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JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026 (Released) - Class 12 Marks, Age Limit, Number of Attempts

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026 (Released) - Class 12 Marks, Age Limit, Number of Attempts

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JEE Main Application Date:31 Oct' 25 - 27 Nov' 25

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Team Careers360Updated on 03 Nov 2025, 11:55 AM IST
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JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026 - NTA has published the JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria on the official website, jeemain.nta.nic.in. The JEE Main eligibility criteria 2026 were released along with the information brochure. To be eligible for the JEE Main exam, candidates must have completed their Class 12 in 2025 or 2026 or be appearing for their exams in 2026. The eligibility criteria include aspects such as educational qualification, age limit, nationality, marks in class 12, required JEE Main percentage, compulsory subjects, and more. Note that there is no age limit for appearing in the JEE Main exam. The authority will conduct the JEE Main 2026 exam between January 21 to 30, 2026 (session 1).
Also Check: JEE Main 2026 Application OUT! | JEE Main 2026 exam date

LiveJEE Main 2026 Registration LIVE: NTA says no to calculator; JEE application form at jeemain.nta.nic.inNov 3, 2025 | 10:06 AM IST

As per the JEE Mains 2026 eligibility criteria, students who have passed Class 12 or equivalent examinations in 2024, 2025, and those appearing in exams in 2026 are eligible to apply. However, candidates who passed the 12th board exams in or before 2023 are not allowed to take the entrance exam. 

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This Story also Contains

  1. JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria Highlights
  2. What are the Eligibility Criteria for JEE Main 2026?
  3. JEE Main Eligibility Criteria NTA 2026 Qualifying Exams
  4. JEE Main Eligibility Marks in 12th
  5. JEE Main 2026 State of Eligibility
  6. List of JEE Mains States
  7. JEE Mains Eligibility Criteria for Admissions in NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs
  8. JEE Main Eligibility Criteria for Appearing in JEE Advanced
  9. JEE Mains 2026 Eligibility Criteria for Droppers
JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026 (Released) - Class 12 Marks, Age Limit, Number of Attempts
JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria

The JEE Main 2026 session 2 exam dates are from April 2 to 9, 2026. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria may result in the cancellation of candidature. The JEE Main eligibility criteria are the minimum qualifying conditions required to appear for the exam. It's important to note that failing to meet any of the eligibility requirements will result in disqualification from the exam.

JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria Highlights

Students must meet the JEE Mains 2026 eligibility for admission to various colleges accepting NTA JEE scores. The JEE Main attempt limit is three consecutive years. The National Testing Agency conducts JEE Main for admission into the undergraduate (UG) courses offered by the JEE Main 2026 participating institutes. For more details about the JEE Main eligibility criteria, 2026 candidates can check below.
Also Read: JEE Main Study Material 2026

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Overview of JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026

Eligibility criteria for IIT JEE Main 2026

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria Details

Age limit

There is no age limit

Academic eligibility

Class 12 or equivalent level

Year of the qualifying exam

2024/ 2025 / 2026

Class 12th subjects

  • BE/B.Tech- Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry/ Biology/ Biotechnology/and Technical Vocational Subjects
  • B.Arch- Maths, Physics, and Chemistry
  • B.Plan- Maths

Required 12th class percentage

  • B.Tech in NITs/ IIITs/ GFTIs- 75% (general) or 65% (SC/ST)
  • B.Arch/ B. Plan- 50% aggregate scores

Limit of JEE attempts

Three consecutive years

JEE Main 2026: Preparation Tips & Study Plan
Download the JEE Main 2026 Preparation Tips PDF to boost your exam strategy. Get expert insights on managing study material, focusing on key topics and high-weightage chapters.
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What are the Eligibility Criteria for JEE Main 2026?

Applicants must check the eligibility criteria for JEE Mains 2026 before filling out the application form. Candidates failing to meet the necessary JEE Main eligibility criteria 2026 will be rejected at a later stage of the admission process.

JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria

Check the eligibility criteria for JEE Main 2026 below:

JEE Main Qualifying exam

  • Students should have passed the 12th class or qualified for the exam in 2025 or 2026.
  • Candidates appearing in the 12th class or equivalent qualifying exams in 2026 can also apply
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JEE Mains age limit

  • For appearing in the JEE Main 2026, there is no age limit for the candidates. Candidates who have passed the class 12 or are in equivalent examination in 2024, 2025 or appearing in 2026, irrespective of their age, can appear in the JEE Main - 2026 examination. However, the candidates may be required to fulfil the age criteria of the Institute to which they are desirous of taking admission.

JEE Main Number of Attempts

  • JEE Main attempt limit is set for three consecutive years.
  • The entrance test will be conducted in two sessions (January & April).
  • Candidates must have passed class 12 in 2024, 2025, or be appearing in 2026.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria of Subjects in Class 12/Qualifying Exam

  • B.E/B.Tech: Applicants should have passed the qualifying exam with Physics, Mathematics, and any one of the chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, or Technical Vocational Subjects).

  • B.Arch: Applicants should have passed the qualifying exam with Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.

  • B. Plan: Applicants should have passed the qualifying exam in Mathematics.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria NTA 2026 Qualifying Exams

  • The final exam (10+2 system), is conducted by any recognised Central/ State Board, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi; Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (ISCE), New Delhi, etc.
  • The final exam of the 2-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy
  • Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling has a minimum of five subjects.
  • Any Public School/ Board/ University examination in India or any foreign country recognised as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU)
  • Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Vocational Examination
  • A Diploma recognized by AICTE or a State board of technical education of a minimum of three years duration
  • General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level
  • High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.
  • Candidates who completed the class 12 (or equivalent) exam outside India or from a Board not specified above should produce a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) to the effect that the exam they have passed is equivalent to the class 12 exam.
  • In case the class 12 exam is not a public exam, the candidate must have passed at least one public (Board or Pre-University) exam earlier.
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JEE Main 2026 Paper 2 (B.Arch) Syllabus

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JEE Main Eligibility Marks in 12th

To appear for the JEE Main exam, there is no Class 12 minimum marks requirement. However, candidates must have a minimum of 75% marks in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics to get admission to IITs, NITs, IIITs and some premium colleges. JEE Main eligibility marks in 12th class are necessary to get admission, irrespective of your JEE Main rank or percentile. Also, the JEE Main eligibility marks in 12th for SC and ST remain the same.

JEE Main Syllabus: Subjects & Chapters
Select your preferred subject to view the chapters

JEE Main 2026 State of Eligibility

Candidates are required to enter their state of eligibility while filling out the application form.

JEE Main State of Eligibility 2026: Snippets

  • The state code of eligibility for JEE Mains does not depend upon the native place or the residence place of the candidate.
  • If a student has passed the 12th class exam or equivalent exam from a state but has appeared for the improvement/supplementary exam from a different state, then the state code where they passed the qualifying exam will be taken into account for eligibility.
  • The 12th percentage required for the JEE Mains 2026 or equivalent exam from NIOS has to choose the state of eligibility based on the state in which the study centre is located.
  • For Indian nationals who have passed class 12th or equivalent from Nepal/Bhutan, the State code of eligibility will be given based on the permanent address in India as mentioned in the passport.
  • The State code of eligibility of OCI/PIO passing the class 12 exam in India will be at par with Indian nationals, however, OCI/PIO passing the 12th class exam from a college/institution abroad will be eligible for other state quota seats or All India quota seats in all NITs, IIITs, and Other-CFTIs (not for Home State quota seats).

List of JEE Mains States

Candidates can find the list of states where the JEE Main 2026 exam will be conducted. In case of any changes, the same is updated here.

