JEE Main 2026 Cutoff: Category-wise Percentile for JEE Advanced Eligibility
JEE Main cutoff 2026 is one of the most important updates for students after the Session 2 result because it decides who becomes eligible for JEE Advanced 2026. NTA releases the category-wise qualifying percentile along with the Paper 1 result, and this cutoff is different from the admission cutoffs used later in JoSAA counselling for NITs, IIITs, IIEST, and other GFTIs. For 2026, the official qualifying cutoff for the General category is 93.4123549 percentile, while separate cutoffs have also been released for EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and UR-PwBD candidates.
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On this page, students should be able to check the JEE Main 2026 cutoff percentile, understand what it means for JEE Advanced eligibility, compare it with recent years, and avoid confusion between the qualifying cutoff and the college admission cutoff. That distinction matters because NTA’s cutoff tells you whether you can move to the next stage, while JoSAA closing ranks decide actual seat allotment later.
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff Highlights
NTA also states that JEE Main scores are used for admission to NITs, IIEST, IIITs, and some GFTIs through counselling, but the JEE Advanced qualifying cutoff is a separate category-wise threshold.
JEE Main Cutoff 2026 Category-wise
These are the official category-wise qualifying percentiles for JEE Advanced 2026 for Paper 1.
JEE Main Cutoff 2026 Compared with Previous Years
Compared with 2025 and 2024, the 2026 cutoff is higher for most major categories, especially General, which moved from 93.1023262 in 2025 and 93.2362181 in 2024 to 93.4123549 in 2026.
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff Analysis
For 2026, the General cutoff crossing the 93.41 percentile shows a tighter qualification band than in 2025 and 2023, while EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST cutoffs also remain above their 2023 levels. That makes the JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff a stronger competition signal than many students expect when they only look at raw marks.
JEE Main Qualifying Cutoff vs Admission Cutoff
Students often confuse these two. The JEE Main 2026 cutoff released by NTA is the qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced, while NIT, IIIT, and GFTI branch-wise closing ranks are published separately during counselling.
Factors Affecting JEE Main Cutoff 2026
This can be a short explanatory block:
total number of candidates appearing
difficulty level across sessions and shifts
relative performance of candidates
seat pool for JEE Advanced qualification
category-wise filtering and rank distribution
NTA’s own scorecard note explains that the JEE Main percentile is a normalised score based on relative performance in a session, not raw percentage marks.
JEE Main 2026 Candidate Numbers
These figures come from the official NTA Session 2 result notice for JEE Main 2026 Paper 1.
Click here to get the complete Stats on the total number of students who appeared and registered
JEE Main Cutoff 2026: Key Takeaways
The General category cutoff is 93.4123549 percentile
The cutoff released by NTA is for JEE Advanced eligibility
It is not the same as the NIT or IIIT admission cutoff
2,50,182 candidates qualified category-wise in the official table
The cutoff for most categories is higher than or close to recent-year levels
FAQs on JEE Main Cutoff 2026: Category-wise Qualifying Percentile
1. What is the JEE Main cutoff 2026 for the General category?
The JEE Main 2026 cutoff for the General / UR category is 93.4123549 percentile. This is the official qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced 2026 for Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.).
2. What is the JEE Main cutoff 2026 for OBC-NCL?
The OBC-NCL cutoff in JEE Main 2026 is 80.9232583 percentile. Candidates who meet or exceed this qualifying percentile are eligible for JEE Advanced 2026, subject to other eligibility rules.
3. What is the JEE Main cutoff 2026 for EWS?
The EWS cutoff in JEE Main 2026 is 82.4164528 percentile. This is the official category-wise qualifying percentile released by NTA with the Paper 1 result.
4. What is the JEE Main cutoff 2026 for the SC category?
The SC cutoff in JEE Main 2026 is 63.9172792 percentile. This cutoff is part of the official Paper 1 qualifying cutoff table published by NTA.
5. What is the JEE Main cutoff 2026 for ST category?
The ST cutoff in JEE Main 2026 is 52.0174712 percentile. NTA released this along with the category-wise qualifying cutoffs for JEE Advanced 2026.
6. What is the difference between qualifying cutoff and admission cutoff?
The UR-PwBD cutoff in JEE Main 2026 is 0.0023186 percentile. This is the official qualifying cutoff shown in NTA’s Paper 1 result notice.
7. What does the JEE Main cutoff 2026 mean?
JEE Main cutoff 2026 means the minimum category-wise qualifying percentile required to become eligible for JEE Advanced 2026. It is not the same as the admission cutoff used later for NITs, IIITs, or GFTIs.
8. Is the JEE Main cutoff 2026 the same as NIT cutoff?
No. The JEE Main 2026 cutoff released by NTA is the qualifying cutoff for JEE Advanced, while NIT, IIIT, and GFTI admission cutoffs are released later during counselling as opening and closing ranks.
9. When was the JEE Main cutoff 2026 released?
The official cutoff was released with the JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 Session 2 result on 20 April 2026. The JEE Main official website lists the result notice, and the PDF result document carries the category-wise cutoff table.
10. How many candidates qualified in JEE Main 2026 for JEE Advanced?
According to the official NTA category-wise table, 2,50,182 candidates qualified for JEE Advanced 2026 through JEE Main 2026 Paper 1.
11. Which category had the highest cutoff in JEE Main 2026?
The General / UR category had the highest cutoff, at 93.4123549 percentile. Among the listed categories in the official table, this is the highest qualifying percentile.
12. Has the JEE Main cutoff increased in 2026?
For the General / UR category, yes. The cutoff increased from 93.1023262 in 2025 to 93.4123549 in 2026. The OBC-NCL, EWS, SC, and ST cutoffs also rose in 2026 compared with 2025.
13. Is JEE Main cutoff 2026 based on marks or percentile?
The official cutoff is released as a percentile, not as raw marks. NTA uses the NTA Score/percentile system, and the qualifying cutoff is shown category-wise in percentile form.
14. Does the JEE Main cutoff 2026 apply to Paper 1 only?
Yes. The cutoff table discussed here is for JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.), which is the paper used for JEE Advanced 2026 eligibility in engineering admissions.
15. If a student appeared in both sessions, how is JEE Main 2026 cutoff considered?
For candidates who appeared in both sessions, NTA considered the best NTA score of the two sessions for preparing the final Paper 1 result and the overall merit outcome.
16. Why is JEE Main cutoff different every year?
The cutoff changes every year because it depends on factors such as the number of candidates, their relative performance, and the percentile-based result system used by NTA. Since the cutoff is based on NTA score rather than raw marks alone, it can move up or down yearly.
