NCHMCT JEE Eligibility Criteria 2026: Age Limit, Qualification, Physical Fitness & Seat Reservation
National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology Joint Entrance Examination 2026 ( NCHMCT JEE )
Registration - 26 Dec '25 - 25 Jan '26
NCHMCT JEE eligibility criteria 2026 defines whether a candidate is eligible to apply for the exam. or not Check NCHMCT JEE 2026 eligibility criteria here.
NCHMCT JEE Eligibility Criteria 2026
The National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology (NCHMCT) conducts the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to BSc Hospitality and Hotel Administration (BSc HA) programmes. As of now, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has not released the official eligibility criteria for NCHMCT JEE 2026. However, the exam requirements generally remain more or less the same each year.
Based on the 2025 eligibility criteria, candidates who have passed or are appearing in Class 12 or its equivalent with English as a subject are usually eligible to apply. Age limits specified by the exam authority must also be followed. Candidates appearing for Class 12 exams are allowed to apply on a provisional basis, but admissions will be cancelled if they fail to submit proof of passing the qualifying examination at the time of counselling.
Shiksha will update the latest details regarding any changes in the NCHMCT JEE 2026 eligibility as soon as the official notice is released. Aspirants can refer to this information to get a general idea and start their preparation early.
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- NCHMCT JEE 2026 Eligibility: Qualifying Examinations
- NCHMCT JEE Eligibility Criteria 2026: Age Limit
- NCHMCT JEE Eligibility Criteria 2026: Physical Fitness
- NCHMCT JEE Eligibility 2026: Reservation of Seats
- NCHMCT JEE Eligibility 2026: Documents Required to Claim Reservation
NCHMCT JEE 2026 Eligibility: Qualifying Examinations
Candidates are eligible to apply for NCHMCT JEE if they have cleared any of the below-mentioned qualifying examinations:
- Class 12th examinations, in the 10+2 pattern of Senior Secondary education of any recognised Central/State Board, such as Central Board of Secondary Education and Council for Indian School Certificate Examination or State Boards of Secondary Education.
- Intermediate or two-year Pre-University Examination conducted by a recognised institution are also eligible to apply for NCHM JEE 2026
- General Certificate Education (GCE) Examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.
- High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University.
- Any Public School/ Board/ University Examination in India or in a foreign country recognised by the Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE) / Association of Indian Universities as equivalent to 10+2 pattern of Senior Secondary education.
- HSC Vocational Examination approved by NCVT and SCVT of the concerned state.
- Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Open School with a minimum of five subjects including English as one of the Subjects.
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Yes. One seat per IHM (state and central government affiliated) is reserved for Kashmiri Migrant (KM) candidates.
The age limit for appearing in NCHMCT JEE 2026 is 25 years for General / EWS / OBC candidates and 27 years for SC / ST / PwD students as of July 1, 2026.
NCHMCT JEE Eligibility Criteria 2026: Age Limit
Candidates need to meet the below-mentioned age limit criteria to be eligible to appear for NCHMCT JEE 2025. Details regarding 2026 age criteria will be shared once released by NTA.
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| Category |
NCHMCT JEE Age Limit Criteria 2025 |
|---|---|
| General and OBC Categories |
The upper age limit for candidates from this category is 25 years as of July 1, 2025. Candidates born on or after July 1, 1997, are eligible to apply for NCHMCT. |
| SC/ ST and Physically Challenged categories |
The upper age limit for candidates is 28 years as of July 1, 2025. SC/ST candidates born on or after July 1, 1995, are eligible to apply for NCHMCT. |
Proof accepted for age: The Date of Birth (DoB) as recorded in the Secondary Education Board/Pre-University Certificate of candidates shall be accepted. This certificate needs to be presented by candidates in original at the time of counselling, failing which the candidate will not be considered for counselling/admission.
NCHMCT JEE Eligibility Criteria 2026: Physical Fitness
At the time of admission, all the selected candidates have to submit a physical fitness certificate of carrying out practical claims as required in the course. This certificate must be from a Registered Medical Practitioner.
NCHMCT JEE Eligibility 2026: Reservation of Seats
Candidates falling under the below-mentioned categories are offered reservations for admissions based on NCHMCT JEE rank:
You need to use only official link to apply online. Don't try anywhere else, cause NTA only accepts forms from official site.
You can apply if you passed 10+2 or similar exam. English must be there in your study. Even if you're appearing for 10+2 this year, you can apply, but final admission needs pass certificate.
