CSAB Special Rounds 2025 Registration and Choice Filling Commence Today

For thousands of JEE Main 2025 qualified candidates aspiring for admission to the prestigious National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs), today, July 30, 2025, marks the commencement of a critical admission phase. The Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) is opening the registration and choice filling window for its Special Rounds of counselling. This is a pivotal opportunity to fill the vacant seats remaining after the six rounds of JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) counselling.

Beginning at 10:00 AM IST today, candidates can access the official CSAB portal to view the detailed list of vacant seats across participating institutions. Simultaneously, the online registration process, along with fee payment and choice filling, will go live. This round is designed for candidates who either did not secure a seat through JoSAA, whose JoSAA allotment was cancelled, or even those who received a seat but wish to upgrade to a better program or institution.

Key Dates and What Aspirants Need to Do:

Aspirants must strictly adhere to the following schedule for CSAB Special Rounds 2025:

• Display of Vacant Seats After JoSAA Rounds: July 30, 2025 (10:00 AM IST)
• Registration, Special Round Enrolment Fee (SREF) Payment, and Choice Filling Begins: July 30, 2025
• Mock Seat Allocation (based on choices filled till Aug 2): August 3, 2025 (10:00 AM IST)
• Last Date for Registration and SREF Payment: August 3, 2025 (5:00 PM IST)
• Last Date for Choice Filling and Choice Locking: August 7, 2025 (8:00 PM IST)
• CSAB Special Round 1 Seat Allotment Result: August 9, 2025 (5:00 PM IST)
• Physical Reporting at Allotted Institutes (for all confirmed seats): August 20 to August 23, 2025 (Tentative)

Eligibility and Application Process:

To be eligible for CSAB Special Rounds, candidates must have qualified JEE Main 2025 and satisfy the academic criteria (minimum 75% in Class XII or top 20 percentile; 65% for SC/ST/PwD). Importantly, a fresh online registration on the CSAB portal (csab.nic.in) is mandatory, even for those who participated in JoSAA. Previous JoSAA registration and choices are not carried forward.

Candidates will need to pay a Special Round Enrolment Fee (SREF): Rs. 40,000/- for General/GEN-EWS/OBC-NCL candidates and Rs. 19,000/- for SC/ST/PwD candidates. This fee is non-refundable (except for a portion in specific withdrawal scenarios) and includes a processing fee, with the remainder being adjusted against the first installment of admission fees upon seat allotment.

The choice filling process allows candidates to add, delete, and reorder their preferred NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs along with their desired engineering branches. It is crucial to fill as many choices as possible in genuine order of preference to maximize the chances of allotment. Candidates MUST lock their choices before the August 7 deadline; otherwise, the last saved choices will be automatically locked.

This round presents a crucial window of opportunity for many aspirants to secure a seat in premier technical institutions. Candidates are strongly advised to meticulously review the information brochure, understand the rules of the special rounds, and complete all required steps on the official CSAB website, csab.nic.in, within the stipulated deadlines.