JEE Counselling 2026: Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Discover a complete step-by-step guide for JEE Counselling 2026. Learn about important dates, steps to register, choice filling & locking, seat allotment, and other stages of JoSAA counselling 2026.
JEE Counselling 2026: The Joint Seat Allocation Authority usually conduct six rounds of JEE counselling. This will be followed by the CSAB Special round for the NIT+ system. Each round of JoSAA counselling includes seat allocation, seat confirmation, online reporting (fee payment/document upload/response) and payment of fees. JEE counselling 2026 is expected to begin from June onwards.
It is compulsory for the candidates to register through the official JoSAA online portal to obtain seats to be allocated through JoSAA in any of the IITs, NITs, IIEST, IIITs (Triple-I-Ts) and Other-GFTIs. The JEE seat allocation process adheres to a strict timeline. The entire process is online and computer-operated. Continue reading for all details about the JEE Counselling date, steps to register, and other relevant information.
What is JEE Counselling 2026?
Indian Institutes of Technology [IITs] offer several academic courses for which admission is based on JEE (Advanced). National Institutes of Technology [NITs], Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology [IIEST], Indian Institutes of Information Technology [IIITs or Triple-I-Ts], Schools of Planning and Architecture and a few other technical Institutes funded fully or partially by Central or a State government [Other-GFTIs] (referred to as NIT+ or NIT+System) offer academic courses for which admission is based on JEE (Main). Candidates should know all the aspects of JEE Counselling 2026 before applying. This includes entities, eligibility, and other information. Find complete details about the JoSAA counselling 2026 discussed below:
- The Joint Admission Board, JEE (Advanced) [JAB], conducts JEE (Advanced) and prepares the policies and norms for seat allocation to IITs.
- The JEE Apex Board conducts JEE (Main) and the Central Seat Allocation Board [CSAB] frames the policies and norms for seat allocation to NITs, IIEST, IIITs (Triple-I-Ts) and Other-GFTIs. CSAB also frames the rules and policies for seat allocation for CSAB special vacant seat filling round(s), CSAB supernumerary counselling and CSAB NEUT counselling.
- Joint Seat Allocation Authority [JoSAA] consists of representatives from the JAB and CSAB.
| Qualifying Examination | Admitting Institutes |
| JEE (Advanced) | IITs |
| JEE (Main) B.E. / B. Tech. Paper | NITs, IIEST, IIITs (Triple-I-Ts) and Other-GFTIs |
| JEE (Main) B.Arch. / B. Plan. Paper |
Qualifying in the exam shared above does not ensure admission in any of the institutes. Each institute/academic course may have additional eligibility requirements. Candidates have to satisfy all the eligibility requirements to secure admission.
JEE Counselling 2026 Important Dates
Candidates should check the JEE Counselling dates to avoid missing the deadline of any event. The JoSAA counselling will usually be held in 5-6 rounds in June 2026, tentatively. Here are the important dates for JoSAA counselling 2026 for reference purposes:
| Particulars | Events | Dates (Tentative) |
| Candidate Registration and Choice | JEE (Main) 2026 Ranks | April 2026 |
| JEE (Advanced) 2026 Result | June 2026 | |
| JoSAA registration/choice filling for academic programs starts | June 2026 | |
| Mock Seat Allocation | June 2026 | |
| JEE Counselling Registration End Date | June 2026 | |
| Round 1 | Seat Allocation (Round 1) | June 2026 |
| Online reporting: fee payment/document upload/response to queries (if required) (Round 1) | June 2026 | |
| Last date for fee payment (Round 1) | June 2026 | |
| Last day to respond to query (Round 1) | June 2026 | |
| Round 2 | Seat Allocation (Round 2) | June 2026 |
| Online reporting: fee payment/document upload/response to queries (if required) (Round 2) | June 2026 | |
| Last date for fee payment (Round 2) | June 2026 | |
| Last day to respond to queries (Round 2) | July 2026 | |
| Initiation of Withdrawal of seat / Exit from seat allocation process (Round 2) | June 2026 | |
| Last day to respond to Withdrawal Query | July 2026 | |
| Round 3 | Seat Allocation (Round 3) | July 2026 |
| Online reporting: fee payment/document upload/response to queries (if required) (Round 3) | July 2026 | |
| Last date for fee payment (Round 3) | July 2026 | |
| Initiation of Withdrawal of seat / Exit from seat allocation process (Round 3) | July 2026 | |
| Last day to respond to Withdrawal Query | July 2026 | |
| Round 4 | Seat Allocation (Round 4) | July 2026 |
| Online reporting: fee payment/document upload/response to queries (if required) (Round 4) | July 2026 | |
| Last date for fee payment (Round 4) | July 2026 | |
| Initiation of Withdrawal of seat / Exit from seat allocation process (Round 4) | July 2026 | |
| Last day to respond to Withdrawal Query | July 2026 | |
| Round 5 | Seat Allocation (Round 5) | July 2026 |
| Online reporting: fee payment/document upload/response to queries (if required) (Round 5) | July 2026 | |
| Last date for fee payment (Round 5) | July 2026 | |
| Initiation of Withdrawal of seat / Exit from seat allocation process (Round 5) | July 2026 | |
| Last day to respond to Withdrawal Query | July 2026 |
Who can appear in the JEE Counselling 2026?
