The 2026 engineering cycle ran from JEE Main in January to counselling rounds in July and August. JEE Main had sessions in January and April, KCET and most private university tests were in April, COMEDK UGET and JEE Advanced were in May, and JoSAA, KCET and COMEDK counselling ran from June into August. Expect a similar pattern for 2027, but go by each authority's official notice.
How the 2026 cycle ran
- 21–29 Jan 2026 JEE Main Session 1. Result declared on 16 February.
- Feb–Apr 2026 Applications for BITSAT, VITEEE, SRMJEEE, AEEE (Amrita), KCET and COMEDK UGET. VITEEE's deadline was extended to 12 April.
- 2–8 Apr 2026 JEE Main Session 2. Final ranks declared on 20 April.
- Mid–late Apr 2026 BITSAT Session 1 (mid-April), KCET engineering papers (23–24 April), SRMJEEE Phase 1 (24–29 April) and VITEEE (28 April–3 May).
- May 2026 COMEDK UGET on 9 May (result 29 May), JEE Advanced on 17 May, and BITSAT Session 2 in late May.
- June 2026 JEE Advanced result on 1 June. JoSAA registration opened on 2 June and Round 1 was allotted on 13 June. KCET results came on 6 June. SRMJEEE Phase 2 was held in mid-June.
- July 2026 JoSAA Round 5, the final round for IITs and IISc, on 16 July. KCET Round 1 final allotment on 15 July. COMEDK Round 1 allotment, first set for 17 July, came on 28 July after choice editing was extended.
- Late Jul–Aug 2026 NIT+ partial admission fee (by 24 July), CSAB special rounds, KCET and COMEDK later rounds, then college reporting and management quota admissions.
Source: NTA, JoSAA, KEA and COMEDK schedules and result notices for 2026, as published at the time. Private university dates are as reported in their 2026 notices.
What to expect for 2027
The order of events rarely changes, though exact dates do. JEE Main 2027 is expected in January and April, with Session 1 registration typically opening in October or November 2026. State CETs and private university tests usually fall between April and June, COMEDK UGET typically in May, JEE Advanced in May, and counselling from June. Treat these as expected windows until NTA, KEA, COMEDK and the universities notify them.
Parallel timelines
Karnataka students typically write both KCET and COMEDK, whose windows overlap. Students across India often combine JEE Main (and JEE Advanced, if they qualify) with one or two private university tests (BITSAT, VITEEE, SRMJEEE) and their own state's counselling. Writing three to five exams keeps your options open, and application fees, from a few hundred rupees to a few thousand each, are small next to what is at stake.
Deadlines that catch students out
- Choice locking: KCET and JoSAA lock choices at a fixed time, and unlocked choices may be auto-locked or lost. Finish well before the cut-off.
- Online reporting and fee payment: in JoSAA, missing a round's reporting deadline cancels the seat and ends your participation. In 2026, Round 1 reporting closed on 26 June, and later rounds gave only three or four days.
- College reporting: KCET and COMEDK seats must be confirmed and reported within the dates in each round's schedule, or the seat is lost.
The day each authority announces a date, put it in one calendar the whole family can see, with a reminder three days early. Keep the fee money and scanned documents ready before results come out.
Strategy
Apply for every exam relevant to you in parallel: JEE Main and JEE Advanced for IITs, NITs and IIITs; KCET and COMEDK for Karnataka colleges; BITSAT for BITS Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad; VITEEE for VIT Vellore, Chennai, AP and Bhopal; and SRMJEEE for SRM. If you are still deciding what and where to study, start with our guide on how to choose a college after 12th.