JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for General Category: Minimum Qualifying Marks for JEE Advanced & Past Trend Analysis
Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main 2026 ( JEE Main )
Exam On - 2 Apr '26 - 8 Apr '26
The general category in JEE Main witnesses the highest cutoff marks every year. In the last three years, the JEE Main general category cutoff has been above 90 percentile. The cutoff has stayed stable at 93 percentile in the past two years. Check a detailed analysis of JEE Main cutoff for the general category and what to expect in 2026, on this page below.
JEE Mains Cutoff for General Category
JEE Main 2026 Cutoff for General: JEE exam experts at Shikha have anticipated that general category cutoff for JEE Main 2026 will remain in the range of 93.3 and 95.0 percentile. The actual JEE Main 2026 cutoff for General category will be released by NTA along with JEE Mains 2026 session 2 result. The General category cutoff in JEE Main 2026 will be calculated based on the number of candidates appeared, and the difficulty level of the shifts. However, as the April session of JEE Main 2026 is yet to be held from April 2 to 8, the second session will also influence the cutoff of JEE Main 2026 for the JEE Advanced qualification.
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| JEE Main 4 April Shift 1 Paper 2026 | JEE Main April 4 Shift 2 Paper |
| JEE Main 2026 April 2 Shift 1 Paper with Answer Key Solution | JEE Main 2026 April 2 Shift 2 Paper with Answer Key Solution |
| Want to know what your JEE Main 2026 Percentile will be based on your marks? Check out the JEE Main Percentile Predictor 2026 by Shiksha.com, which predicts your percentile after analysing several years’ marks vs percentile data. JEE Main Percentile Predictor 2026 |
- General Cutoff of JEE Main 2026
- Analysis of Expected JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for General - UR
- What Does JEE Main Cutoff Mean?
- Category-Wise JEE Mains 2026 Cutoff Trends (2019 to 2026)
- Key Trends in JEE Main Cutoff Percentile 2026
- How Many Candidates Appeared for JEE Main 2026 Session 1 in General Category
- How Many Candidates Are Selected for JEE Advanced from the General Category?
- JEE Main General Category Cutoff 2026 - Admission Cutoff for NITs/IIITs/GFTIs
General Cutoff of JEE Main 2026
The National Testing Agency will release the JEE Main cutoff for JEE Advanced qualification along with the JEE Mains 2026 result for the session 2 exam. The session 2 result will be released by April 20. The expected NTA JEE cutoff for the general is around 93.3045326.
JEE Mains General Category Cutoff 2026 and Past Year Trend Analysis
Last year, the general category cutoff was 93.1023262. Year 2024 witnessed the highest cutoff in the last five years. Check JEE Mains general category cutoff for 2026 and past years below:
| Year | General (UR) Percentile | Trend Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 93.1023262 |
Stabilising High: Remained above 93 despite a slight dip from the previous year.
|
| 2024 | 93.2362181 |
Record High: Significant surge due to record candidate participation
|
| 2023 | 90.7788642 |
Upward Shift: First time crossing the 90 percentile mark post-pandemic.
|
| 2022 | 88.4121383 |
Slight Recovery: Marginal increase as exam cycles returned to normalcy.
|
| 2021 | 87.8992241 |
Historical Low: Lowest qualifying score in the percentile era (likely due to COVID-19).
|
| 2020 | 90.3765335 |
Consistent: Maintained a similar level to the previous year.
|
| 2019 | 89.7548849 |
Start of NTA: First year of the NTA percentile-based normalisation system.
|
Analysis of Expected JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for General - UR
Based on the trend of high and stabilising cutoffs, candidates should prepare for a very competitive environment in 2026.
- Expected Range: The cutoff for the General (UR) category in 2026 is expected to be in the range of 93.0 to 93.5 percentiles.
- Target the Peak: Given that the cutoff has been at or above 93.10 for the last two years (2024 and 2025), aiming for a percentile score above 93.5 is highly recommended to secure a qualifying position comfortably.
