JoSAA fills OPEN seats by CRL rank and reserved seats by category rank, and considers every reserved-category student for OPEN seats first. So an OBC-NCL, EWS, SC or ST closing rank is a category rank, not an all-India rank.
This guide explains how it works, with real 2026 category closing ranks and the last category rank that got an IIT seat.
JoSAA uses ten rank lists: the Common Rank List (CRL) with every candidate, plus separate lists for GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST and the PwD lists (clause 16). If you are OBC-NCL, you have both a CRL rank and an OBC-NCL category rank.
OPEN seats are filled by CRL rank. Reserved seats are filled by category rank. So an OBC-NCL closing rank of 3,000 means the 3,000th OBC-NCL candidate on the OBC-NCL list, not CRL rank 3,000.
OPEN seats are open to every category (clause 10). JoSAA considers you for OPEN first, then your own category, and the gender pool after category: an OBC-NCL girl is tried for OPEN female-only, then OPEN gender-neutral, then OBC-NCL female-only, then OBC-NCL gender-neutral (clause 32E).
If you got a reserved seat but your CRL rank later earns an OPEN seat in the same program, JoSAA moves you to OPEN automatically in a later round. This "upgradation" never changes your program or institute (clauses 34 and 35).
| Program | Rank type | OPEN (CRL) | OBC-NCL | EWS | SC | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIT Bombay CSE | JEE Advanced | 67 | 62 | 20 | 39 | 16 |
| IIT Delhi CSE | JEE Advanced | 128 | 108 | 35 | 62 | 28 |
| NIT Trichy CSE | JEE Main | 1,373 | 459 | 287 | 154 | 95 |
| NIT Warangal CSE | JEE Main | 2,581 | 797 | 428 | 458 | 199 |
| NIT Rourkela CSE | JEE Main | 4,266 | 1,231 | 545 | 482 | 216 |
Source: JoSAA 2026 Opening and Closing Ranks, Round 5 (final), gender-neutral; NITs Other State quota. Category columns are category ranks.
| Rank list | Last rank offered IIT admission (gender-neutral) | Female-only pool |
|---|---|---|
| CRL | 28,480 | 29,824 |
| GEN-EWS | 4,432 | 5,852 |
| OBC-NCL | 9,002 | 11,941 |
| SC | 4,075 | 4,874 |
| ST | 2,199 | 2,112 |
| CRL-PwD | 315 | 301 |
Source: JEE (Advanced) 2026 Report, Volume I, section 13.5 (p. 501).
The CRL list includes students of every category, so its last rank can belong to a reserved-category student who got a category seat. For OPEN gender-neutral seats, the last IIT program closed at CRL rank 18,977 in the 2026 final round.
Your category tag is checked against your certificate when you accept a seat. The OBC-NCL and GEN-EWS certificate must be issued on or after 1 April of the counselling year, or be an online-verifiable certificate valid until the deadline. OBC castes must be in the Central list of OBCs (clause 5). If your certificate fails, you are moved to GEN for later rounds; if your seat was in OPEN, it stays (clauses 74 and 75). Details in our JoSAA documents checklist.
Both. OPEN seats are allotted by CRL rank, and reserved seats (OBC-NCL, EWS, SC, ST) by category rank. Reserved-category students are considered for OPEN seats first.
Yes. OPEN seats are open to all categories and are considered first. If you later qualify for an OPEN seat in the same program, JoSAA upgrades you automatically.
OBC-NCL category rank 9,002 (gender-neutral) and 11,941 in the female-only pool, as per the JEE Advanced 2026 report (section 13.5).
In 2026 NIT Trichy CSE closed at EWS category rank 287 for Other State, gender-neutral seats.
If your seat was in OBC-NCL, it is cancelled and you are considered as GEN in later rounds. If your seat was OPEN, it is confirmed.
Sources: JoSAA 2026 Business Rules (1 June 2026), clauses 5, 10, 16, 32, 34, 35, 74 and 75; JEE (Advanced) 2026 Report, Volume I, section 13.5; JoSAA 2026 Opening and Closing Ranks, Round 5.
