JEE Main Eligibility Criteria

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria

JEE Main is the national level entrance exam for all those students who want to pursue Engineering as their higher studies and want to take admissions into several IITs, NITs, CFTIs and several other higher engineering institutions.

As per the new notification of NTA, JEE Main 2026 will be conducted on the month of January and April 2026 and only conduct in Online mode i.e. Computer Based Mode. 

Eligibility Criteria (for JEE Main 2026 Onwards)

JEE Main 2026 Eligibility Criteria (by NTA / Expectation for 2026)

JEE Main is the national-level entrance exam for students who wish to pursue Engineering (B.E./B.Tech), Architecture (B.Arch), or Planning (B.Planning) in institutions like IITs, NITs, IIITs, CFTIs, etc.

As the 2026 notification is yet to be officially released, the following criteria are based on the confirmed rules from JEE Main 2025 and expert sources.  All aspirants should verify once the 2026 Information Bulletin is published.

1. Age Criteria

For the JEE (Main) - 2026 exam, there are no age restrictions for candidates. Those who completed their class 12 or equivalent examination in 2024, 2025, or are set to appear in 2026, are eligible to participate, regardless of their age. However, it's important to note that specific institutes may have their own age criteria for admission, so candidates should check with their desired institutions for any age-related requirements.
 

2. List of Qualifying Examinations (QE)

• The final examination of the 10+2 system, conducted by any recognized Central/ State Board, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi; Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi; etc.
• Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination conducted by a recognized Board/ University.
• Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defense Academy.
• Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects.
• Any Public School/ Board/ University examination in India or any foreign country is recognized as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).
• Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination.
• A Diploma recognized by AICTE or a State board of technical education of at least 3 years duration.
• General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.
• High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.
• Candidates who have completed the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination outside India or from a Board not specified above should produce a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) to the effect that the examination they have passed is equivalent to the Class 12 Examination.
• In case the Class 12 Examination is not a public examination, the candidate must have passed at least one public (Board or Pre-University) examination earlier.

3. Year of Appearance in Qualifying Examination

Eligibility for JEE (Main) - 2025 is as follows: Candidates who either passed their Class 12 or equivalent examination in 2024, 2025, or are currently enrolled in the Class 12 or equivalent program for 2025 are eligible to participate. However, those who passed their Class 12 or equivalent examination in 2024 or any earlier year, as well as those scheduled to take the exam in 2024 or beyond, are not eligible for JEE (Main) - 2026.

4. State of Eligibility

The State code of eligibility refers to the specific state from which a candidate has successfully completed their Class 12 (or equivalent) qualifying examination, granting them the eligibility to participate in JEE (Main) - 2026. It's crucial to understand that this code is not determined by a candidate's place of origin or current residence.

For instance, if a candidate takes the Class 12 (or equivalent) qualifying examination at an institution in New Delhi but resides in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, their State code of eligibility will be Delhi, not Uttar Pradesh.

In cases where a candidate has passed the Class 12 (or equivalent) qualifying examination in one state but has pursued improvement from another state, the State code of eligibility will be based on the state where they initially passed the Class 12 (or equivalent) examination, not the state where they sought improvement.

For candidates who have either completed or are currently pursuing their Class 12 education through NIOS, they should select the State of Eligibility based on the location of their study center.

In the case of Indian nationals who have completed their Class 12 (or equivalent) examination in Nepal or Bhutan, their State code of eligibility will be determined by their permanent address in India, as indicated in their passport.

For Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) candidates who have completed their Class 12 (or equivalent) examination in India, their State code of eligibility is equivalent to that of Indian nationals. However, OCI candidates who have completed their Class 12 (or equivalent) examination at an institution abroad are eligible for Other State quota seats or All India quota seats, but they are not eligible for Home State quota seats at all NITs, IIITs, and Other-CFTIs.

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