- Why the Projection is High: Competition levels typically do not fall sharply. Therefore, the cutoff is likely to remain close to the recent all-time high of 93.24 (2024), or possibly increase slightly due to factors like a higher number of aspirants and a similar difficulty level of the exam.
Below is the graphical representation of the JEE general category cutoff trends from 2019 to 2025.
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JEE general category cutoff trends from 2019 to 2025
Also Check:
| JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for EWS | JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for OBC |
| JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for SC | JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for ST |
What Does JEE Main Cutoff Mean?
In the simplest of terms, the JEE Main cutoff means the minimum score (in percentile) candidates need to qualify for the JEE Advanced exam. To take admission to any of the IITs, candidates have to appear in JEE Mains and qualify the cutoff of their respective category to be eligible for JEE Advanced.
The JEE Mains minimum marks for JEE Advanced are different for all categories. The cutoff is released for the following categories:
- General
- General EWS
SC - ST
- OBC NCL
- UR - PWD
Also check:
Category-Wise JEE Mains 2026 Cutoff Trends (2019 to 2026)
Although the cutoff for JEE Mains 2026 for General, General EWS, SC, ST, OBC NCL, and UR - PWD will be out of session 2 results. The expected cutoff range for all these category based on session 1 results are 93 - 95+ percentile for general (unreserved category) candidates. Reserved categories are expected to be around 80 - 82 (EWS), 79 - 82 (OBC-NCL), 60 - 64 (SC), and 47 - 51 (ST).
Check the JEE Mains cutoff trends from 2019 to 2025 for all categories and the expected cutoff for 2026:
| Category | 2019 | 2021 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (Expected) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General (UR) | 89.75 | 87.9 | 90.78 | 93.24 | 93.1 | 93.5 - 95.0 |
| Gen-EWS | 78.22 | 66.22 | 75.62 | 81.33 | 80.38 | 80.5 - 82.5 |
| OBC-NCL | 74.32 | 68.02 | 73.61 | 79.68 | 79.43 | 79.5 - 81.5 |
| SC | 54.01 | 46.88 | 51.98 | 60.09 | 61.15 | 61.5 - 64.0 |
| ST | 44.33 | 34.67 | 37.23 | 46.7 | 47.9 | 48.0 - 50.5 |
| PwD | 0.11 | 0.01 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.008 | 0.001 - 1.0 |
Key Trends in JEE Main Cutoff Percentile 2026
Check what the key trends are in the overall JEE Mains cutoff for all categories:
- Overall Trend is Upward (Rising Competition): The cutoff for the General (UR) category has generally risen over the years, starting at 89.75 in 2019 and peaking at 93.24 in 2024. This shows that the competition level for a qualified spot has been increasing.
- Recent Stability at a High Level: The most recent cutoff in 2025 was 93.10, which is only a very minor drop from the highest-ever cutoff of 93.24 in 2024. This suggests the cutoff has stabilised at a high percentile.
- Big Jumps in Specific Years: The biggest single-year increase was observed between 2023 (90.78) and 2024 (93.24), indicating a significant surge in competition during that period.
- Other Categories Also See Increases: Cutoffs for other categories like Gen-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST have also seen increases, especially between 2023 and 2025. This reinforces the picture of higher overall competition for admission.
Also Check:
| JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for EWS | JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for OBC |
| JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for SC | JEE Main Cutoff 2026 for ST |
How Many Candidates Appeared for JEE Main 2026 Session 1 in General Category
The number of candidates appearing for the JEE Mains exam 2026, in a particular category, also influences the cutoff of the JEE Mains exam. Check below the number of candidates who appeared for JEE Mains 2026 in the general category:
| Category | General |
|---|---|
| Female | Appeared - 1,57,747 |
| Registered - 1,65,622 | |
| Male | Appeared - 2,95,078 |
| Registered - 3,08,011 | |
| Total | Appeared - 4,52,825 |
| Registered - 4,73,633 |
How Many Candidates Are Selected for JEE Advanced from the General Category?
