NIT CSE Round 2 Cutoff 2026, JoSAA Opening & Closing Rank

NIT CSE Round 2 Cutoff 2026

NIT CSE Round 2 cutoffs for JoSAA 2026 were released on June 30, 2026, alongside the Round 2 seat allotment result at josaa.nic.in. Computer Science and Engineering is the most competitive branch at every NIT in the system, and Round 2 continues to reflect this: NIT Tiruchirappalli CSE (Other State quota, Open category) closed at CRL 1,321, up only marginally from CRL 1,317 in Round 1. This guide presents the complete NIT-wise CSE Round 2 OR-CR data across all 31 NITs, category-wise breakdowns, top-10 rankings, a Round 1 vs Round 2 comparison, and the key factors driving NIT CSE cutoff movement.All figures in here refer to the standard 4-year B.Tech Computer Science and Engineering  programme, Other State (OS) quota, Open category, Gender-Neutral pool, unless stated otherwise. This combination is the most competitive and most commonly referenced benchmark for NIT CSE admissions. Candidates from the Home State of a given NIT, and those applying under reserved categories, will find their actual cutoff figures more relaxed; the category-wise table in a later section covers this in detail.

NIT-Wise CSE Round 2 Cutoff 2026

The table below presents Round 2 opening and closing ranks for CSE across all 31 NITs, sorted by closing rank from most to least competitive. The spread runs from CRL 1,321 at NIT Tiruchirappalli to CRL 39,193 at NIT Mizoram, reflecting the enormous range in demand across the NIT ecosystem.

Tier structure in NIT CSE: The first tier (NIT Trichy, Surathkal, Warangal) closes within the top 2,400 ranks and represents the most competitive NIT CSE seats. The second tier (MNNIT Allahabad, NIT Calicut, MNIT Jaipur, VNIT Nagpur) closes between 5,000 and 7,000. NITs in the northeastern states and smaller union territory campuses consistently close at higher rank numbers, sometimes beyond 30,000, reflecting lower historical demand rather than lower quality.

Also Read: JoSAA Round 2 Opening and Closing Ranks 2026, Check PDF

Category-Wise NIT CSE Round 2 Cutoff 2026

Category-wise cutoffs differ substantially even within the same NIT. The table below presents Round 2 CSE closing ranks across Open, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST categories for the top five NITs, all under the Other State quota, Gender-Neutral pool.

Home State quota: Every NIT also offers a Home State (HS) quota, which is consistently more relaxed than the Other State quota for the same category. The table below illustrates this using NIT Tiruchirappalli CSE as an example, showing the difference in Round 2 closing ranks between OS and HS quotas.

Key reminder: Candidates must always compare their rank against the exact row matching their category, quota, and gender combination on josaa.nic.in. The Open category OS quota figures cited as the headline NIT CSE cutoff are not applicable to SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, or Home State candidates.

Also Read: IIT CSE Round 2 Cutoff 2026, Check Opening and Closing Rank

Top NIT CSE Closing Ranks in Round 2

The table below ranks the ten most competitive NITs for CSE based on Round 2 closing rank, Other State quota, Open category, Gender-Neutral pool. These are the institutes where a JEE Main rank below the stated closing rank number was required to secure a CSE seat in Round 2.

NIT CSE Round 2 Cutoff 2026 vs Round 1

Comparing Round 1 and Round 2 closing ranks shows the degree of relaxation that occurred after the first round of seat allotment. The movement is modest but consistent across all top NITs, driven primarily by IIT-allotted candidates confirming their preferred seats and releasing NIT preferences.

Reading the movement: NIT Trichy showed the smallest absolute movement (+4 ranks) between Round 1 and Round 2, reflecting extremely tight demand where even the pool of upgrading candidates is too small to open many seats. NIT Calicut showed the largest movement (+285 ranks), consistent with its position in the mid-tier of NIT CSE competition where more candidates in this rank band upgrade to other options. Candidates with a CRL just above these Round 2 closing ranks have a realistic chance of receiving an allotment in Round 3, 4, or 5 as further upgrades occur.

Also Read: JoSAA Round 2 Cutoff 2026 OUT, Check Now at @josaa.nic.in

Factors Affecting NIT CSE Round 2 Cutoff

Several structural factors determine how NIT CSE closing ranks move from Round 1 to Round 2 and beyond. Understanding these factors helps candidates assess how much further relaxation is likely in the remaining rounds.

Historically, the largest single movement in NIT CSE closing ranks happens between Round 1 and Round 3, not between Round 1 and Round 2, since many IIT allottees confirm seats only by Round 2 reporting deadline, releasing preferences that show up in Round 3 allotments. Candidates targeting NIT CSE seats just outside the Round 2 cutoff should Float their current allotment through Round 3 and 4 rather than Freezing prematurely.

NIT CSE Round 2 Cutoff 2026: Conclusion

The NIT CSE Round 2 Cutoff 2026 shows that Computer Science remains the most competitive branch across all National Institutes of Technology. NIT Tiruchirappalli, NIT Surathkal, and NIT Warangal continue to dominate the top positions, with closing ranks within the top 2,400 for the Open category Other State quota. Mid-ranked NITs such as MNNIT Allahabad, NIT Calicut, MNIT Jaipur, and VNIT Nagpur also remain highly competitive, making every small cutoff movement important for JEE Main candidates.

Students should not compare only the headline Open category cutoff, as actual admission chances depend on category, quota, gender pool, and seat availability. Home State cutoffs are often more relaxed than Other State cutoffs, while reserved category ranks follow separate closing rank patterns. With JoSAA Round 3, Round 4, and Round 5 still remaining, candidates close to the Round 2 closing ranks should continue with Float or Slide options carefully and verify all official data on josaa.nic.in.