JEE Main Expected Cutoff 2026: Category-wise Qualifying Percentile
2 minute read
• Updated on 23 Jan, 2026, 2:01 PM, by Amrita Das
The National Testing Agency will announce the JEE Main 2026 cutoff with the result on its official website. Expected category-wise qualifying percentiles and marks range are based on previous year trends. Candidates meeting the cutoff will become eligible for the JEE Advanced examination.
JEE Main Expected Cutoff 2026 indicates the minimum percentile required to qualify for JEE Advanced and for admission to participating institutes. The National Testing Agency will publish the official cutoff along with the JEE Main 2026 result on jeemain.nta.nic.in. The expected cutoff values are prepared based on past year trends, exam difficulty, and the number of candidates.
The JEE Main 2026 Session 1 examination is being conducted from 21 January 2026 to 29 January 2026. Candidates must secure at least the qualifying cutoff percentile to move to the next stage of the admission process.
JEE Main 2026 Minimum Qualifying Cutoff
The JEE Main 2026 minimum qualifying cutoff is the percentile required to become eligible for JEE Advanced and JoSAA counselling. This cutoff is different from the admission cutoff used by NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs during seat allotment.
Based on previous trends, the expected qualifying cutoff for the General category may range between 93.5 to 95.5 percentile, which usually corresponds to around 290 to 300 marks. Reserved category cutoffs are comparatively lower, as per government norms.
JEE Main 2026 Category-wise Qualifying Cutoff (Expected)
The category-wise expected qualifying cutoff percentiles help candidates assess their chances of qualification. The estimates below are prepared using earlier official data.
Category | Expected Percentile |
General | 93 – 95 |
OBC-NCL | 79 – 80.5 |
EWS | 80 – 82 |
SC | 60 – 62 |
ST | 48 – 51 |
UR-PwD | 0.001 – 0.02 |
JEE Main Expected Cutoff 2026 Percentile vs Marks
Percentile and marks are not the same in JEE Main. The marks range may vary depending on the difficulty level of shifts and the number of candidates. The expected percentile versus marks data given below provides a broad idea of performance levels.
Expected Percentile | Expected Marks |
95.5 – 100 | 275 – 300 |
90.5 – 94 | 245 – 270 |
85.5 – 89 | 215 – 240 |
80.5 – 84 | 185 – 210 |
75.5 – 79 | 155 – 180 |
JEE Main 2025 Minimum Qualifying Cutoff Percentile
Previous year cutoff data helps in understanding the likely trend for the current year. The official JEE Main 2025 qualifying cutoff percentiles are listed below.
Category | Cutoff Percentile 2025 |
General | 93.1023262 |
OBC-NCL | 79.4313582 |
SC | 61.1526933 |
ST | 47.9026465 |
EWS | 80.3830119 |
PwD | 0.0079349 |
What Is the JEE Main Cutoff?
JEE Main cutoff refers to the minimum percentile required to qualify for JEE Advanced or to become eligible for admission through JoSAA counselling. The cutoff varies by category and depends on factors such as exam difficulty, number of test-takers, and seat availability. Only candidates meeting the cutoff criteria are considered for further stages of the engineering admission process.
Entrance Exam News
NEET PG 2026 Answer Key: Supreme Court Hearing on October 15, Check Key Details
AP ECET Pharmacy Counselling 2026: Phase 1 Allotment Released, Report by October 15
Karnataka NEET UG Stray Vacancy Round 2026: Registration Begins for MBBS Seats
Tripura NEET PG Counselling 2026: Candidate List Released, Check PDF, Eligibility and Registration
Karnataka AYUSH UG 2026: Mock Allotment Result Out; Edit Options by October 14
MHT CET 2027 Exam: Centre Allotment May Be Linked to Class 12 College PIN Code
Assam NEET PG 2026: Check Additional Weightage Application Deadline, Eligibility and Documents
XAT 2027 Form Correction Window: Check Editable Details, Registration Deadline Here
MP NEET PG Counselling 2026 Registration Underway: Check Schedule, Last Date and Documents Required
MET 2027 Registration Last Date Revised: Check New Schedule Here
JEE Main News
LIVENTA JEE Mains 2027 Registration Date Live: Application Form Update, Eligibility, Session 1 Details
JEE Main 2027 Registration Live Updates: Check Dates, Session 1 Details, Direct Link Here
JEE Main 2027 Registration Soon: Session 1 Application Form Date
JEE Main 2027: Registration Date Live, Session 1 Form, Exam Date and Latest Updates
JEE Main 2027 Registration Date LIVE: Session 1 Form Expected in October, Check Latest Updates
JEE Main 2027 Exam Date Out: Check Registration, NTA Calendar and Latest Updates Here
JEE Main 2027: Check Exam Date, Syllabus, Pattern, Eligibility, Application Process Here
NEET, JEE Admissions May Include 50% Board Exam Weightage Proposal
DU BTech First Round Seat Allotment 2026 Released, Check Eligibility, Fees
LIVEJEE Main 2026 Day 2 LIVE Updates: Jan 22 Coverage, Shift-wise Analysis
