JEE Advanced 2026 Notification Reiterates Eligibility Criteria and May 17 Exam

IIT Roorkee confirms JEE Advanced 2026 for May 17. Candidates must rank in the top 2.5 lakh of JEE Main and meet the 75% marks or top 20 percentile criteria.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, the organizing body for the current academic cycle, has released a comprehensive notification for JEE Advanced 2026. The update serves as a definitive guide for engineering aspirants, confirming that the prestigious entrance examination will be conducted on May 17, 2026. The notification reiterates the five-fold eligibility framework that candidates must satisfy to secure a seat in one of the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Core Eligibility and Performance Benchmarks

To be eligible for the JEE Advanced 2026 session, candidates must first demonstrate exceptional performance in the JEE Main 2026 Paper 1. Only the top 2,50,000 successful candidates, including all categories, will be permitted to register for the next stage. Beyond the national rank, the university has reaffirmed the "75% criteria," which requires students to have secured a minimum aggregate in their Class 12 board examinations.

• Main Qualification: Aspirants must be within the top 2.5 lakh rank holders in the JEE Main B.E./B.Tech paper.
• Academic Requirement: Candidates must have scored at least 75% aggregate marks in Class 12 (65% for SC, ST, and PwD categories) or be in the top 20 percentile of their respective boards.
• Subject Mandate: Qualifying subjects must include Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as compulsory components.
• Attempt Limit: A candidate is allowed a maximum of two attempts in two consecutive years. Those who appeared for Class 12 for the first time in 2024 or earlier are ineligible.

Examination Schedule and Registration Fees

The JEE Advanced 2026 will be a computer-based test consisting of two mandatory three-hour papers. IIT Roorkee has outlined a strict timeline for the registration process, which will commence in late April following the declaration of the JEE Main results. The fee structure for the 2026 cycle has also been detailed, with variations based on category and gender.

• Paper Timings: Paper 1 is scheduled from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, followed by Paper 2 from 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
• Compulsory Attendance: To be considered for the final merit list and scorecard, a candidate must appear for both Paper 1 and Paper 2.
• Age Limit: Candidates should have been born on or after October 1, 2001, with a five-year relaxation provided to reserved categories.

Key Restrictions and Admission Policies

The notification also highlights strict "earlier admission" rules to ensure fairness in the seat allocation process. Candidates who have previously been admitted to an IIT, irrespective of whether they continued in the program or withdrew, are generally barred from appearing in JEE Advanced 2026. This policy aims to minimize seat wastage and provide fresh opportunities to new aspirants in the admission cycle.

• Prior IIT Admission: Any candidate who accepted an IIT seat through JoSAA in previous years is ineligible, even if they did not report to the institute.
• Preparatory Courses: An exception is made for students who were admitted to a preparatory course in 2025; they remain eligible for the 2026 entrance test.
• Result Declaration: The final results and scorecard are tentatively scheduled for release on June 1, 2026.
• AAT 2026: Candidates interested in B.Arch programs must clear the Architecture Aptitude Test after the main result.

Conclusion

With the JEE Advanced 2026 date now formally set for May 17, the path toward an IIT admission is clearly defined. The reiteration of the 75% marks requirement and the top 2.5 lakh percentile cutoff provides the necessary clarity for students currently preparing for their board exams and JEE Main sessions. As the organizing institute, IIT Roorkee has emphasized that no further changes to the eligibility criteria will be entertained. Aspirants are encouraged to complete their registration within the May deadline to ensure their performance on the national scorecard translates into a seat at a premier engineering institution.