To get an IIT, NIT, IIIT or GFTI seat through JoSAA, you need 75% in Class 12 (65% for SC, ST and PwD) or a place in the top 20 percentile of your board. Either one is enough. Five subjects count, and the rule is checked when you accept a seat.
This guide explains which subjects count, how the top 20 percentile works, and what improvement exams can and can't fix, from the official JoSAA 2026 Business Rules.
To get a seat through JoSAA, you must pass Class 12 (or an equivalent exam) with at least five subjects and meet one of two conditions:
| Category | Board marks needed (option 1) | Or (option 2) |
|---|---|---|
| GEN, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL | 75% aggregate in 5 subjects | Top 20 percentile of your board, in your category |
| SC, ST, PwD | 65% aggregate in 5 subjects | Top 20 percentile of your board, in your category |
Source: JoSAA 2026 Business Rules (1 June 2026), Annexure 2(a) for IITs/IISc and Annexure 2(b) for NIT+.
You need only one of the two. A student with 72% can still be eligible if 72% puts them in the top 20 percentile of their board in their category.
For IITs and IISc: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, one language (the higher one if you took two), and your best other subject.
For NIT+ B.Tech seats: Physics, Mathematics, one of Chemistry / Biology / Biotechnology / a technical vocational subject, one language, and your best other subject. You must also pass each of these subjects.
Marks not out of 100 are scaled to 100, so the total is out of 500. If your board gives only grades, get a certificate of equivalent marks from the board and submit it when you accept your seat.
The two options treat improvement exams differently (Annexure 2):
If your board revises your result after you lock your choices (re-totalling, re-evaluation), and you now meet the rule, you must email the organising IIT with the revised certificate by the deadline (15 July in 2026). You are then considered in later rounds, but only if you had registered and filled choices on time even though you weren't eligible then (clause 72). So always register and fill choices, even while a re-evaluation is pending.
For NIT+ seats in JoSAA 2026, you must have taken Class 12 for the first time in 2024, 2025 or 2026. If you passed in a year where the 2026 rule wasn't met, your JEE Main rank alone won't get you an NIT seat.
Not exactly. You need either 75% in five subjects (65% for SC, ST and PwD) or to be in the top 20 percentile of your board in your category. Meeting either one is enough.
The same rule applies: 75% (65% for SC, ST, PwD) or the top 20 percentile of your board, with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as compulsory subjects.
For IITs: Physics, Chemistry, Maths, one language and your best other subject. For NIT+ B.Tech: Physics, Maths, one of Chemistry/Biology/Biotechnology/technical vocational subject, one language and your best other subject.
Yes. You can reappear in any number of subjects, and the higher marks in each subject count. For the top 20 percentile option you must reappear in all subjects.
65% aggregate in five subjects, or the top 20 percentile of your board in your category. The same 65% applies to PwD candidates.
Get a certificate from your board in the JoSAA format. Without it, the CBSE cut-off for your category is used.
Sources: JoSAA 2026 Business Rules (1 June 2026), Annexure 2(a), Annexure 2(b), Annexure 4 and clause 72.
