The JoSAA seat acceptance fee is ₹30,000, or ₹15,000 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Registration and choice filling are free. NIT, IIIT and GFTI seat holders also pay a Partial Admission Fee of ₹45,000 (₹20,000 for SC, ST and PwD) after Round 5.
This guide covers every JoSAA fee, when it is due and exactly what you get back if you withdraw, all from the official JoSAA 2026 Business Rules.
| Fee | SC, ST and all PwD candidates | All other candidates | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration and choice filling | ₹0 | ₹0 | Free (clause 37) |
| Seat acceptance fee (includes ₹5,000 JoSAA processing charge) | ₹15,000 | ₹30,000 | Once, in the round you first get a seat |
| Partial Admission Fee, NIT+ seats only | ₹20,000 | ₹45,000 | After Round 5 (22 to 24 July in 2026) |
| Balance institute fee | Set by each institute | Set by each institute | At the admitting institute |
Source: JoSAA 2026 Business Rules (1 June 2026), clauses 37, 42, 59 and 60.
"PwD candidates" here means the category tags GEN-PwD, GEN-EWS-PwD, OBC-NCL-PwD, SC-PwD and ST-PwD. OBC-NCL and GEN-EWS candidates without PwD pay the full ₹30,000.
When JoSAA allots you a seat, you accept it online in four steps: accept the seat and choose freeze, float or slide; upload your documents; pay the seat acceptance fee; and answer any document query. Your documents are not verified until the fee is paid, and not paying it counts as rejecting the seat. A rejected seat takes you out of every later round (clause 42).
You pay the fee only once, in the round where you first get a seat. If float or slide moves you to a better seat later, you do not pay again (clause 57). If a later round moves you between an IIT and an NIT, your documents are checked again by the new system, but there is still no extra fee (clause 47).
Of the ₹30,000 (or ₹15,000), ₹5,000 is a JoSAA processing charge. The rest is adjusted against your admission fee at the institute you finally join.
JoSAA lets you pre-pay the seat acceptance fee from the first day of choice filling until the choice-locking deadline (2 to 11 June in 2026). If you don't get any seat, the pre-payment is refunded in full. It is optional, but JoSAA itself recommends it to avoid last-minute payment failures (clause 42).
You can pay by debit card, credit card, UPI, net banking, an SBI e-challan in cash at any SBI branch, or at a CSC Grahak Seva Kendra (clause 56). Pay on the first day of the round: documents are only checked after payment, and you need time to answer any query before the round closes.
| What happens | What you get back |
|---|---|
| You pre-pay the seat acceptance fee and get no seat | Full refund |
| You withdraw your seat (allowed from Round 2 onward) | Fee minus ₹7,000 withdrawal processing charge |
| Your seat is cancelled because you don't meet eligibility or a document problem stays unresolved | Fee minus ₹5,000 JoSAA processing charge |
| You hold an NIT+ seat but don't pay the Partial Admission Fee | Seat acceptance fee minus ₹7,000; the seat goes to CSAB special rounds |
| You join the institute | ₹25,000 (or ₹10,000) is adjusted against the admission fee; the ₹5,000 processing charge is not |
| Partial Admission Fee, once paid | Not refundable |
Source: JoSAA 2026 Business Rules (1 June 2026), clauses 42, 58, 60 and 62.
So withdrawing a ₹30,000 seat returns ₹23,000. Losing a seat over a certificate problem returns ₹25,000. These amounts are why it pays to get your category and PwD certificates right before the rounds start (see our JoSAA documents checklist).
If you hold a seat in the NIT+ system (NITs, IIEST, IIITs and other GFTIs) at the end of Round 5, you must also pay a Partial Admission Fee: ₹45,000, or ₹20,000 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. It is adjusted against the institute fee but is not refundable. In 2026 the window was 22 to 24 July. If you don't pay, you lose the seat and it goes to the CSAB special rounds; your seat acceptance fee comes back minus ₹7,000 (clauses 59 to 62).
IIT and IISc seats have no Partial Admission Fee in JoSAA; the rest of the fee is paid when you report at the IIT.
Institute fees and fee waivers differ by institute and category. JoSAA does not set them; check each institute's own website (clause 39).
₹30,000 for most candidates and ₹15,000 for SC, ST and PwD candidates, as per the JoSAA 2026 Business Rules. It includes a ₹5,000 JoSAA processing charge; the rest is adjusted against your admission fee.
Only in some cases. A pre-payment is refunded in full if you get no seat. If you withdraw, you get the fee back minus ₹7,000. If your seat is cancelled for eligibility or document reasons, you get it back minus ₹5,000.
No. You pay once, in the round where you first get a seat. Float and slide upgrades in later rounds need no new fee.
A fee for students holding an NIT, IIIT or GFTI seat after Round 5: ₹45,000, or ₹20,000 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. It is adjusted against the institute fee and is not refundable.
Yes. Registration and choice filling cost nothing. You pay only if you get a seat and accept it.
Your seat is treated as rejected and you are out of all later JoSAA rounds. Pay on the first day of the round so your documents can be verified in time.
Sources: JoSAA 2026 Business Rules (1 June 2026), clauses 37 to 62.