Candidates must fulfil all the eligibility requirements in order to participate in the JEE Counselling 2026. If any candidate is found ineligible at any stage, they will be disqualified from further counselling. Below are the eligibility requirements for the joint seat allocation:
- Secured a rank in JEE (Main) B.E./B.Tech. paper for B.E./B.Tech. programs at NITs, IIEST, IIITs and Other-GFTIs and candidates must have passed class XII (or equivalent) Board examination with a minimum of five subjects and secured at least 75% aggregate marks. The aggregate marks for SC, ST, and PwD candidates should be at least 65%. Or must have passed class XII (or equivalent) with a minimum of five subjects and be within the category-wise top 20 percentile of successful candidates in their respective Class XII (or equivalent) board examination.
- Secured a rank in JEE (Main) B.Arch. Paper for B.Arch. programs at NITs, IIEST, IIITs and Other-GFTIs. AND satisfies the Performance in Class XII (or equivalent) examination criteria as mentioned in the brochure.
- Secured a rank in JEE (Main) B.Plan. Paper for B.Plan. program at NITs, IIEST, IIITs and Other-GFTIs and satisfies the Performance in Class XII (or equivalent) examination criteria as outlined in the brochure.
- Qualified in JEE (Advanced) for academic programs [excluding the preparatory courses] at IITs and candidates must have passed class XII (or equivalent) Board examination with a minimum of five subjects and secured at least 75% aggregate marks. The aggregate marks for SC, ST and PwD candidates should be at least 65%. Passed with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as compulsory subjects in the year of first appearance in Class XII. Or Must have passed class XII (or equivalent) with a minimum of five subjects and be within the category-wise top 20 percentile of successful candidates in their respective Class XII (or equivalent) board examination.
- Qualified in JEE (Advanced) for preparatory courses at IITs, and satisfies the Performance in Class XII (or equivalent) examination criteria as mentioned in the brochure.
JEE Counselling 2026-Complete Procedure
The JEE Counselling 2026 is divided into various steps. It includes online registration, online filling and locking choices, seat allotment, verification of documents, and reporting to the allotted institute. Use the step-by-step instructions shared below to complete the JoSAA counselling process discussed below:
JEE Counselling Registration 2026
Applicants who have appeared in the JEE Main 2026 or JEE Advanced need to first register in JoSAA portal to participate in the counselling process. Here is the step-by-step guide to fill out the JoSAA 2026 registration form:
- Visit the official JoSAA website.
- Hit the “New Candidate Registration” link.
- Enter your name, JEE Main 2026 application number, DOB, Mother’s name, and other relevant details.
- Select the “Submit “ button.
- Submit the OTP received on your JEE Main 2026 registered email ID and phone number.
- Now, create a new password and go to the login page.
JEE Counselling 2026: Choice Filling & Locking
All the registered candidates need to lock their choice of institute and program preference submitted by them. The seat allotment will be done based on the seat availability and choices filled. Filling in choices on the online portal is free of cost. It means applicants are not required to pay any fee for JoSAA registration and choice filling. Here is the step-by-step guide for the online choice filling and locking.
