JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility (Released): Know Age/ Qualification

JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility Criteria has been released. It can be checked online on the website. This year eligibility criteria is announced by IIT, Roorkee. Candidates must check the complete eligibility before filling the application form.

Curious whether eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 or not?..Let’s check eligibility norms >>

JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility – Released

JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility Criteria has been released by IIT, Roorkee. Click here to view complete eligibility criteria.

JEE Advance is a national level entrance test organised by IITs under the supervision of the Joint Admission Board. IIT, Roorkee is the expected authority for conducting the exam.

This exam is conducted for providing admission to students in UG, PG and other courses in engineering, architecture, science or pharmaceutical offered by IITs and ISM. 

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Students are suggested to check the eligibility criteria before applying for JEE Advanced 2026. Through this article, students can check detailed information about JEE Advanced Eligibility 2026. The eligibility cut off for the JEE Main 2026 qualified candidates are provided below:

JEE Advanced Eligibility 2026

Candidates always check the eligibility first before filling the JEE Advanced 2026 application form, as only eligible candidates will be allowed to sit in examination.

Nationality:

• Indian citizens and OCI & PIO candidates are eligible to apply.

Number of Attempts:

• Students are able to attempt the JEE Advanced exam for maximum two times in consecutive years.

Age Criteria:

• Age Limit: Students must be born on or after 1st October 2001 (for general candidates) and 1st October 1996 (for SC/ ST & PwD candidates).

Also Check:

JEE Advanced 2026 Exam Dates

JEE Main 2026 Performance Eligibility:

• Candidates should be among the top 2,50,000 (including all categories) in Paper-1 of JEE (Main) 2026 to be eligible for JEE Advanced 2026.
• The percentages of various categories will be: 10% for GEN- EWS, 27% for OBC-NCL, 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST and the remaining 40.5% will be OPEN for all. Within each of these four categories, 5% horizontal seats will be reserved for PwD (including Dyslexic) applicants.

The authority has followed the following order for selecting top 2,50,000 candidates in various categories:

Note: The total number of candidates may be slightly greater than 2,50,000 in the presence of “tied” ranks/scores in any category.

Performance in Class 12th (or Equivalent):

• Candidates appearing in the 12th or equivalent exam in the year 2025 or 2026 for the first time in either 2025 or 2026 with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as a mandatory subjects. 

Those candidates who had appeared in class XII (or equivalent) exam for the first time in 2024 or earlier are NOT eligible to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2026, irrespective of the combination or number of subjects attempted/ offered.

• By appearance in Class XII (or equivalent) examination, it is meant that the board concerned declared the result for that year irrespective of whether or not examination was conducted. It will be considered as an appearance even it the result of particular candidates got withheld.

However, if the exam board of class XII (or equivalent) declared the results for the academic year 2023-24 on or after June 18, 2024, then the candidates of that board who appeared for their class XII (or equivalent) exam in 2024 are also eligible to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2026, provided they meet all the other eligibility criteria. In case tha examination board of class XII (or equivalent) declared the results for academic year 2023-24 before June 18, 2024 but the result of a particular candidate was withheld for whatever reason, then the candidate will not be eligible to appear in JEE (Advanced) 2026.

Earlier Admission at IITs: 

A candidate should NOT have been admitted to an IIT under any academic program that is listed in JoSAA Business Rules of 2025, irrespective of whether or not the candidates continued in the program OR accepted an IIT seat by reporting “online”/ at a “reporting centre” in the past. Candidates whose admission to IITs was cancelled (for whatever reason) after joining any IIT are also NOT eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026.

Candidates who have been admitted to a preparatory course in any of the IITs for the first time in 2025 can appear in JEE Advanced 2026.

The candidates who were allocated a seat in an IIT through JoSAA 2025 but (i) did not report “online”/ at any “reporting centre” OR, (II) withdrew before the last round of seat allotment for IITs, are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026.

Examinations Considered As Equivalent to Class 12th

Checkout the list of examination that will be considered equal to class 12th examination for JEE Advanced 2026 from below:

• The final examination of the 10+2 system which will be conducted by a Central or State Board recognized by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
• Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination which will be conducted by a Board or University recognised by the AIUs.
• Final examination of the 2 year course of the Joint Services Wing of the NDA.
• Higher Secondary School Examination conducted by National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) with a minimum of five subjects.
• Any Public School, Board or University examination in India or in a foreign country recognised as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the AIU. H.S.C. vocational examination
• 3-year diploma course recognised by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) or a State Board of Technical Education.
• General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London, Cambridge or Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.
• HSC examination of Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.
• In case of candidates who have passed the qualifying examination from outside India or from a Board not mentioned above then, such candidates will be required to produce the certificate from the AIU subjecting that the examination they have passed should be equivalent to class 12th examination.
• If Class XII examination will not be a public examination, applicants must have qualified in at least one public (Board or Pre-University) examination earlier.

If you have any other queries regarding JEE Advanced Eligibility 2026, you may leave your queries below in the comment box.