JoSAA 2026 Explained: How IIT, NIT, IIIT admissions will happen this year

The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) counselling registration process is underway. Students qualifying in Joint Entrance Examination, JEE Advanced 2026 can participate in JoSAA counselling process for admission into IITs, NITs, IIITs and other government-funded technical institutes.

“All the candidates who are eligible for admission will have to participate in the joint seat allocation process by filling in their preferential choices of the courses and Institutes,” the brochure states.The detailed counselling schedule, seat allotment rules and instructions related to choice filling will be released separately through the JoSAA 2026 business rules on the official portal.

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IIT Courses for 2026-27

The final list of programmes available for the 2026-27 academic session will only be announced during the JoSAA choice-filling stage . Some courses offered in 2025-26 may not be available next year, while certain programmes could undergo changes in title or content.

Individual IITs will determine the number of supernumerary seats in different programmes while ensuring at least 20 percent female enrolment in undergraduate courses. The detailed mechanism regarding implementation of female supernumerary seats will be specified in the JoSAA 2026 business rules.

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Important dates

Steps to participate in JoSAA Counselling

After the counselling process ends, students must report to the allotted institute to complete admission formalities.

• Qualify JEE and register on the JoSAA portal
• Fill and lock choices including preferred institutes and courses in order of priority
• Check mock allotment and seat allotment results
• Choose freeze, float or slide and pay fee
• Upload documents and cross-check details before submitting

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Eligibility rules, document verification

Candidates who were admitted to an IIT earlier under programmes listed in the JoSAA Business Rules 2025 are not eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026, irrespective of whether they continued in the programme or accepted the seat by reporting online or at a reporting centre. However, those allotted IIT seats through JoSAA 2025 but who did not report, withdrew before the final round, or had their seats cancelled before the last round remain eligible for JEE Advanced 2026. Documents for IIT admissions will only be verified after a candidate accepts a seat through JoSAA.