**JoSAA timeline (projected for 2026)**
- JEE Advanced result: First week June 2026 - JEE Main result (Session 2): Second week June 2026 - JoSAA registration opens: Mid-June 2026 - Choice filling and locking: Mid-June to last week June 2026 - Mock allotment: Last week June 2026 - Round 1 seat allotment: First week July 2026 - Round 2: Second week July 2026 - Round 3: Third week July 2026 - Round 4: Fourth week July 2026 - Round 5: First week August 2026 - Round 6 (final): Second week August 2026 - CSAB special rounds: Last 2 weeks August 2026
**Step 1: Registration (free)**
Visit josaa.nic.in. Register with your JEE Main / Advanced application number and password. Verify personal details, contact information, category and EWS / PwD / KM (Kashmiri Migrant) status. Save the registration number — you will need it through all 6 rounds.
**Step 2: Choice filling (8-10 days)**
This is the most important step. You can list up to 50 institute-program-branch combinations in priority order. JoSAA assigns the highest-priority option that matches your AIR.
Smart choice filling strategy: - List 20-30 options spanning 1.3x your closing rank to 0.7x your closing rank - Order by priority: dream branches at top, safety options at bottom - Mix institute types (IIT, NIT, IIIT, GFTI) — do not concentrate on one institute type - Include both Home State (HS) and Other State (OS) options for NITs - Include CSAB-eligible programs as fallback
**Step 3: Mock allotment (1 day result)**
JoSAA processes the choices and shows what seat you would have gotten if final round was held now. Mock allotment is non-binding. Use this signal to refine choices: if you got your top choice, lock; if not, investigate why and adjust.
**Step 4: Round 1 to Round 6 — seat allotment**
Each round follows the same flow: choice display + freeze/float/slide decision + fee payment if accepted + reporting at allotted institute or online verification.
*Freeze* — accept the allotment as final. Move to fee payment + reporting.
*Float* — accept the allotment but keep the option open for higher-priority seats in subsequent rounds. If higher option opens up in next round, you slide up; if not, you stay at the current allotment.
*Slide* — accept the allotment but want to slide to a higher-priority option of the same institute (e.g., from CSE at NIT-X to CS-AI at NIT-X if both were in your choice list).
**Step 5: Document verification**
Required documents: - JEE Main / Advanced scorecard - Class 10 and Class 12 certificates (with category certificate if applicable) - ID proof (Aadhaar, PAN, passport) - Caste/EWS/PwD certificate (if applicable) - Domicile certificate (for NIT Home State quota, if applicable) - Medical fitness certificate (typically required at IITs) - Provisional admission letter from JoSAA - 6 passport-size photos
Some IITs/NITs require physical reporting; most allow online document verification followed by physical reporting at start of semester.
**Step 6: Fee payment**
Initial fee deposit (refundable + non-refundable components) at JoSAA round-completion: typically INR 35,000 (refundable INR 25,000 + non-refundable INR 10,000). Full first-semester fee due at college reporting (~INR 1.65-2.5 lakh depending on institute).
**Step 7: CSAB special rounds**
After JoSAA Round 6, vacant seats roll into CSAB special counselling. CSAB has 2-3 sub-rounds. Useful if: - You missed JoSAA registration deadline - You want to try for vacant seats in higher-preference institutes - Your JoSAA seat was not satisfying
CSAB registration is separate (csab.nic.in). Same JEE Main rank applies. CSAB has Special Round (open to all) and Special Round NIT-System Quotas (for NIT/IIIT/GFTI vacancies).
**Common mistakes**
1. *Insufficient choice filling* — Listing only 5-10 choices when you should list 20-30. Missed allotments due to over-narrow priority lists are common. 2. *Order randomness* — Putting safety options before dream branches. Order strictly by your true priority. 3. *Ignoring CSAB* — Many candidates think JoSAA Round 6 is the end. CSAB rounds have 1500+ seats reopening; do not skip. 4. *Late fee payment* — Round 1 fee deadline is typically 7 days post-allotment. Missing the deadline forfeits the seat and your initial deposit. 5. *Not freezing strategically* — Freezing too early eliminates higher-round upgrades; freezing too late risks losing the seat. Float in early rounds, freeze around Round 4-5.
**State quota optimisation**
Home State quota at NITs gives 30-40% rank advantage. If your domicile state has an NIT, use Home State (HS) quota in priority list. Outside-state students get Other State (OS) quota — typically 1.4x the HS closing rank.
**EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST advantages**
Closing ranks expand significantly for reservation categories: - EWS: 1.4x General - OBC-NCL: 1.7x General - SC: 4-5x General - ST: 7-9x General - PwD: 5-12x within respective category