JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for EWS: Qualifying Percentile for JEE Advanced & Previous Year Analysis
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Exam On - 2 Apr '26 - 9 Apr '26
After the general category, in JEE Mains, EWS category candidates witness the highest cutoff. For 2026, the expected JEE Mains cutoff for the EWS category is around 81.4 percentile. Last year, the cutoff dropped marginally. Know what the EWS cutoff will be this year for the EWS candidates in this detailed article below.
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for EWS
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for EWS: Based on the JEE Main 2026 session 1 exams, experts feel that the JEE Mains cutoff for EWS will be around 81.4 percentile. The National Testing Agency (NTA) will release the JEE Main cutoff for JEE Advanced qualification with the session 2 results. Session 2 exams will be held between April 2 and 9. The difficulty level and the number of candidates appearing for the exam in JEE Mains session 2 will influence the final JEE Mains 2026 cutoff for the candidates belonging to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS).
- JEE Main 2026 EWS Cutoff
- Previous JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for EWS Category
- What Does JEE Main Cutoff Mean?
- Category-Wise JEE Mains 2026 Cutoff (2019 to 2026)
- How Many Candidates Appeared for JEE Main 2026 Session 1 in EWS Category
- How Many Candidates Are Selected for JEE Advanced from the EWS Category?
- JEE Main EWS Category Cutoff 2026 - Admission Cutoff for NITs/IIITs/GFTIs
JEE Main 2026 EWS Cutoff
The session 2 JEE Mains 2026 result will be released by April 20. The exact NTA JEE cutoff for the EWS, as well as other categories of candidates, will be available with the final session 2 results. The candidates who will score equal to or more than the JEE Main cutoff for Advanced will be eligible to register for the JEE Advanced 2026 exam for IIT admissions.
Based on the JEE Mains session 1 data for the number of candidates registered, appeared, toppers, and difficulty level, the experts have provided the following predictions of the JEE Mains EWS category cutoff:
- EWS Category Qualifying Percentile (for JEE Advanced): Approximately between 80.5 and 82.5 percentiles.
- Safe Score (Marks) of EWS candidates: Aiming for 85+ marks (out of 300) is generally considered a safe zone for qualifying, though the cutoff can drop as low as 55 to 65 marks depending on shift difficulty.
- Admission Targets for EWS candidates (NITs/IIITs):
- Top NITs (CSE/ECE): 97.0 to 99.0+ percentile
- Mid-Tier NITs: 93.0 to 96.0 percentile
- IIITs: 90.0 to 95.0 percentile
Also Check:
| JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for General | JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for OBC |
| JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for SC | JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for ST |
Previous JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for EWS Category
Last year, the EWS category cutoff was 80.3830119. Year 2024 witnessed the highest cutoff. Check JEE Mains EWS category cutoff for past years below:
Check below the JEE Advanced 2026 cutoff for the previous few years and the trend analysis:
| Year | JEE Mains EWS Cutoff | Trend Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 80.3830119 | Marginal dip from 2024. |
| 2024 | 81.3266412 | Peak cutoff due to highest ever EWS registrations |
| 2023 | 75.6229025 | Sharp rise |
| 2022 | 63.1114141 | Lowest cutoff ever |
| 2021 | 66.2214845 | Cutoff impacted due to COVID-19 |
What Does JEE Main Cutoff Mean?
In the simplest of terms, the JEE Main cutoff means the minimum percentile marks that candidates need to qualify for the JEE Advanced. To take admission to any of the IITs, candidates have to appear in JEE Mains and qualify the cutoff of their respective category to be eligible for JEE Advanced.
The JEE Mains minimum marks for JEE Advanced are different for all categories. The cutoff is released for the following categories:
- General
- General EWS
SC - ST
- OBC NCL
- UR - PWD
Also check:
Category-Wise JEE Mains 2026 Cutoff (2019 to 2026)
Although the cutoff for JEE Mains 2026 for General, General EWS, SC, ST, OBC NCL, and UR - PWD will be out of session 2 results. The expected cutoff range for all these category based on session 1 results are 93 - 95+ percentile for general (unreserved category) candidates. Reserved categories are expected to be around 80 - 82 (EWS), 79 - 82 (OBC-NCL), 60 - 64 (SC), and 47 - 51 (ST).
