JEE Advanced Eligibility 2026: Academic Criteria, Age Limit, Prior IIT Admissions

JEE Advanced 2026 eligibility rules have been officially announced. If you are planning to appear for the exam, your JEE Main 2026 performance, Class 12 passing year, age limit, and number of attempts will decide whether you can apply or not.

To register for JEE Advanced 2026, you must qualify the JEE Main 2026 B.E./B.Tech paper and secure a rank within the top 2,50,000 candidates across all categories. Apart from this, you also need to meet every eligibility condition specified by the authorities.

You can apply for the exam if you first appeared for Class 12 in 2025 or are appearing in 2026 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory subjects. You are also allowed to take JEE Advanced only twice in two consecutive years.

Below, you can check the complete JEE Advanced 2026 eligibility criteria, including age limit, qualifying examination requirements, attempt rules, and other important conditions related to IIT admission.

What Are the Key Highlights of the JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility Criteria?

JEE Advanced eligibility criteria are based on several key conditions as discussed in the below section:

Criterion 1 - Performance of JEE Main 2026

Based on the previous year's eligibility criteria, candidates must be among the top 2,50,000 successful candidates (across all categories) in the B.E./B.Tech Paper I of JEE Main 2026 to qualify.

Order	Category	Number of "Top" Candidates	Total Candidates
1	OPEN	96,187	101,250
2	OPEN-PwD	5,063	101,250
3	GEN-EWS	23,750	25,000
4	GEN-EWS-PwD	1,250	25,000
5	OBC-NCL	64,125	67,500
6	OBC-NCL-PwD	3,375	67,500
7	SC	35,625	37,500
8	SC-PwD	1,875	37,500
9	ST	17,812	18,750
10	ST-PwD	938	18,750

What Is the JEE Advanced 2026 Reservation Policy?

Category	Reservation
GEN-EWS	10%
OBC-NCL	27%
SC	15%
ST	7.5%
PwD	5 % horizontal reservation in each category

Criterion 2 - JEE Advanced 2026 Age Limit

To be eligible for JEE Advanced 2026, candidates must have been born on or after October 1, 2001. A relaxation of five years is provided to candidates belonging to SC, ST, and PwD categories, meaning they should have been born on or after October 1, 1995.

Category	Date of Birth Eligibility	Age Relaxation
General / OBC-NCL	On or after October 1, 2001	No relaxation
SC / ST / PwD	On or after October 1, 1996	5 years relaxation

Criterion 3 - Number of Attempts Allowed

Candidates can appear for the JEE Advanced exam a maximum of two times in two consecutive years. No applicant will be permitted to take the JEE Advanced 2026 more than twice within this period. This rule has been consistently followed over the years and is expected to continue for the 2026 examination as well.

Criterion 4 - Class 12 Exam Appearance

For JEE Advanced 2026, candidates must have appeared for the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination for the first time in either 2025 or 2026, with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as mandatory subjects.

Candidates who first appeared in their Class 12 (or equivalent) examination in 2024 or earlier are not eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026, regardless of the subject combination or number of attempts.

*The term "appearance in Class 12 (or equivalent) examination" refers to the year in which the concerned Board declared the result, irrespective of whether the examination was actually conducted. Even if a candidate's result was withheld, it will still be considered as an appearance for that year.

However, if the Class 12 (or equivalent) Board declared the 2023-24 academic year results on or after June 28, 2024, then candidates from that Board who appeared for the exam in 2024 are also eligible to apply for JEE Advanced 2026, provided they meet all other eligibility conditions. If the Board announced the 2023-24 results before June 28, 2024, but a candidate's individual result was withheld, that candidate will not be eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026.

Criterion 5 - Previous IIT Admissions

Candidates who have already been admitted to any IIT or ISM are not eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026. This rule also applies to those who were admitted earlier but later expelled or had their admission cancelled.

However, candidates who joined a preparatory course at any IIT for the first time in 2025 are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026.

Additionally, candidates who were allocated a seat in an IIT through JoSAA 2025 but:

(a) Did not report to any reporting centre (either physically or online), or

(b) Had their seat cancelled before the final round of seat allocation, or

can also be eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026.

What Is the Class 12 Marks Requirement for JEE Advanced 2026?

To secure admission into the IITs, candidates must fulfil the JEE Advanced 2026 eligibility criteria. Aspirants should also review the minimum marks requirement to understand the Class 12 score needed for qualification.

For General and OBC category candidates, a minimum of 75% marks in Class 12 (or equivalent) is required, while SC/ST category candidates must secure at least 65% marks. Additionally, candidates must rank among the top 20 percentile of their respective boards in the qualifying examination.

When calculating the aggregate marks, scores from Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Language, and one additional subject (of the candidate's choice) will be considered.

You may check the category wise Class 12 exam percentage required for JEE advanced eligibility 2026, as presented in the table:

Category	Minimum Percentage Required in Class 12 (or Equivalent)	Additional Requirement
General / OBC-NCL	75%	Must be in the top 20 percentile of the qualifying exam
SC / ST / PwD	65%	Must be in the top 20 percentile of the qualifying exam

You may also check how the JEE Advanced Cutoff also bears effects on JEE Advanced eligibility criteria.

Enjoy Extra Benefits with SR

Counselling

Processing fees on loan

Discounted Applications

GD PI preparation

Frequently Asked Questions

Ans: You are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026 if you have qualified JEE Main 2026 and are among the top 2,50,000 rank holders across all categories. You must have appeared for the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination for the first time in 2024 or 2025 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as mandatory subjects. In addition, you need to meet the age limit, attempt limit, and marks percentage requirements set by IIT Roorkee.

Ans: To be eligible for JEE Advanced 2026, you must have been born on or after October 1, 2001. If you belong to the SC, ST, or PwD category, you get a five-year relaxation, meaning you should have been born on or after October 1, 1995. No further age relaxation is applicable under any circumstances.

Ans: You can attempt the JEE Advanced exam a maximum of two times in two consecutive years. For example, if you appeared for the exam in 2025, your final chance would be in 2026. Any attempts before this two-year period will not be counted or considered valid.

Ans: If you belong to the General or OBC-NCL category, you must score at least 75% marks in your Class 12 (or equivalent) exam. For SC, ST, and PwD candidates, the minimum required marks are 65%. Alternatively, you can qualify if you are in the top 20 percentile of your respective board. Your aggregate marks will be calculated based on Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, one language, and one additional subject.

Ans: You are eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 if you were allotted a seat in an IIT through JoSAA 2025 but either did not report (online or offline), had your seat cancelled, or withdrew before the final round of seat allocation. However, if you were admitted to any IIT earlier—even if you were later expelled—you will not be eligible to appear for the exam again.

Other Exams in the Same Group

Upcoming Exams