JEE Main Eligibility Criteria, Age Limit, Marks, Attempts 2026

The National Testing Agency (NTA) releases the eligibility criteria of JEE Main 2026 Exam on its official website. Before applying for the exam, candidates would be advised to check if they fulfill the minimum eligibility for JEE Mains defined by the agency. If the candidates are not found eligible as per the requirements, NTA has the authority of cancel the candidature at any stage of the admission procedure.

The eligibility criteria generally consist of vital aspects such as minimum educational qualification, age limit, nationality etc. The basic requirement as per the eligibility for JEE Mains is to pass senior secondary school i.e. 12^th class or equivalent.

JEE Main Exam is conducted in two sessions, session 1 exams will be held in the month of January 2026, whereas JEE Main session 2 exam will be conducted in April, 2026. To know more about the JEE Main eligibility criteria, scroll the page further.

New Features of JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2025

The National Testing Agency had introduced some changes in the eligibility criteria of JEE Main exam 2025. It must be known by students who are willing to appear for the examination. Following are the recent changes introduced in JEE Main Eligibility. These changes are expected to remain the same for JEE Main 2026 exam.

• Candidates seeking admission to IITs, NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs must secure at least 75% marks in 12^th Class. Candidates who manage to be in top 20 percentile are also eligible for admission. (candidates belonging to SC/ST category would require at least 65% marks in aggregate)
• 12^th class marks not considered while calculating All India Rank of JEE Main.
• Applicants from Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, and Meghalaya must provide the officials with details such as passport number, ration card, bank account number, or any govt. id number. These details are to be filled while filling the application form.
• Candidates applying for JEE Main must possess a valid id such as Aadhar card in order to take the examination.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026

Candidates appearing for JEE Main 2026 have given three options/papers they can appear in. These exams are Paper 1, and Paper 2.

• Paper 1 for B. E./B. Tech – Candidates must have passed 12^th class with Physics and Mathematics as main subjects along with one of the subjects Chemistry/Biology/Biotechnology.
• Paper 2 for B. Arch – Candidates must have passed 12^th class with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics as mandatory subjects.
• Paper 3 for B. Planning – