JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) conducts centralised online counselling for admission to all IITs, NITs, IIITs, and Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) in India. Approximately 60,000 engineering seats are allocated through six rounds of JoSAA every year.
Eligibility JEE Advanced qualified candidates: eligible for IIT seats + can also choose NIT/IIIT/GFTI seats via JEE Main rank. JEE Main qualified (not JEE Advanced qualified): eligible for NIT/IIIT/GFTI seats only.
Counselling Schedule (Typical Pattern) - Registration + Choice Filling: Mid-June 2026 (~10 days) - Round 1: Late June (results 3-4 days after locking choices) - Round 2: Early July (slide up + vacant seat allocation) - Round 3: Mid-July - Round 4: Late July (mostly NIT/IIIT vacant seats) - Round 5: Early August - Round 6: Mid-August (final round)
After Round 6, vacant seats revert to college-level CSAB special rounds.
Choice Filling Strategy Candidates can fill up to 1,000 choices, ranked in priority order. The software allots the highest-priority choice that the candidate's rank qualifies for. - DO list every option you'd accept, even ones you think are out of reach (your rank may be enough for surprises) - DON'T fill choices you'd not actually attend — once allotted, it gets locked (with reporting fee paid) before you can adjust - Mix of "dream" + "realistic" + "safe" choices is recommended
Allotment Logic JoSAA software runs the following logic for each round: 1. Sorts all candidates by rank 2. For the top-ranked candidate, allots their highest-priority eligible choice 3. Repeats for each subsequent candidate Each round can produce four outcomes per candidate: (a) Allotted higher choice, (b) Allotted lower choice (rank not enough for higher), (c) Slide up (got a better choice in subsequent round), (d) Float (waiting for vacant seats).
Documents Required JEE Main + JEE Advanced rank cards (if applicable), 12th marksheet, Aadhaar, photographs, category certificate, PWD certificate (if applicable), birth certificate, passport-size photos.
Reporting and Acceptance Fees After allotment in any round, candidates must pay an acceptance fee (~₹35,000 for general, ₹15,000 for SC/ST) within ~3 days. This is partially adjusted against tuition. Failure to pay = seat forfeit.
Branch Locking After Round 6 After the final round, allotted candidates report to their respective IIT/NIT/IIIT for physical document verification and final admission. Seat is locked at this stage; branch change is generally not allowed except via internal IIT-specific rules (Branch Change after Year 1 based on CGPA).
Tip for Aspirants Don't restrict yourself to "old IITs only" or "CSE only" mindset. A new IIT (Tirupati, Goa, Dharwad) CSE often outperforms old IIT Mechanical for placements. Budget realistic expectations against your rank: rank 5,000 → CSE at new IIT or top 5 NIT non-CSE; rank 10,000 → top NIT non-CSE or new IIT non-CSE; rank 30,000 → IIIT branch or NIT 4-year-Mechanical/Civil.