Check the JEE Mains cutoff trends from 2019 to 2025 for all categories and the expected cutoff for 2026:
| Category | 2019 | 2021 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (Expected) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General (UR) | 89.75 | 87.9 | 90.78 | 93.24 | 93.1 | 93.5 - 95.0 |
| Gen-EWS | 78.22 | 66.22 | 75.62 | 81.33 | 80.38 | 80.5 - 82.5 |
| OBC-NCL | 74.32 | 68.02 | 73.61 | 79.68 | 79.43 | 79.5 - 81.5 |
| SC | 54.01 | 46.88 | 51.98 | 60.09 | 61.15 | 61.5 - 64.0 |
| ST | 44.33 | 34.67 | 37.23 | 46.7 | 47.9 | 48.0 - 50.5 |
| PwD | 0.11 | 0.01 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.008 | 0.001 - 1.0 |
Commonly asked questions
The admission cutoff of JEE Main is the opening and closing ranks for each participating institute and is released by JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority).
The expected cutoff for JEE Main 2026 category wise are:
Category | Cutoff 2026 (Expected) |
|---|---|
Unreserved (UR) | 93.3045326 |
Gen-EWS | 81.4387917 |
OBC-NCL | 80.7456432 |
SC | 61.3526948 |
ST | 48.2456783 |
UR-PwD | 0.0082349 |
| College Tier | Popular Branch (CSE/IT) | Core Branch (Mech/Civil) |
Typical Institutes
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 NITs | 99.0 to 99.7+ | 97.5 to 98.8 |
NIT Trichy, Surathkal, Warangal
|
| Mid-Tier NITs | 97.5 to 99.0 | 94.0 to 96.5 |
NIT Jaipur, Allahabad, Calicut
|
| Top IIITs | 98.5 to 99.5+ | 96.0 to 97.5 (ECE) |
IIIT Hyderabad, Allahabad, Delhi
|
| Newer NITs | 93.0 to 96.0 | 89.0 to 93.0 |
NIT Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim
|
| Top GFTIs | 94.0 to 97.5 | 88.0 to 92.0 |
BIT Mesra, PEC Chandigarh
|
Also Check:
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Commonly asked questions
The JEE Main cutoff is the minimum percentile score required to qualify for the JEE Advanced exam. Its is released with the April session result.
The JEE Main 2026 cutoff will be released by April 20 will the session 2 result of JEE Main 2026 exam.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 2 days ago
JEE Main is conducted in two sessions, the first in January/February and the second in April. This helps students to appear in both papers if required and correct their scores. If you participate in both exam sessions, the system intelligently recognises your "Best of Two" scores and finalises your
R
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 days ago
DTU admissions are majorly based on the JEE Main scores. However, without JEE Mains, students will have to change the specialisations and the course opted for then only admission will be possible.
I
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
While clearing JEE Main is a huge achievement, it's actually just the first hurdle for IITs. JEE Main acts as a qualifying test that allows the top 2.5 Lacs candidates to sit for JEE Advanced. To get into IIT Dharwad, your final seat allocation will be based strictly on your JEE Advanced rank. JEE M
R
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 days ago
Congratulations! After JEE Main, register for JEE Advanced, which is the only way to get into an IIT. This registration usually happens in late April or early May, with the exam itself scheduled for late May. This is a very tight window, so keep a close eye on the official portal right after your Ma
R
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 days ago
It starts with JEE Main registration, which opens around November. The first JEE Main session is held in January-February, you must keep your documents ready by the end of the previous year. If you miss the first window, don't worry, you can still register for the second session of JEE Main in April
R
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 3 days ago
The candidates should master time management and accuracy to be able to score well in the JEE Main exam. Use a strategic approach while solving the questions to be able to score good marks.
M
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
Yes, the JEE Main is widely considered one of the most difficult engineering entrance exams globally.
N
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
Passing the JEE Main exam requires a strategic approach focusing on strong fundamentals, consistent practice, and thorough revision.
- Make sure to have a strong hold of basics.
- Study diligently for at least 6 hours.
- Practice a lot of previous year papers and mock tests.
- Focus on time management, speed an
Y
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
Candidates can download the JEE Main question papers from the website of NTA - nta.ac.in.
- Go to nta.ac.in
- Go to "downloads"
- Under the "Previous years Exam Papers", select the year and exam type and hit the "search" button.
- The question paper PDFs will be available for download.
V
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 3 days ago
Yes. NTA has released the JEE Main 2026 session 1 question papers. Candidates can download the JEE Main session 1 papers with solutions PDFs from this page - Download JEE Main 2026 question papers with solutions.
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