JoSAA Counselling 2026: Official Schedule, Registration, Choice Filling, Seat Allotment & Documents

JoSAA Counselling 2026 registration and choice filling started on 2 June 2026 at 5:00 PM. Through JoSAA, students can participate in the centralized seat allocation process for admission to IITs, IISc Bengaluru, NITs, IIEST Shibpur, IIITs and Other-GFTIs for the academic year 2026–27.

JoSAA 2026 is completely online. Candidates must register, fill and lock choices, check mock seat allocation, participate in round-wise seat allotment, pay the seat acceptance fee, upload documents, respond to verification queries and complete reporting steps within the official deadlines.

Latest JoSAA 2026 Update

JoSAA 2026 registration and choice filling has started from 2 June 2026, 5:00 PM. Candidates can also start pre-payment of the JoSAA seat acceptance fee and pre-upload documents from the same date.

The last date for JoSAA 2026 registration and choice filling is 11 June 2026, 5:00 PM. After this deadline, choices will be auto-locked by the system.

The first mock seat allocation will be released on 8 June 2026, the second mock seat allocation on 10 June 2026, and Round 1 seat allocation on 13 June 2026.

What is JoSAA Counselling 2026?

JoSAA stands for Joint Seat Allocation Authority. It is the centralized counselling and seat allocation body for admission to top engineering institutes in India through JEE Main and JEE Advanced.

JoSAA is not a separate entrance exam. It is the counselling process that happens after JEE Main and JEE Advanced results.

Through JoSAA 2026, eligible candidates can get admission into:

• IITs
• IISc Bengaluru
• NITs
• IIEST Shibpur
• IIITs
• Other Government Funded Technical Institutes

If you want admission to IITs, you need a valid JEE Advanced 2026 rank. If you want admission to NITs, IIITs or Other-GFTIs, you need a valid JEE Main 2026 rank.

JoSAA 2026 Key Highlights

Institutes Covered Under JoSAA 2026

JoSAA 2026 manages seat allocation for 138 institutes for the academic year 2026–27.

This makes JoSAA the most important counselling process for students targeting premier engineering institutes through JEE.

JoSAA Counselling 2026 Official Schedule

Here is the official JoSAA 2026 schedule for registration, choice filling, mock allotment and seat allocation rounds.

Important: Round 5 is the final round of seat allocation for IITs and IISc. NIT+ system candidates must also follow the Partial Admission Fee timeline after Round 5.

JoSAA 2026 Eligibility Criteria

JoSAA eligibility depends on whether you are targeting IITs/IISc or the NIT+ system.

For IIT and IISc admission

To participate in JoSAA for IIT or IISc admission, a candidate must:

• qualify JEE Advanced 2026,
• have a valid JEE Advanced 2026 rank,
• satisfy the Class 12 eligibility criteria,
• meet institute-specific and programme-specific requirements wherever applicable.

For IIT admission, clearing JEE Main alone is not enough. JEE Advanced qualification is required.

For NIT, IIEST, IIIT and Other-GFTI admission

To participate in JoSAA for the NIT+ system, a candidate must:

• have a valid JEE Main 2026 rank,
• satisfy the Class 12 eligibility criteria,
• meet programme-specific subject requirements.

For NITs, IIITs and Other-GFTIs, JEE Advanced qualification is not required.

Class 12 marks eligibility

For most B.Tech admissions through JoSAA, candidates must satisfy one of the following:

• secure at least 75% aggregate marks in Class 12 or equivalent examination,
• or be in the top 20 percentile of successful candidates in their respective board.

For SC, ST and PwD candidates, the aggregate marks requirement is 65%.

JoSAA 2026 Counselling Process: Step-by-Step

The JoSAA counselling process has several stages. Missing any deadline can lead to seat cancellation or removal from further rounds, so candidates must complete every step carefully.

Step 1: Register for JoSAA 2026

Candidates must register online for JoSAA 2026 using their JEE credentials.

Students targeting NITs, IIITs and GFTIs can participate through their JEE Main 2026 rank. Students targeting IITs or IISc must have a valid JEE Advanced 2026 rank.

During registration, candidates must check their personal details, academic details, category details, PwD status, state of eligibility and other information carefully.

Internal link to add: JoSAA Registration 2026

Step 2: Fill JoSAA choices

After registration, candidates must fill their choices of institutes and academic programmes.