- Select the choice of institutes and programs in the online form.
- You can modify/change/delete your choices.
- Verify all the details and lock the choice.
Candidates must “lock” their choices within the deadline. If they do not lock their choices, the last saved choices will be locked automatically upon reaching the deadline for choice filling. Once locked, the choices filled by a candidate cannot be edited. It means they cannot change the order of their choices, or add any more programs in OR delete any programs from their choice list after the deadline for choice filling.
JoSAA Counselling 2026: Seat Allotment & Payment of Seat Acceptance Fee
Candidates must log in to the JoSAA portal and check if a seat is allocated in a given round of seat allocation. If the candidate is allocated a seat, they need to complete all the steps of “Online Reporting” as mentioned below. Those who are allocated a seat must download the “Initial Seat Allotment Intimation Slip”, which has details regarding the seat allotment and steps to be followed for seat confirmation by the candidate.
- Accept the Seat: Candidates should accept the seat allocated and opt for any one of the options ‘Freeze’, ‘Slide’ or ‘Float’ for the choice of academic course for subsequent round(s), if any, of joint seat allocation.
- Upload the documents: Candidates should upload all the required documents on the JoSAA portal if the required documents have not already been uploaded during JoSAA registration.
- Pay the Seat Acceptance Fee: Aspirants must pay the seat acceptance fee to proceed with the JoSAA process till the end to avail the seat in IITs or NIT+ System. The seat acceptance fees will be Rs. 15,000 for candidates with the category tag SC, ST, GEN-PwD, GEN-EWS-PwD, OBC-NCL-PwD, SC-PwD or ST-PwD and Rs. 30,000 for all other candidates (the fee includes Rs. 5,000 JoSAA processing charges). The seat acceptance fee will be adjusted against the admission fee, excluding JoSAA processing charges of Rs. 5000.
- Respond to queries (if any): At the time of document verification, if the DV officers raise any query, the applicants must respond in online mode through the candidate portal within the deadline. Failure to respond to the query(s) within the deadline will lead to cancellation of the allotted seat, and the candidate will not be able to appear in the next rounds of JoSAA, if any.
Note: The seat will be confirmed by IITs / NIT+ System Institutes only after the uploaded documents are verified successfully, and ensuring that the candidate fulfils all the eligibility criteria.
JEE Counselling 2026: Reporting to the Admitting Institute
After the joint seat allocation and seat acceptance, candidates will have to report at the admitting institute, finish all the admission formalities of the Institute, including payment of Institute fees, get the admission confirmed and start the academic session.
Documents Required for JEE Counselling 2026
Candidates must upload certain documents during JEE Counselling Registration/Online Reporting for admission to NIT+ System/ IITs. Those who fail to produce any of the necessary documents cannot proceed with further JoSAA counselling:
- Class X Mark Sheet/Certificate or Aadhaar Card or Birth Certificate (for Date of Birth)
- Class XII Mark Sheet and Certificate (Qualifying Examination)
- Admit card of JEE (Main)
- Certificate of category (SC/ST/OBC-NCL/GEN-EWS), if applicable
- Original Certificate for Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD), if applicable, issued by the competent authority
- Original Certificate for persons having less than 40% disability and having difficulty in writing, if applicable
- Crossed Bank Cheque copy / Image of Passbook with bank account details
- Medical Certificate
- OCI certificate/ PIO card, if applicable
- Passport/Citizenship certificate, if applicable
JEE Counselling 2026 FAQs
How many rounds are conducted in JEE Counselling 2026?
The Joint Seat Allocation Authority usually conduct six rounds of JEE counselling.
Who can appear in JEE Counselling 2026?
Candidates qualified in JEE (Advanced) for IITs or candidates with a rank in JEE (Main) for NIT+ system can appear in JEE Counselling 2026. It is mandatory to meet Class XII or equivalent performance criteria to be eligible.
What steps are involved in JEE Counselling 2026?
The JEE Counselling 2026 comprises stages like online registration, online filling and locking choices, seat allotment, verification of documents, and reporting to the allotted institute.
