In JoSAA, your home state is where you first appeared for Class 12, not your domicile or address. NITs, IIEST Shibpur and PEC Chandigarh split seats into Home State and Other State quota. In 2026 the home-state closing rank was easier for 305 of 322 NIT programs.
This guide explains the rule, the special cases, and real 2026 closing ranks for home-state students.
JoSAA uses your state code of eligibility: the state where you first appeared for Class 12. It does not depend on your native place, domicile or where you live (clause 8).
Source: JoSAA 2026 Business Rules (1 June 2026), clause 8.
States without an NIT are mapped to a nearby one: Andaman and Nicobar to NIT Puducherry; Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli to NIT Goa; Chandigarh to NIT Delhi; Ladakh to NIT Srinagar. GKCIET Malda's home state covers all eight north-eastern states (clauses 11 and 12).
In the 2026 final round, the Home State closing rank was later (easier) than the Other State one for 305 of 322 NIT and IIEST programs. For CSE:
| NIT | Home state | CSE: Other State | CSE: Home State |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIT Trichy | Tamil Nadu | 1,373 | 4,015 |
| NIT Surathkal | Karnataka | 1,954 | 3,331 |
| NIT Warangal | Telangana | 2,581 | 4,034 |
| NIT Rourkela | Odisha | 4,266 | 9,635 |
| MNNIT Allahabad | Uttar Pradesh | 5,375 | 6,770 |
| NIT Calicut | Kerala | 5,769 | 8,814 |
| MNIT Jaipur | Rajasthan | 5,868 | 6,143 |
| VNIT Nagpur | Maharashtra | 7,419 | 8,632 |
| NIT Delhi | Delhi or Chandigarh | 8,669 | 10,936 |
| NIT Kurukshetra | Haryana | 8,701 | 9,766 |
| SVNIT Surat | Gujarat | 9,517 | 9,327 |
| NIT Jamshedpur | Jharkhand | 9,574 | 11,833 |
Source: JoSAA 2026 Opening and Closing Ranks, Round 5 (final), OPEN, gender-neutral, JEE Main rank.
The gap is huge in some states and small in others: for big states with many strong students, home-state seats are competitive too. A few programs even closed earlier for home-state students.
Your home state is the state where you first appeared for the Class 12 exam (your state code of eligibility). Domicile and residence don't matter.
Rajasthan, because JoSAA uses the state where you first appeared for Class 12.
No. IIT and IISc seats are All India. Home State quota applies to NITs, IIEST Shibpur and PEC Chandigarh, with a Home State plus All India split at Assam University, BIT Mesra and Puducherry Technological University.
In 2026 it made the closing rank easier for 305 of 322 NIT and IIEST programs. For example, NIT Trichy CSE closed at 1,373 for other states but 4,015 for Tamil Nadu students.
JoSAA maps it: Andaman and Nicobar to NIT Puducherry; Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli to NIT Goa; Chandigarh to NIT Delhi; Ladakh to NIT Srinagar.
Sources: JoSAA 2026 Business Rules (1 June 2026), clauses 8, 11 and 12; JoSAA 2026 Opening and Closing Ranks, Round 5.