There is a set number of candidates who will pass the JEE Mains general cutoff and will be eligible for JEE Advanced 2026. The number of candidates that will be selected from the general category is:
- Open (General category): 96,187
- OPEN-PwD: 5,063
- Total candidates from JEE Mains general candidates to be selected for JEE Advanced: 1,01,250
JEE Main General Category Cutoff 2026 - Admission Cutoff for NITs/IIITs/GFTIs
The JEE Mains admission cutoff refers to the rank needed to secure a seat in NITs, IIITs, or GFTIs. Check what the expected percentile and ranks are for admission to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs below:
| Institute Type | Popular Branch (CSE/IT) | Core Branch (Mech/Civil/EE) |
|---|---|---|
| Top 5 NITs | 99.5 – 99.9+ (AIR < 2,000) | 98.5 – 99.2 (AIR < 12,000) |
| Mid-Tier NITs | 98.5 – 99.4 (AIR 5k – 15k) | 96.5 – 98.0 (AIR 25k – 45k) |
| Top IIITs | 99.4 – 99.9+ (AIR < 5,000) | N/A (Most IIITs specialise in Tech) |
| Newer IIITs | 96.0 – 98.0 (AIR 30k – 60k) | 94.0 – 96.0 (AIR 60k – 90k) |
| Top GFTIs | 97.0 – 98.5 (AIR 20k – 40k) | 93.5 – 95.5 (AIR 60k – 90k) |
Also Check:
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 20 hours ago
Yes, you can take admission in BTech at ABES Engineering College without appearing in JEE Mains. They can take direct admission in the B.Tech programme. Candidates with an Engineering Diploma or a B.Sc degree with a minimum of 45% marks are eligible.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
The I2IT Pune JEE Main cutoff 2025 was released in the form of ranks for the All India categories. For the General AI category, the BE in the Computer Engineering branch had the overall cutoff ranging from 42136 in the first round to 52834 in the last round. Hence, General AI students needed to atta
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
The selection process for the All India quota students is based on their JEE Main ranks. Students who want admission to I2IT Pune need to appear in the CAP counselling process to avail a seat for any BE course.
The minimum rank required for admission was 68635 for the General AI category. Hence, stu
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
The minimum rank required to get admission at I2IT Pune would depend on the category you belong to. The I2IT Pune JEE Main cutoff 2025 for the General AI category says that a rank of at least 61370 is required to be eligible for admission to the BTech in Information Technology department. This categ
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
Students who attempted the JEE Main should start preparing for the JEE Advanced entrance examination if they want admission at IITs. Those who score above the 98th percentile in JEE Main session 2 should start to study for the JEE Advanced exam.
Students who get around the 95th and 98th percentile
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Contributor-Level 10
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As of now, the easiest shift of JEE Main 2026 April session was the April 2 shift 1 exam.
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Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
No, JEE Main is not compulsory for Intellipaat School of Technology, Pune BTech admissions. The institute conducts an in-house test based on which seats are given. Aspirants have to appear for the ISTEE to get admission in the institute.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, MITS Deemed to be University accepts valid score in JEE (Main) for admission in its BTech programme. Students can also choose take the MITSUCET instead which is conducted by the university for BTech admission.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
For those who are applying to the GD Goenka University BTech programme based on their JEE Main results, the timing is absolutely perfect and in sync with the rest of the country's results declaration and other processes. The JEE Main results are generally declared in the month of April every year, w
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Contributor-Level 9
Answered 5 days ago
- Candidates cannot use the JEE Main city slip 2026 for entry at the exam centre. Only the admit card can be used to enter the centre and for verification.
The National Testing Agency, in no case, will issue duplicate JEE Main admit cards at test centres
Candidates are requested to keep the admit card
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