Appearing for JEE Main 2026? Here’s What Makes You Eligible?

Who is eligible for JEE Main? A JEE main aspirant can appear soon after they take their +12 board examinations. The JEE aspirant is eligible to take the JEE Main exam twice only, after completing Class 12 and the year following. The same rule applies to the JEE Advanced examination. To take the JEE Advanced exam, a student must qualify for the JEE Main and also obtain the cutoff mark issued in that year. Usually, the cutoff marks for JEE Main or JEE Advanced play a prominent role, and depending on the category, these marks do vary. However, let us confine our attention to the JEE Main examinations and check for the eligibility criteria conditions.  Aspirants can find more details about the eligibility at jeemain.nta.ac.in.

JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria:

1. JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria for an aspirant opting for JEE Main are as follows. The aspirant can appear for the examination immediately after the board 12 examination and for the next two consecutive years. It means if an aspirant is in class 12 in the academic year 2025-26, then they are permitted to take three attempts in the years 2026, 2027 & 2028. Each year, an aspirant is allowed to take the JEE Main exam twice, once in January and again in April. 

2. An aspirant can belong to any recognised board at the state-level or the central-level. And, at the time of their first attempt, they must be in Class 12. 

3. An aspirant must have appeared for exams in physics, chemistry, and mathematics in Class 12. 

4. The NTA has not declared an upper age limit for JEE Main. 

5. While appearing for the board examinations, an aspirant must have scored 75% (General Category) and at least 65% ( for SC/ST). 

6. Important Note:

1. If an aspirant score is listed among the top 20 percentiles, then such a candidate can seek admission to NITs, IIITs, or GFTIs.

Appearing for JEE Main 2026, what are the eligible years?  

When JEE Main 2026 is your first attempt, that means you must be pursuing class 12 during the academic year 2025-26. You will be allowed to take the exam for the next two consecutive years, which are 2027 and 2028. 

You can appear for three consecutive years, starting from the completion of your board exams in class 12. Every year, NTA will provide you with two options to take the examination, first in January and next in April of the same calendar year. It means you can attempt twice during JEE Main 2026.  

Category-wise Data for JEE Main Examination: 

The above tabulated information provides the category-wise benefits an aspirant can obtain in various ways. The data reveals the issues, such as the number of attempts, cutoff marks, and age limit criteria. 

Foreign/NRI students:

 The application process remains the same as applied to the Indian state residents. They must apply through the online NTA JEE Main portal, and while uploading documents, they must upload a passport. The exam fees are higher for foreign exam centers. NTA has established centers in countries like Singapore, Kuwait, Nepal, and the UAE. 

Conclusion:

The JEE Main exam is highly organized, and the selected candidates can seek admission to national-level engineering colleges. Students who apply for the JEE Main 2026 exam comply with the prescribed eligibility norms.  As NTA is the primary agency that formulates and guides aspirants, an aspirant can seek first-hand information directly from the official website regarding the JEE Main 2026 eligibility criteria. Click for details at jeemain.nta.ac.in.

Recap Key Criteria: 

The blog provides direct information intended for aspirants who wish to apply, including the eligibility criteria. It is about the limitations of attempts for JEE Main, the categorical segregation of various parameters, such as cutoff marks. 

 NTA Is the Most Important for the JEE Exam: 

The National Testing Agency (NTA) is a gateway for engineering aspirants seeking admission to NITs, IIITs, GFTIs, and top premier private institutions. The NTA is marked for its fairness, transparency, and standardization in conducting examinations, administration, scores, language availability, and candidate eligibility. 

The agency conducts tests for IIT aspirants, declares the results, and facilitates the process of seat filling at respective colleges or institutions. The process involves a huge exercise by the NTA, and every year, millions of students appear for JEE Main as well as for JEE Advanced examinations, and in both cases, the process is highly systematic, and it is seen that these examinations never clash with each other. An aspirant can refer to the National Testing Agency website at nta.ac.in.

The FAQs: Eligibility Criteria for JEE Main

1. What is NTA, and what kind of information can an aspirant obtain from it?

1. National Testing Agency is an official website that provides information to aspirants of JEE exams, from the application filling process to admissions to national-level colleges, such as the NIT, IIIT, and other prestigious institutions. 

2. What is the Dropper's eligibility? 

1. JEE aspirants take a break soon after the completion of Class 12, not to ignore JEE Main but to make a planned study for the national-level competition. However, they must also never forget that NTA allows only three consecutive years to write the JEE Main after completing Class 12. And, if an aspirant skips the first attempt, they are left with only 2 attempts, so the chances of winning are less. So any aspirant who wants to skip a year must be very careful in their succeeding attempts. 

3. What about the fate of the Improvement exam students? 

1. The JEE examination is conducted twice a year, and the schedules are as per the JEE calendar. An aspirant who has backlogs in class 12 will have to forgo an academic year and apply for JEE Main for the next year. One must be mindful of the number of attempts reduced due to time constraints.