A “choice” means a specific combination of institute and branch. For example:

• IIT Bombay Computer Science and Engineering
• IIT Delhi Electrical Engineering
• NIT Trichy Computer Science and Engineering
• IIIT Allahabad Information Technology

Students should fill choices in the exact order of preference. The most preferred choice should be placed at the top.

JoSAA choice filling strategy

A good JoSAA choice list should include:

• dream choices,
• realistic choices,
• safe choices,
• preferred branches,
• backup branches,
• home state options for NITs,
• category-based realistic options,
• colleges you are genuinely willing to join.

Do not fill only 10–15 choices if your rank needs a broader safety net. Also, do not fill colleges or branches that you are completely unwilling to accept.

Step 3: Check mock seat allocation

JoSAA releases two mock seat allocations before the actual seat allotment rounds.

Mock allotment helps you understand what seat you may get based on your current choice order and rank. It is not the final allotment and does not guarantee a seat.

Use mock allotment to:

• check if your choice list is too ambitious,
• identify missing safe options,
• reorder branches and colleges,
• add more realistic choices,
• avoid poor choice filling mistakes.

For 2026, Mock Seat Allocation 1 is scheduled for 8 June 2026, and Mock Seat Allocation 2 is scheduled for 10 June 2026.

Internal link to add: JoSAA Mock Seat Allocation 2026

Step 4: Lock your choices

After finalizing the list, candidates must lock their choices before the deadline. For JoSAA 2026, choice filling ends on 11 June 2026 at 5:00 PM.

If a candidate does not lock choices manually, the last saved choices will be auto-locked by the system.

Before locking choices, check:

• spelling and institute names,
• branch names,
• order of preference,
• category and quota impact,
• home state and other state options,
• previous year opening and closing ranks.

Once choices are locked, they cannot be changed for the counselling rounds.

Step 5: Check JoSAA seat allotment result

JoSAA allocates seats based on:

• JEE Main or JEE Advanced rank,
• category,
• state quota, wherever applicable,
• choice order,
• seat availability,
• programme restrictions,
• business rules.

Round 1 seat allocation for JoSAA 2026 will be released on 13 June 2026 at 10:00 AM.

Candidates must log in and check the seat allotment result. After allotment, they must complete online reporting steps within the given deadline.

Step 6: Choose Freeze, Float or Slide

After accepting an allotted seat, candidates may need to choose one of the available options: Freeze, Float or Slide.

Be very careful while choosing Freeze, Float or Slide. A wrong option can affect your upgrade chances.

Internal link to add: Freeze, Float and Slide in JoSAA 2026

Step 7: Pay seat acceptance fee

Candidates who are allotted a seat for the first time must pay the JoSAA seat acceptance fee within the deadline.

The seat acceptance fee includes JoSAA processing charges. The remaining amount, after processing charges, is adjusted against the admission fee.

Candidates can pay the seat acceptance fee using Debit Card, Credit Card, UPI, Net Banking, e-Challan or CSC as per available payment options.

Important: Document verification is done only after the seat acceptance fee is successfully paid. If the candidate fails to pay the fee within the deadline, the seat can be cancelled and the candidate may be removed from further JoSAA rounds.

Step 8: Upload documents and complete online reporting

After seat allotment and fee payment, candidates must upload the required documents for verification through the JoSAA portal.

Online document verification is done by virtual reporting centres. Candidates must check the portal regularly for queries.

If a document discrepancy is raised, the candidate must respond within the given deadline. If the candidate does not respond to verification queries on time, the seat may be cancelled.

Internal link to add: JoSAA Documents Required 2026

Step 9: Complete institute reporting

After online reporting and provisional seat confirmation, candidates must follow the institute-specific admission and reporting instructions.

For NIT+ system candidates, Partial Admission Fee payment and further instructions are handled as per the official timeline and CSAB-related process after JoSAA rounds.

Documents Required for JoSAA Counselling 2026

Students should keep all documents ready before registration and seat allotment. The exact requirement can differ based on institute type, category and allotted programme, but these are commonly required documents:

Category certificate tips

• OBC-NCL certificate must be in the central government format.
• EWS certificate must be valid as per JoSAA rules.
• SC/ST certificates must be issued by a competent authority.
• Invalid or outdated category certificates can lead to category change or loss of reservation benefit.
• Always upload clear scanned copies.

