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JEE Mains Cutoff 2026
The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the official JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff along with the Session 2 result on 20 April 2026. This cutoff is the minimum percentile a candidate must score to become eligible for JEE Advanced 2026. For the General category, the qualifying percentile stood at 93.4123549, the highest figure recorded in the last four years. In total, 2,50,182 candidates qualified for JEE Advanced this year.
One point trips up a lot of students every year: the qualifying cutoff is not the same as the admission cutoff. The NTA percentile only decides whether you move to the next stage. Actual admission to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs is decided later through JoSAA counselling based on your All India Rank. If you are still building your score, steady practice with JEE Mains mock test is one of the more reliable ways to track where you stand against these percentile bands.
JEE Mains 2026 Official Category-Wise Cutoff
NTA declared the cutoff as a category-wise qualifying percentile, subject to the overall limit of the top 2.5 lakh candidates for JEE Advanced. Every category saw its cutoff rise compared to 2025, which points to sharper competition this year. The OBC-NCL bar crossed 80 percentile for the first time, and the ST bar crossed 52 percentile.
Because JEE Main runs across multiple shifts of varying difficulty, the cutoff is set on percentile rather than raw marks. A percentile reflects how you performed relative to everyone else, not an absolute score. A 93.41 percentile, for instance, means you did better than roughly 93.41 percent of all candidates.
Category | Qualifying Percentile 2026 | Movement vs 2025 |
|---|---|---|
General (UR / CRL) | 93.4123549 | Up from 93.10 |
Gen-EWS | 82.4164528 | Up from 80.38 |
OBC-NCL | 80.9232583 | Crossed 80 for the first time |
SC | 63.9172792 | Record high |
ST | 52.0174712 | Crossed 52 for the first time |
UR-PwBD | 0.0023186 | Minimal, reservation-linked |
Also Read: JEE Mains 2027, Exam Dates, Registration & Eligibility Criteria
JEE Mains Previous Year Cutoff Trends
Looking at past cutoffs helps you set a realistic target rather than guessing. After a dip in 2022, the qualifying percentile has climbed steadily across every category. Working through a set of JEE Mains previous papers alongside this trend data gives you a clearer sense of the score you need to stay safely above the line.
Category | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
General | 87.90 | 88.41 | 90.78 | 93.24 | 93.10 | 93.41 |
EWS | 66.22 | 63.11 | 75.62 | 81.33 | 80.38 | 82.42 |
OBC-NCL | 68.02 | 67.01 | 73.61 | 79.68 | 79.43 | 80.92 |
SC | 46.88 | 43.08 | 51.98 | 60.09 | 61.15 | 63.92 |
ST | 34.67 | 26.78 | 37.23 | 46.70 | 47.90 | 52.02 |
JEE Mains Cutoff 2025
In 2025, the General cutoff settled at 93.10 percentile. EWS stood at 80.38, OBC-NCL at 79.43, SC at 61.15, and ST at 47.90. The numbers held broadly steady from 2024 before rising across all categories in 2026.
Category | Qualifying Percentile 2025 |
|---|---|
General | 93.1023262 |
EWS | 80.3830119 |
OBC-NCL | 79.4340614 |
SC | 61.1526933 |
ST | 47.9026465 |
JEE Mains Cutoff 2024
2024 was the year the General cutoff first crossed 93 percentile in the percentile era, landing at 93.24. EWS reached 81.32, OBC-NCL 79.67, SC 60.09, and ST 46.69. This marked a sharp jump over 2023.
Category | Qualifying Percentile 2024 |
|---|---|
General | 93.2362181 |
EWS | 81.3266412 |
OBC-NCL | 79.6757881 |
SC | 60.0923182 |
ST | 46.6975840 |
JEE Mains Cutoff 2023
The 2023 cutoff sat lower, with General at 90.77 percentile. EWS was 75.62, OBC-NCL 73.61, SC 51.97, and ST 37.23. This year acted as an inflection point before the sustained climb above 93.
