

Yes but it is a rare chance to get CSE with 3 lack general rank because there is only few left government colleges are got to students after Jossa councelling with rank under 1lack ( general).

Q: Can I get B.Tech in Mechanical through JOSAA or CSAB in lower NITs?

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.