State Code of Eligibility

Name of State/ Union Territory (UT)Code of State

Andaman & Nicobar Islands (UT)

AN

Andhra Pradesh

AP

Arunachal Pradesh

AL

Assam

AM

Bihar

BR

Chandigarh (UT)

CH

Chhattisgarh

CG

Dadra & Nagar Haveli (UT)

DN

Delhi (NCT)

DL

Goa

GO

Gujarat

GJ

Haryana

HR

Himachal Pradesh

HP

Jammu & Kashmir

JK

Jharkhand

JH

Karnataka

KK

Kerala

KL

Ladakh

LD

Lakshadweep (UT)

LD

Madhya Pradesh

MP

Maharashtra

MR

Manipur

MN

Meghalaya

MG

Mizoram

MZ

Nagaland

NL

Odisha

OR

Puducherry (UT)

PO

Punjab

PB

Rajasthan

RJ

Sikkim

SM

Tamil Nadu

TN

Tripura

TA

Uttar Pradesh

UP

Uttarakhand

UK

West Bengal

UK

Telangana

TL

Foreign/ OCI/ PIO/ Nepal

-

JEE Mains Eligibility Criteria for Admissions in NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs

  • JEE Main Eligibility Marks in 12th for NITs/IIITs/GFTIs Admission: Students must have passed the 12th class with 75 percent required for JEE Mains 2026 or they should be in the top 20 percentile in their class 12 exam (65% for SC/ST candidates).

  • JEE Main 2026 Admission (B.Arch/B.Planning): He/She should have passed a 10+2 or equivalent exam from a recognized board with the required JEE Main eligibility marks in 12th which is 50% aggregate marks.

JEE Main 2026: Subject Combinations for Admissions

To get admission into NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs, below given subject-combinations must be studied in Class 12th as per NTA JEE Mains eligibility criteria 2026.

  • B.Tech/B.E: Physics, and Maths as mandatory subjects along with one of the subjects such as Chemistry/Biology/Biotechnology/Technical Vocational subjects.

  • B.Arch: Mathematics, Physics & Chemistry subjects.

  • B.Planning: He/She must have passed the qualifying exam with Maths subject.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria for Appearing in JEE Advanced

Candidates who clear the JEE Main exam and rank in the top 2,50,000, will be eligible to apply for the JEE Advanced exam. Check further JEE Advanced eligibility criteria based on JEE Main below.

  • JEE Main 2026 rank should be under 2,50,000 (including all categories).
  • Candidates will be shortlisted based on the reservation category. Here is the percentage distribution of various categories among the top 2.5 lakh applicants as per the previous year's notification.
    • GEN-EWS - 10%
    • OBC-NCL - 27%
    • SC - 15%
    • ST - 7.5%
    • OPEN - 40.5%
    • PwD - 5% horizontal reservation in all of the above.

Apart from the above-mentioned JEE Main eligibility criteria for appearing in JEE Advanced, candidates also have to fulfil certain conditions based on age limit, number of attempts, Class 12th exam and previous admission to IITs. For more in-depth knowledge aspirants are advised to refer to the JEE Advanced eligibility criteria online.

JEE Mains 2026 Eligibility Criteria for Droppers

Candidates who take a break from their education in order to prepare for the JEE Main 2026 exam are called Droppers. The JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria for droppers is specified below.

  • There is no age limit for candidates appearing for JEE Main 2026.
  • Candidates must have passed their class 12 exam in 2024, 2025 and 2026 to be eligible.
  • According to JEE eligibility 2026, candidates are allowed three consecutive attempts.
  • Students must meet the minimum qualification marks required for JEE main.
  • Candidates should have studied at least five subjects in their class 12 or qualifying exam (Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics mandatory).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How many percentage is required for JEE in 12th, 2026?
A:

A minimum of 75% marks in the overall 12th class from a recognised board is the eligibility criteria for IIT JEE Mains 2026 for obc category.

Q: Who is eligible for JEE Main 2026?
A:

Candidates who have completed their Class 12 in 2025 or 2026, or are currently taking their Class 12 exams in 2026, are eligible to participate in JEE Main 2026. However, those who completed their Class 12 before 2022 or are scheduled to take their Class 12 exams after 2024 are not eligible for the exam.

Q: What are the 75 criteria for JEE Mains?
A:

The JEE Main eligibility criteria require a minimum of 75% marks in Class 12 for admission to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. It's important to note that there is no minimum requirement of 75% marks in Class 12 for appearing in the JEE Mains exam.