Category | Qualifying Percentile 2023 |
|---|---|
General | 90.7788642 |
EWS | 75.6229025 |
OBC-NCL | 73.6114227 |
SC | 51.9776027 |
ST | 37.2348772 |
JEE Mains Cutoff 2022
2022 recorded one of the lower General cutoffs at 88.41 percentile, reflecting a tougher paper. EWS dropped to 63.11, OBC-NCL to 67.01, SC to 43.08, and ST to 26.78, the lowest ST figure in this six-year window.
Category | Qualifying Percentile 2022 |
|---|---|
General | 88.4121383 |
EWS | 63.1114141 |
OBC-NCL | 67.0090297 |
SC | 43.0820954 |
ST | 26.7771328 |
JEE Mains Cutoff 2021
In 2021, the General cutoff was 87.90 percentile. EWS stood at 66.25, OBC-NCL at 68.02, SC at 46.88, and ST at 34.67. From this base, the qualifying bar has risen by more than five percentile points for the General category over five years.
Category | Qualifying Percentile 2021 |
|---|---|
General | 87.8992241 |
EWS | 66.2214845 |
OBC-NCL | 68.0234447 |
SC | 46.8825338 |
ST | 34.6728999 |
Also Read: JEE Mains Exam Date 2027, Registration, Schedule & Result
JEE Mains 2026 Qualifying Cutoff vs JoSAA Admission Cutoff
This is the distinction worth understanding clearly. The qualifying cutoff is a single percentile number per category, released by NTA, that decides JEE Advanced eligibility. The admission cutoff is completely different: it is the opening and closing All India Rank for each branch at each institute, released by JoSAA across its counselling rounds.
For example, JoSAA 2026 data shows that Computer Science at NIT Trichy closes at a significantly tighter rank than Civil Engineering at the same institute, and both differ from the closing ranks at GFTIs. These closing ranks tell you the actual bar for a seat, and they vary sharply by institute, branch, category, and round.
Aspect | Qualifying Cutoff | JoSAA Admission Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
Released by | NTA | JoSAA |
Basis | Percentile | All India Rank |
Purpose | JEE Advanced eligibility | Seat allotment in NITs, IIITs, GFTIs |
Format | One percentile per category | Opening and closing rank per branch |
When released | With the JEE Main result | During counselling rounds |
Also Read : JEE Mains Marks vs Percentile 2026, College Predictor Tool
Factors Affecting the JEE Mains Cutoff
The cutoff is not fixed in advance. It settles based on how a particular year plays out. The main factors are:
- The total number of candidates appearing, which is usually around 10 to 11 lakh.
- The overall difficulty level of the paper across both sessions.
- The number of exam shifts and the NTA normalization process that balances them.
- The overall performance of candidates, since percentile is relative.
- Category-wise reservation policy and the top 2.5 lakh rank limit for JEE Advanced.
None of these are things you control, so the practical takeaway is to aim well above the expected cutoff rather than right at it. Structured preparation, whether self-study or JEE Mains online coaching, combined with regular mock tests and previous-year practice, is what gives you a comfortable buffer when the final percentile lands. Keep checking jeemain.nta.nic.in for any official updates, and treat the NTA notification as your single source of truth.
JEE Mains Cutoff 2026: Conclusion
The JEE Mains Cutoff 2026 has increased across the General, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC and ST categories, indicating stronger competition and improved overall candidate performance. The General qualifying cutoff reached 93.4123549 percentile, while the OBC-NCL and ST cutoffs crossed 80 and 52 percentile respectively. Candidates should compare the latest cutoff with previous year JEE Mains cutoff trends to understand how qualifying percentiles have changed over time.
However, clearing the JEE Mains qualifying cutoff only makes a candidate eligible for JEE Advanced and does not guarantee admission to an NIT, IIIT or GFTI. Admission is based on JoSAA opening and closing ranks, which vary according to the institute, branch, category, gender pool and counselling round. Candidates should therefore aim well above the qualifying cutoff and strengthen their preparation through JEE Mains mock tests, previous year papers and regular performance analysis.
