Cutoff is a very important word for lakhs of students preparing for JEE Main 2026. Like every year, this time too after the JEE Main exam, everyone’s eyes will be on the cutoff released by the National Testing Agency i.e. NTA. The cutoff of JEE Main 2026 will be released after the result of the second session of the examination i.e. Session 2 is declared. This cutoff will decide which students will be able to move forward in the race for admission in big engineering colleges of the country.
The cutoff for JEE Main Session 1 and Session 2 is the same because NTA releases only the minimum qualifying marks. The cutoff of JEE Main 2026 will be declared in the form of percentile. This means that students have to achieve a certain percentile score only to be considered eligible for admission to NITs, Triple IT and other central institutes.
Why is cutoff so important?
The cutoff of JEE Main 2026 is very important not only for admission in college but also for appearing in JEE Advanced 2026. Only those students who score above the cutoff of JEE Main can apply for JEE Advanced exam. Only after this the path for admission in top institutes like IIT opens. In such a situation, it becomes important for every student to understand the cutoff and prepare accordingly.
Although the official cutoff will be released only after the result of JEE Main Session 2, but students can estimate their position based on the estimated cutoff from now on. This helps them to understand whether their preparation is in the right direction or not.
Cutoff varies according to category
The cutoff of JEE Main 2026 is not the same for all students. Different cutoffs are fixed for different categories. The cutoff is usually highest for general category students. Whereas the cutoff for OBC, SC, ST and EWS categories is kept slightly lower. Its objective is to provide equal opportunities to students of all sections.
According to estimates, the cutoff of JEE Main 2026 for the general category may be between 92 to 94 percentile. For OBC category it can be around 80 to 83 percentile, for SC category it can be around 60 to 63 percentile and for ST category it can be around 48 to 50 percentile. The cutoff for EWS category students is expected to be between 81 to 84 percentile. Although this is just an estimate, the actual cutoff may be slightly above or below this.
What does the cutoff depend on?
The cutoff of JEE Main 2026 depends on many things. First of all the level of the examination is seen. If the paper is more difficult, the cutoff may be slightly lower. Whereas if the paper is easy, then there is a possibility of increase in the cutoff.
Apart from this, the number of seats available in colleges also plays an important role in deciding the cutoff. If seats are less and number of students is more, then the cutoff automatically increases. If there are more seats and less students, then the cutoff may also be lower.
Also read – How can one become a doctor in Canada by doing MBBS from India? Learn the easy step-by-step guide
Education Loan Information:
Calculate Education Loan EMI