Yes, there is. General, EWS, OBC – max 25 years as of July 1, 2026. SC, ST, and PwD – also max 25, but different birthdate cutoff. Check category rules carefully before applying.
| Category |
Reservation of Seats |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe
|
In NCHMCT JEE, 15% and 7.5% seats are reserved for SC and ST category candidates respectively. This reservation is offered to candidates in Central and State Government Institutes of Hotel Management. Vacant seats in these categories shall not be filled by candidates belonging to any other category. |
| OBC Candidates
|
Around 27% of seats are reserved for OBC (Non-creamy layer) category candidates in Central Institutes of Hotel Management. Here, one needs to note that OBC candidates belonging to the creamy layer are not entitled to any reservation. Seats remaining vacant in this category shall be filled by General Category candidates, as per Hon’ble Supreme Court ruling. |
| General Economically Weaker Sections (General - EWS) | 10% of the seats will be reserved for the Gen EWS candidates. |
| Physically Disabled (PD)
|
Around 5% of seats (in every category) are reserved for Physically Disabled candidates in all Central & State Government Institutes of Hotel Management. The official website states: “For any category of disability (viz. locomotors, visual, dyslexia, speech, and /or hearing) benefit would be given to those who have at least 40% physical impairment”. |
| Reservation for Kashmiri Migrant |
Subject to notification from the Ministry of Education for Academic Session 2024-24 |
In case the institutes are run / aided / recognized by State Governments, then the reservation applicable will be as per the rules and regulations of the particular state.
NCHMCT JEE Eligibility 2026: Documents Required to Claim Reservation
Candidates, who want to apply for admissions under any of the reservation categories in NCHMCT JEE 2026, need to furnish their caste certificate issued by a competent authority. SC, ST and OBC category candidates can submit any of the below mentioned certificates to apply for NCHMCT JEE under the reserved category.
| SC, ST & OBC category issued by District Magistrate |
SC, ST & OBC category issued by Additional District Magistrate |
| SC, ST & OBC category issued by Collector |
SC, ST & OBC category issued by Deputy Commissioner |
| SC, ST & OBC category issued by Additional Deputy Commissioner |
SC, ST & OBC category issued by Deputy Collector |
| SC, ST & OBC category issued by 1st Class Stipendiary Magistrate |
SC, ST & OBC category issued by City Magistrate |
| SC, ST & OBC category issued by Sub-Divisional Magistrate |
SC, ST & OBC category issued by Additional Chief Presidency Magistrate |
| SC, ST & OBC category issued by Presidency Magistrate |
SC, ST & OBC category issued by Revenue Officer, not below the rank of Tehsildar |
| SC, ST & OBC category issued by Sub-Divisional Officer of the area |
SC, ST & OBC category issued by Administrator |
| SC, ST & OBC category issued by Secretary to Administrator |
SC, ST & OBC category issued by Development Officer (Lakshadweep Island) where the candidate and/or his/her family normally resides |
Certificates issued by any other authority will not be accepted. Candidates are required to produce the original Caste Certificate along with an attested copy at the time of Counselling as well as at the time of admission at the Institute.
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Porishmita Paul holds an MSc in Anthropology from Gauhati University and has over 2 years of experience in content writing. She has been handling content for Hospitality & Humanities at Shiksha for a long time. She
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 6 days ago
Yes, students can get information on NCHMCT JEE exam on NTA website. NTA also releases NCHMCT JEE application, eligibility, registration process, fee, and other necessary details.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
NCHMCT JEE General Knowledge and Current Affairs syllabus includes following topics:
Prizes & Awards
World Statistics
Inventions & Discoveries
International Organisations
Sports, Disasters
Currencies
Books, etc.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
Yes, NCHMCT JEE analysis can be helpful for students for their preparation. This can help students understand NCHM JEE question paper standard and difficulty levels for preparing for NHCM entrance exam.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
Students can find NCHMCT JEE answer key download link on the official site of NCHMCT and NTA. They can download the answer key once the final answer key is active by the authorities.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
After NCHMCT JEE result is announced, the next step is counselling. NCHMCT will release merit list of selected students for counselling rounds. NCMH JEE counselling is conducted in 4 rounds.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
There is no changes in NCHM JEE 2026 exam pattern. Check official NTA website to get any the latest updates on test format and syllabus.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
NCHMCT JEE seat allotment is based on rank, category, choices filled, and seat availability. Higher rank candidates get better college options.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
There are four counselling rounds conducted by NCHMCT. Seat allotment happens in each round based on rank, choices, and seat availability.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, all candidates listed in NCHMCT JEE merit list must take part in counselling to get admission. Without counselling, no seat will be allotted.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Yes, candidates must carry all original documents during NCHMCT JEE counselling. Without documents, seat allotment will not be confirmed.
P
Contributor-Level 10
Candidates must have passed or be appearing in 12 or equivalent examination with English as a compulsory subject to apply for NCHMCT JEE 2026. The exam has no minimum marks requirement.