IIT Roorkee, the institute that organises JEE Advanced 2026, has released detailed eligibility criteria for candidates wishing to appear for the exam next year. According to the guidelines, only the top 250,000 successful candidates across all categories in the JEE Main 2026 BE/BTech paper will be shortlisted according to a prescribed category-wise distribution.
The institute has also reiterated the criteria regarding age, number of attempts, and Class XII qualification. This year, the exam will be held on Sunday, May 17.
Under Criteria A1, candidates must be among the top 250,000 performers in JEE Main 2026 (BE/BTech paper). Shortlisting for JEE Advanced is done according to a set category: 10% GEN-EWS, 27% OBC-NCL, 15% SC, 7.5% ST and 40.5% OPEN, with 5% horizontal reservation for PwD candidates in each category.
IIT Roorkee ( the foremost of institutes of national importance) has clarified that if there is a “tie” rank, the total number may be slightly more than 2.5 lakh.
Category-wise Breakup (JEE Advanced 2026 Shortlist)
| Category | No. Of Candidates |
| Open | 96,187 + 5,063 PwD = 1,01,250 |
| Gen-EWS | 23,750 + 1,250 PwD = 25,000 |
| OBC-NCL | 64,125 + 3,375 PwD = 67,500 |
| SC | 35,625 + 1,875 PwD = 37,500 |
| ST | 17,812 + 938 PwD = 18,750 |
| Total | 2,50,000+ (in case of ties) |
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has also noted that Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)/PIO (I) candidates are not eligible for any reserved category benefits, except under OPEN-PwD if applicable. They just need to qualify on the OPEN list.
Also Read: JEE-Main 2026: NTA to Begin Form Correction Facility at jeemain.nta.nic.in