Q: Which students are eligible for JEE Mains?
A:

To be eligible for JEE Main 2026, students who have passed Class 12 (10+2) or an equivalent exam in 2024 or 2025, or are appearing for the exam in 2026.

Q: If I appear for improvement in five subjects, which scores will be considered for JEE Main 2026?
A:

The better of the two scores will be considered by the authorities.

Q: I have appeared two times for the JEE Main exam. Can I appear for the third time too?
A:

As per the JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria, students can appear in the JEE Main exam for three consecutive years. 

Q: What is the JEE Main eligibiltiy criteria for JEE Advanced?
A:

Basic JEE Advanced eligibility based on JEE Main is that candidates must have their JEE Main 2026 rank among the top 2.5 lakh successful aspirants of the exam.

Q: What are the eligibility criteria to apply for NITs, IIITs and GFTIs?
A:

Candidates must have secured a minimum of 75% marks (65% for SC/ST category) or be in the top 20 percentile in class 12 or equivalent exam.

Q: What is the minimum 12 marks for JEE?
A:

There is no fixed minimum score required in Class 12 for JEE Main. However, candidates must fulfil the eligibility criteria specified by NTA, which includes passing Class 12 or equivalent examination.

Q: I live in New Delhi but I have completed class 12th from Haryana, what is my state of eligibility?
A:

The state of eligibility is the code of the state from where a student has passed class 12th which is Haryana.

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JEE Main 2026 Preparation Tips - Complete Strategy

Hello, You have asked for JEE Mains 2026 preparation tips with complete strategy.

I am providing you a link, from that link you can directly download the eBook of JEE Mains 2026 preparation tips, complete strategy with study plan.

Here is your link: CLICK HERE

You can download the ebook by clicking on "CLICK HERE".

I hope you found this information helpful and for any study related problems you can ask in careers360 app, Have a great day!

Read Complete Answer
J
Jishan Mondal
2 Nov'25
Jee main registration is live but I don't know if I have an option of choosing exam centre. Because I live in kota for prep but my hometown is in Bihar. And admit card is released just before the exams, it will be tough for me to catch.

Hello,

Yes, during JEE Main registration, you can choose up to four preferred exam cities in order of priority. Since you are staying in Kota but belong to Bihar, you can select both locations. For example, Kota as your first choice and your hometown city in Bihar as another option.
When the admit card is released (usually a week before the exam), the final center will be allotted from your chosen options.


Hope you understand.

Read Complete Answer
S
Sankalp Agrawal
1 Nov'25
jee mains paper 2A cut off 2025

Hello Devanshi

To know the Cutoff of the JEE Mains exam paper for the year 2025, and for previous year, you can visit the link I am attaching below. The link will provide you with the data and help you to improve your performance.

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/jee-main-cutoff-for-b-arch-b-planning

Read Complete Answer
S
SEJAL JAIN
31 Oct'25
Niper JEE 2021 Previous Year Question Available?

Hello dear candidate,

Here is the link of NIPER JEE previous year questions along with their solutions, it has question papers with solutions for year 2019-2025, including your requirement of 2021 :-

https://pharmacy.careers360.com/download/ebooks/niper-jee-previous-year-question-paper-pdf

I hope you find this helpful. Thank you.

Read Complete Answer
A
Amisha Soni
31 Oct'25
I am reappearing in 12th cbse exams 2026 as I had a compartment in over-all result. I have to fill for jee mains and advanced in 2026, but now NTA requires 11th registration number, so will it hamper my enrollment in mains? Will NTA consider me a 12th grader or a dropper? Please explain in detail.

Hello dear candidate,

You can fill your JEE main and advance forms 2026 normally . No, your 11th registration number will not cause any problem.

You will be treated as 12th appearing student in 2026, not as a dropper . You just need to make sure that your CBSE 12th result comes out in 2026 before counselling.

Thank you.

Read Complete Answer
A
Amisha Soni
31 Oct'25
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