Also Check: JoSAA Documents Required 2026

JoSAA 2026 Round-Wise Seat Allotment

JoSAA 2026 has five seat allocation rounds. Round 5 is the final round for IITs and IISc.

After each allotment, candidates must complete online reporting within the specified timeline. This includes fee payment, document upload and response to queries, wherever required.

For IITs and IISc, withdrawal/exit has a specific deadline and is not allowed after the final-round stage. For the NIT+ system, candidates must also follow the Partial Admission Fee timeline after Round 5.

JoSAA Opening and Closing Ranks 2026

JoSAA opening and closing ranks show the first and last rank at which a seat was allotted for a specific institute, branch, category and quota.

For example, the closing rank for Computer Science at a top IIT is usually much lower than the closing rank for less competitive branches or newer institutes.

Students should use opening and closing ranks to:

• understand realistic college options,
• compare branches,
• decide dream, realistic and safe choices,
• avoid filling too few choices,
• make better decisions after mock allotment.

Opening and closing ranks are released round-wise. They may vary by category, gender-neutral seat, female-only seat, home state quota, other state quota and institute type.

Also Check: JoSAA Opening and Closing Ranks 2026

JoSAA Choice Filling Mistakes to Avoid

Choice filling is the most important part of JoSAA counselling. Many students lose better opportunities due to poor choice order.

Avoid these mistakes:

1. Filling too few choices.
2. Putting safe colleges above dream colleges.
3. Ignoring mock seat allocation.
4. Copying someone else’s choice list.
5. Choosing only CSE without backup branches.
6. Ignoring home state quota in NITs.
7. Not checking category-wise closing ranks.
8. Filling colleges you are not willing to join.
9. Missing the choice locking deadline.
10. Confusing Freeze, Float and Slide.
11. Not checking document validity.
12. Waiting until the last day to pay seat acceptance fee.

Need a safer choice list?
Book a free JoSAA choice-filling review call with an Infinity Learn counsellor.

JoSAA Seat Acceptance Fee 2026

The seat acceptance fee is paid only when a candidate is allotted a seat for the first time.

The fee must be paid within the round-specific deadline. Candidates who choose Float or Slide and get upgraded in later rounds do not need to pay the seat acceptance fee again.

If a candidate withdraws validly from the seat allocation process, refund rules apply after deduction of JoSAA processing or withdrawal charges as per official rules.

JoSAA vs CSAB: What is the Difference?

JoSAA and CSAB are related, but they are not the same.

If you are targeting IITs, JoSAA is the only centralized counselling process. If you are targeting NITs, IIITs or GFTIs and do not get a satisfactory seat through JoSAA, CSAB Special Rounds can become important.

Should You Take a Drop if You Do Not Get a Good Seat Through JoSAA?

Some students get a good seat through JoSAA. Some students get a college or branch they are not satisfied with. Some students do not get any suitable option.

If your rank is far from your target college and you strongly believe you can improve with structured preparation, a JEE 2027 drop year may be worth considering. But if you are already getting a good branch or institute aligned with your career goals, joining college may be a better decision.

Consider a drop only after checking:

• your current JEE Main percentile,
• JEE Advanced score and rank,
• preparation gaps,
• mental readiness,
• family support,
• quality of dropper coaching,
• realistic improvement possibility,
• backup college options.

Quick JoSAA 2026 Checklist for Students

Before 11 June 2026:

• Register for JoSAA.
• Check personal and academic details.
• Fill choices carefully.
• Use previous year cutoffs.
• Add dream, realistic and safe choices.
• Check mock seat allocation.
• Revise your choice order.
• Lock choices before the deadline.
• Keep documents ready.
• Arrange seat acceptance fee.
• Check the portal daily.

After seat allotment:

• Download seat allotment details.
• Choose Freeze, Float or Slide carefully.
• Pay the seat acceptance fee.
• Upload documents.
• Respond to verification queries.
• Track further rounds.
• Complete reporting instructions.

JoSAA choice filling can directly affect your college, branch and career path. Do not fill choices casually or copy another student’s list. Use your rank, category, quota, branch preference, previous year cutoffs and future goals to build a balanced choice list.

If you are confused between college and branch, IIT and NIT, CSE and core branches, JoSAA and CSAB, or college admission and drop year, take expert guidance before the final choice-locking deadline.