JoSAA Seat Matrix 2026 Released; Engineering Seats Rise to 67,323

JoSAA Seat Matrix 2026 Released as the Joint Seat Allocation Authority has begun the counselling process for admissions to premier engineering institutions across the country. Alongside the commencement of counselling, the authority has published the latest seat matrix for participating institutes. This year, candidates will compete for 67,323 seats, marking a notable increase over the previous admission cycle. The revised seat intake includes additional seats in IITs, NITs, IIITs, and Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs).

JoSAA Seat Matrix 2026 Highlights

The 2026 counselling cycle has witnessed a substantial rise in engineering seats across participating institutions. A total of 138 institutes are participating in the centralized admission process.

JoSAA Counselling 2026 Registration and Choice Filling Schedule

The counselling process for admissions through JEE Main and JEE Advanced has officially started. Eligible candidates can register and fill their choices for participating institutes and programmes.

IIT Seat Matrix 2026 Sees Major Expansion

The Indian Institutes of Technology have recorded an increase in seat availability for the current admission cycle. A total of 18,951 seats are available across the 23 IITs participating in JoSAA counselling. The increase in IIT seats is expected to provide additional opportunities for candidates qualifying through JEE Advanced 2026. Several IITs have expanded intake capacities in recent years to accommodate growing demand for engineering education.

NIT, IIIT and GFTI Seats Increase in JoSAA 2026

Apart from IITs, significant growth has also been recorded in NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs. The largest increase has been observed in IIITs, where more than 1,500 additional seats have been added compared to the previous year. The expanded seat capacity is expected to improve admission opportunities for candidates participating through JEE Main 2026 ranks.

Female Seats Increase in JoSAA Counselling 2026

The latest seat matrix also reflects growth in female supernumerary seats across participating institutions. These seats are created to encourage greater participation of female candidates in engineering programmes. The introduction and expansion of female-only seats over recent years have contributed to improved gender representation across IITs, NITs, and other technical institutes. The revised seat matrix is expected to further strengthen these efforts during the 2026 admission cycle.

JoSAA Participating Institutes 2026

The counselling process covers admissions to some of India's most prestigious engineering institutions. Candidates can apply for programmes based on their qualifying examination and rank. The participating institutes include:

• 23 IITs
• IISc Bengaluru
• 31 NITs
• IIEST Shibpur
• 26 IIITs
• 56 GFTIs

How JoSAA Counselling 2026 Works?

Candidates participating in the counselling process must complete several stages before securing admission into their preferred institute and programme. The major steps involved are:

1. Registration for counselling.
2. Choice filling and preference submission.
3. Mock seat allotment rounds.
4. Choice locking.
5. Seat allotment rounds.
6. Seat acceptance and fee payment.
7. Document verification.
8. Reporting to the allotted institute.

JoSAA Seat Matrix 2026 FAQs