JEE Main category-wise cutoff 2026 has been officially released, and engineering aspirants now want to know if their percentile score is good enough for JEE Advanced and JoSAA counselling. In this article, we provide the complete JEE Main 2026 cutoff for General, OBC, SC, ST and EWS categories along with previous years’ trends and expert analysis to help you understand admission chances for IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. By the end of this guide, you will clearly know whether you are eligible for the next stage and what strategic steps to take based on your category-wise cutoff and percentile score.
JEE Main Cutoff 2026 – Overview
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | JEE Main 2026 |
| Conducting Body | National Testing Agency (NTA) |
| Cutoff Type | Qualifying Cutoff (Eligibility for JEE Advanced & JoSAA) |
| Cutoff Basis | Category-wise NTA Percentile Score |
| Categories Covered | General, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, PwD |
| Official Website | jeemain.nta.nic.in |
JEE Main 2026 Official Category-wise Cutoff (Percentile)
NTA released the qualifying cutoff in the form of category-wise percentile scores. Candidates who meet or exceed their category cutoff become eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 (subject to the overall rank limit of 2.5 lakh).
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JEE Main 2026 Qualifying Cutoff Percentile – Category-wise
| Category | JEE Main Cutoff 2026 (Percentile) |
| General (UR / CRL) | 93.4123549 |
| EWS (Economically Weaker Section) | 82.4164528 |
| OBC–NCL (Non-Creamy Layer) | 80.9232583 |
| SC (Scheduled Caste) | 63.9172792 |
| ST (Scheduled Tribe) | 52.0174712 |
NTA has increased the cutoff for every category in 2026 compared to 2025, which clearly shows higher competition this year.
To verify your category-wise cutoff from the official notification, you can also check related updates here: Latest Exam Updates on Jobs4u
JEE Main Cutoff Trends 2025-2026 (Category-Wise)
Understanding the trend helps in analyzing how much competition has increased and where 2026 stands compared to previous years.
Two Year JEE Main Qualifying Cutoff Trends
| Category | 2025 | 2026 |
| General | 93.10 | 93.41 |
| EWS | 80.38 | 81.32 |
| OBC-NCL | 79.43 | 80.92 |
| SC | 61.15 | 62.85 |
| ST | 47.90 | 49.69 |
JEE Main 2026 cutoff and how to check eligibility
Follow these steps to confirm your JEE Main 2026 category-wise cutoff and JEE Advanced eligibility from the official website.
- Visit the official NTA portal: jeemain.nta.nic.in.
- Click on “JEE Main 2026 Result/Scorecard” link in the latest notification section.
- Log in using your Application Number and Password/Date of Birth.
- Download your scorecard and note down:
- Overall NTA percentile
- Category and category rank
- JEE Advanced eligibility status (Yes/No)
- Compare your percentile score with the official category-wise cutoff in the table above or in the official PDF.
If the percentile score is greater than or equal to the category cutoff, the candidate becomes eligible for JEE Advanced 2026 (subject to the top 2.5 lakh limit).
JEE Main 2026 Category-wise Cutoff – Quick Summary Table
This table gives a snapshot of JEE Main category-wise cutoff 2026 – check GEN, OBC, SC, ST, EWS cutoff with comments on competition level.
| Category | Cutoff 2026 (Percentile) | Competition Level vs 2025 |
| General | 93.4123549 | Slightly higher |
| EWS | 81.3209571 | Higher |
| OBC-NCL | 80.9232583 | Higher |
| SC | 62.8462698 | Higher |
| ST | 49.6924917 | Higher |
| PwD | 0.0007544 | Slight variation |
Important links
| Important Links | Access Here |
| Official JEE Main 2026 Website | jeemain.nta.nic.in |
| JEE Main 2026 Cutoff PDF (Category-wise) | Download JEE Main 2026 Cutoff PDF |
| Latest Sarkari Result & Job Updates | Visit Jobs4u.org.in |
JEE Main Cutoff 2026 (FAQs)
Q: What is the JEE Main 2026 qualifying cutoff for the General category?
Ans: The official qualifying cutoff for the General (UR) category in JEE Main 2026 is 93.41 percentile.
Q: Is the JEE Main 2026 cutoff higher than last year?
Ans: Yes, the National Testing Agency (NTA) has increased the cutoff percentile across all categories for 2026 compared to 2025, indicating higher competition this year.
Q: What does clearing the JEE Main category-wise cutoff mean?
Ans: Meeting or exceeding the category cutoff percentile makes a candidate eligible to appear for the JEE Advanced 2026 exam and participate in JoSAA counselling for admissions into NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs.
Q: How many candidates are selected for JEE Advanced 2026?
Ans: The top 2.5 lakh candidates across all categories who clear their respective JEE Main cutoffs are eligible to register and appear for the JEE Advanced 2026 examination.
Q: Where can I check my official JEE Main 2026 eligibility status?
Ans: Eligibility status can be checked by downloading the official scorecard from jeemain.nta.nic.in using the Application Number and Date of Birth. The scorecard clearly mentions eligibility for JEE Advanced.