JEE Main 2026: 75% Marks Mandatory in Class 12 for Admission, Know Details
Appearing and qualifying JEE Main 2026 will not guarantee admission to IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. A total of 75% marks in five subjects in the Class 12 boards are mandatory for admission. Read below to know more.
JEE Main 2026: 75% Marks Mandatory in Class 12 for Admission, Know Details
JEE Main 2026 session 1 exam will be held between January 21 to 30, and the JEE Main second attempt date is between April 2 to 9. Candidates appearing for the exam this year must note that 75% marks in class 12 boards will be mandatory for admission to IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. Without achieving 75% marks in the Class 12 boards, admission to IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs will not be possible, even if the candidate has a JEE Main rank.
For session 1 registered candidates, NTA will release the JEE Main 2026 advanced city intimation in first week of January, and the JEE Main 2026 session 1 admit cards will be available 3 to 4 days before the exam date allotted to the candidates.
JEE Main Admission Criteria 2026 for IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs
To apply for JEE Main, candidates do not require a minimum mark in their board exams. However, they will have to fulfil the minimum marks criteria during admission to the colleges.
For admission to the IITs, candidates have to qualify the JEE Main 2026 cutoff for JEE Advanced 2026. The cutoff marks will be mentioned with the JEE Main session 2 result. However, IITs also require the candidates to have 75% minimum marks in class 12 for admission.
Eligibility for Admission to NIT+ System (NITs, IIEST, IIITs, and Other-GFTIs):
- Candidates must pass class 12 (or equivalent) Board examination with a minimum of five subjects and secure at least 75% aggregate marks. There is no minimum subject wise minimum marks criteria.
- For SC, ST, and PwD candidates, the minimum marks should be at least 65%. There is no minimum subject wise minimum marks criteria.
OR
- Candidates must have passed class 12 (or equivalent) Board examination with a minimum of five subjects and be within the category-wise top 20 percentile of successful candidates in their respective Class 12 (or equivalent) board examination.
The five subjects that the candidates must pass in class 12 are:
| Course | Subjects Requirement for Class 12 / Equivalent Qualifying Examination |
|---|---|
| For admission to BE/BTech | Physics Mathematics a language Anyone from the Chemistry/Biotechnology/Biology/Technical Vocational subjects Any subject other than the above four |
| For admission to BArch | Physics Chemistry Mathematics Two more subjects other than the above three |
| For admission to BPlan | Mathematics and four other subjects. |
The JEE Main 2026 session 1 registration ended, and as per reports, NTA has received 14.5 lakh registrations this year. The JEE Main 2026 session 2 registration will start in the last week of January 2026.
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Yes, candidates are required to submit proof of domicile in case availing the home-state quota in NITs. It is only NIT where admission is offered against the Home State quota.
Candidates home state is determined based on the state from which you appear for your 12th board exam and on the basis of the state to which you belong.
The participating institutes of JEE Main are the colleges that participate in the JoSAA counselling for admission in various Engineering, Architecture and Planning courses. Besides JEE Main participating institutes, many colleges offer admission based on the scores of JEE Main but are not a part of JoSAA. Such institutes organise their counselling process for admission.
There are a total of 31 NITs, 25 IIITs and 19 other GFTIs that participate in JoSAA counselling. The number of seats in these institutes can be checked below. Other institutes which offer admission based on JEE Main scores are from the states which do not conduct their entrance exams for engineering admission and include U.P., Bihar, M.P., Delhi, among others.
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As of 2025, the total number of seats in the IITs is 18,160.