Quick answer
JEE Main also has two cut-offs. The JEE Advanced qualifying cut-off is the percentile needed to sit JEE Advanced — recently around 93–94 percentile for General, which is roughly 90–100 marks out of 300. The admission cut-off is the closing rank for each NIT, IIIT or GFTI branch in JoSAA, and for a top NIT's CSE that means 99.5+ percentile. Clearing the Advanced cut-off and getting an NIT seat are completely different bars.
The two cut-offs #
| JEE Advanced qualifying | JoSAA admission | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Eligibility to appear for JEE Advanced | Seat in an NIT/IIIT/GFTI |
| Expressed as | Percentile (top ~2.5 lakh candidates) | Closing rank per institute and branch |
| General category | ~93–94 percentile | Varies; 99.5+ for top NIT CSE |
| Published | With the JEE Main result | After every JoSAA round |
Indicative JEE Advanced cut-off percentiles #
| Category | Approx. qualifying percentile |
|---|---|
| General / EWS | 93–94 |
| OBC-NCL | 79–81 |
| SC | 60–64 |
| ST | 46–48 |
| PwD | ~0.001 |
The top ~2.5 lakh JEE Main scorers qualify for Advanced, distributed across categories — which is why the General bar sits so much higher.
Indicative NIT/IIIT closing percentiles #
| Target | Approx. percentile (General, home state) |
|---|---|
| Top NIT — CSE (Trichy, Surathkal, Warangal) | 99.5+ |
| Top NIT — core branches | 98.5–99.3 |
| Mid-tier NIT — CSE | 98–99 |
| Mid-tier NIT — core | 95–97.5 |
| Newer NITs / GFTIs | 88–95 |
| IIITs (varies widely) | 95–99 |
💡 Tips
- Home State Quota changes everything. NITs reserve roughly half their seats for home-state candidates, and those close several percentile points lower than the Other State bar for the same branch.
- Percentile is not marks. A 99 percentile is roughly rank 12,000 with 12 lakh candidates — not "99% of marks".
- Closing ranks loosen across JoSAA rounds. Round 1 is not the final word.
- Qualifying for Advanced at 93 percentile does not imply an NIT seat; the NIT bar for most useful branches is much higher.
JEE Main cutoff — frequently asked questions
What is the JEE Main cutoff for JEE Advanced?
Recently around 93 to 94 percentile for General category, roughly 79 to 81 for OBC-NCL, 60 to 64 for SC and 46 to 48 for ST. The top 2.5 lakh scorers qualify, distributed across categories.
How many marks are needed to qualify JEE Advanced?
Roughly 90 to 100 marks out of 300 for General category in recent cycles, though the exact figure moves with paper difficulty each year.
What percentile is needed for NIT?
For a top NIT CSE seat, 99.5 percentile and above. Core branches at top NITs close around 98.5 to 99.3, and newer NITs and GFTIs can close between 88 and 95 depending on branch and quota.
Does home state quota lower the NIT cutoff?
Substantially. NITs reserve around half their seats for home-state candidates, and those seats close several percentile points below the other-state bar for the same branch.
Is 95 percentile good in JEE Main?
It clears the JEE Advanced qualifying bar comfortably and opens core branches at mid-tier NITs and some newer NITs, particularly under home-state quota. It is generally below the bar for CSE at the top NITs.
The formula, and marks-to-percentile bands.
Disclaimer: Cut-off figures are indicative, compiled from publicly reported JoSAA and NTA data, and are not official.
