Three Decisions After Round 1 Allotment (3 days to decide): 1. Lock (Accept and Pay) — pay seat acceptance fee (₹35,000 general; ₹15,000 SC/ST). Your seat is yours. 2. Float (Accept and Upgrade) — pay same acceptance fee but indicate you want higher-priority choices in subsequent rounds. 3. Reject (Re-enter Round 2) — don''t accept Round 1 allotment. Re-fill choices fresh.
Upgrade Probability Math: For IIT seats — Round 1 to Round 2: 5-10% upgrade rate. Round 2 to 3: 3-5%. Round 3+: 1-3% per round. For NIT seats — Round 1 to 2: 10-15%. Round 2 to 3: 5-8%. For IIIT seats — Round 1 to 2: 15-20%. Round 2 to 3: 8-10%.
Decision Framework: Lock Round 1 if rank just barely qualified; you don''t want stress; allotment is your top realistic choice. Float Round 1 if rank is comfortable; you have realistic upgrade targets. Reject only if Round 1 is significantly below justified rank.
Strategic Examples: Strong rank (600), Round 1 IIT Bombay CSE — LOCK. Strong rank (5,000), Round 1 IIT Goa CSE — FLOAT. Borderline rank (25,000), just-qualified IIT Mizoram CSE — LOCK. Moderate rank (8,000), Round 1 IIT Patna Mechanical — FLOAT.
Common Mistakes: Locking prematurely without considering Round 2 vacancy patterns; floating with no realistic upgrade target; rejecting and re-entering Round 2 fresh; missing acceptance fee deadline (~3 days).
Acceptance Fee Reality: ₹35,000 (general), ₹15,000 (SC/ST). Partially adjusted against tuition once you report. Lock vs Float — same fee in both cases.
Strategic Insight "Round 2 is the Sweet Spot": For most candidates, Round 1 is a feeler + Round 2 is the actual decision.