JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria (OUT): Age Limit, Class 12th Percentage, Number of Attempts
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Registration - 31 Oct '25 - 27 Nov '25
NTA has released the JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026. Candidates can check here all eligibility criterias to understand the conditions of applying for the exam like number of attempts in JEE Main, marks required in class 12, and age limit. 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 application form.
Read More: JEE Mains 2025 Question Paper PDF with Solution Download
| How to Prepare for JEE Main 2026 | Best Books for JEE Main 2026 |
| JEE Main Syllabus 2026 | JEE Main Exam Date 2026 |
- JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria Highlights
- JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026 - Complete Details
- State of Eligibility
- JEE Main Eligibility Criteria for Admission in IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs - Minimum 75% Marks in Class 12
- JEE Main Eligibility Criteria for Appearing in JEE Advanced
- Important Points to Remember
- JEE Main Eligibility Criteria Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria Highlights
Candidates can check here complete details about JEE Main eligibility criteria released by NTA.
| Eligibility Parameter |
Eligibility Condition |
| Age Limit |
No age limit |
| Qualifying exam |
Class 12/equivalent exam |
| Year of passing the qualifying exam |
2024, 2025 or appearing in 2026 |
| Subjects in the qualifying exam |
|
| JEE Main class 12 percentage criteria |
No minimum percentage required to appear in JEE Main |
| JEE Main number of attempts |
|
| JEE Main Question Papers | JEE Main Exam Pattern 2026 |
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.
As per the JEE Main eligibility criteria, candidates must have Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects and any one subject from the optional list of Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, or Technical vocation course. If you have any of the sunject from optional list and both compulsory subjetc, you can apply for JEE Mains. For more details, candidates can visit the official JEE Main website.
There is no requirement of 75% marks in class 12 for appearing in JEE Mains 2026. The eligibility criteria of minimum 75% marks in class 12 is required at the time of admission in NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. You can apply and appear in JEE Mains 2026 irrespective of your class 12 marks. The detailed JEE Main eligibility criteria 2026 can be checked on the official website. You are further advised to carefully check the detailed eligibility criteria before filling the JEE Main application form 2026. All the best!
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 recognized 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 recognized Board/ University.
-
Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defense 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 recognized as equivalent to the 10 2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
-
Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination.
-
A Diploma recognized 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 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 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 determine by the state from where 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 state where candidate first passed the 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 center 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
| Name of State |
Code of State |
| Andhra Pradesh |
AP |
| Arunachal Pradesh |
AL |
| Assam |
AM |
| Bihar |
BR |
| Chhattisgarh |
CG |
| Delhi/New Delhi |
DL |
| Goa |
GO |
| Gujarat |
GJ |
| Haryana |
HR |
| Himachal Pradesh |
HP |
| Jammu & Kashmir |
JK |
| Jharkhand |
JH |
| Karnataka |
KK |
| Kerala |
KL |
| Madhya Pradesh |
MP |
| Maharashtra |
MR |
| Manipur |
MN |
| Meghalaya |
MG |
| Mizoram |
MZ |
| Nagaland |
NL |
| Odisha |
OR |
| Punjab |
PB |
| Rajasthan |
RJ |
| Sikkim |
SM |
| Tamil Nadu |
TN |
| Telangana |
TL |
| Tripura |
TA |
| Uttar Pradesh |
UP |
| Uttarakhand |
UK |
| West Bengal |
WB |
| Name of Union Territory |
Code |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands (UT) |
AN |
| Chandigarh (UT) |
CH |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli (UT) |
DN |
| Daman & Diu (UT) |
DD |
| Lakshadweep (UT) |
LD |
| Puducherry (UT) |
PO |
| Foreign |
|
| Foreign/OCI/PIO/Nepal/Bhutan |
- |
Report to JEE Main exam centre as per time mentioned in admit card. Try to report at least one hour before JEE Mains exam starts. The first shift of exam starts at 9 am and the second shift at 3 pm.
The eligibility criteria to appear in JEE Main are
- Candidate must have passed class 12 in 2024/2025 or appearing in 2026.
- There is no age limit to appear in JEE Mains
- No minimum percentage is required to appear in the JEE Mains exam. 75% marks is required for admission in NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs
- Candidates must have Physics and Mathematics as compulsory subjects along with Chemistry/any other vocational subject for Paper 1 (BE/B.Tech). For paper 2, candidates need to have Mathematics as compulsory subject along with any other subject combination. Candidates can appear in JEE for three consecutive years from the year of passing class 12
Qualifying marks for JEE Mains 2026, also called qualifying percentile for JEE Mains will be announced by the NTA along with the JEE Main 2026 session 2 result. Candidates must note that qualifying percentile for JEE Mains 2026 is the minimum percentile required to appear in JEE Advanced 2026. For admission to NIT or IIITs, there is no provision of qualifying marks in JEE Mains 2026 and admission is given based on All India Rank in JEE Mains exam. NTA will announce JEE Mains 2026 All India rank in April after session 2 exam results.
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 score 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
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JEE Main Eligibility Criteria Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. What is JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria?
A. NTA has released the eligibility criteria of JEE Mains on the website jeemain.nta.nic.in. Candidates can check the details list of all eligibility criteria on this page.
Q. What is the age limit for appearing in JEE Main 2026?
A. As per NTA, there is no age limit for appearing in JEE Main. Candidates can appear in JEE Main 2026 irrespective of their age.
Q. How many times can I appear in JEE Main?
A. Candidates can appear in JEE Main in three consecutive years from the year passing of their class 12 examination. Considering that JEE Main is held two-time in a year, candidates can appear 6 times.
Q. How many attempts in JEE Main 2026 will be provided?
A. NTA will conduct JEE Main 2026 in two attempts in January and April.
Q. Is 75% criteria applicable for JEE Main 2026?
A. The criteria of 75% marks for JEE Main 2026 is applicable only at the time of taking admission at the institute and not for appearing in the JEE Mains.
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