JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026, Check Pass Percentage, Age Limit, Educational Qualification

The National Testing Agency, which is the conducting body for the Joint Entrance Exam Main, releases the JEE Main Eligibility Criteria every year at its official website so that all the aspirants for this national level examination can check and evaluate their eligibility for the same. All the aspirants who aspire admission into the engineering courses in top institutions like IITs must ensure that they have completed their class 12th and have scored more than the minimum required marks for the respective course and institution.

In the article below, we have detailed the complete JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026 so that all the aspirants can start preparations accordingly.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026

The Joint Entrance Test is a national level entrance examination conducted by the NTA as a single window process for admission into the engineering level courses like BTech at IITs, NITs, etc. All the aspirants who are pursuing their class 12th from the science stream or have completed their class 12th level of education can start preparing for the JEE Main Exam 2026 by reading the JEE Main Syllabus 2026 and going through the JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026.

JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria

All the candidates who aspire a successful career in the engineering background need to scroll down in the article below to check and access the JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria as detailed below so that they can fulfill the conditions and apply for the exam later.

1. Age Limit

As per the guidelines set by NTA, there is no upper age limit for candidates appearing in JEE Main 2026. However, individual institutes may have their own age criteria for admission, which candidates must fulfill at the time of admission.

2. Educational Qualifications

a. Qualifying Examination

Candidates must have passed or be appearing in the Class 12 or equivalent examination from a recognized board. This includes boards such as CBSE, ICSE, NIOS, and other state or central boards. Additionally, candidates who have completed a two-year pre-university examination conducted by a recognized board/university are also eligible.

b. Year of Passing

To be eligible for JEE Main 2026, candidates should have:

• Passed the Class 12 or equivalent examination in 2024 or 2025, or
• Be appearing for the Class 12 or equivalent examination in 2026.
• Candidates who have passed the Class 12 examination in 2023 or earlier are not eligible to apply.

3. Subject Requirements

a. For B.E./B.Tech (Paper 1)

Candidates must have studied the following subjects in Class 12:

• Physics
• Mathematics
• One of the following:
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Biotechnology
  • Technical Vocational Subject

b. For B.Arch (Paper 2A)

Candidates must have studied:

• Physics
• Mathematics
• Chemistry

c. For B.Planning (Paper 2B)

Candidates must have studied:

• Mathematics

These subject combinations are mandatory for eligibility in the respective papers of JEE Main 2026.

4. Number of Attempts

Candidates can attempt JEE Main a maximum of three consecutive years from the year of passing the Class 12 examination. Since JEE Main is conducted twice a year, this allows for a total of six attempts over three years. Candidates are permitted to appear in both sessions within the same year.

5. Minimum Marks Required

a. For Appearing in JEE Main

There is no minimum percentage required in Class 12 to appear for JEE Main 2026. Candidates can apply and appear for the examination irrespective of their Class 12 marks.

b. For Admission to NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs

To be eligible for admission into National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs), candidates must meet one of the following criteria:

• Obtain at least 75% marks in Class 12, or
• Be in the top 20 percentile of their respective boards.
• For candidates belonging to the SC/ST category, the minimum required marks are 65% in Class 12.

6. Nationality

JEE Main 2026 is open to the following categories of candidates:

• Indian Nationals
• Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)
• Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs)
• Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs)
• Foreign Nationals

All these candidates are eligible to apply for JEE Main 2026, provided they meet the other eligibility criteria.

7. Domicile Requirement

There is no domicile requirement for appearing in JEE Main. However, domicile status may be required for claiming state quota seats in NITs or state-level colleges. The state code of eligibility is determined by the location of the qualifying examination (Class 12), not the candidate’s place of birth or residence.

8. Special Cases

a. Diploma Holders

Candidates who have completed a diploma (3-year duration) from a recognized board are eligible to appear for JEE Main 2026. However, they are not eligible for admission to NITs, IIITs, or CFTIs through JEE Main. They can appear in JEE Main to qualify for JEE Advanced and seek admission in IITs, provided they meet the eligibility criteria for JEE Advanced.

b. Improvement Candidates

Candidates who have appeared in the Class 12 examination in previous years and wish to improve their scores are eligible to apply for JEE Main 2026. They must meet the subject requirements and other eligibility criteria as specified. It is advisable to check the official JEE Main 2026 information bulletin for any specific guidelines regarding improvement candidates.

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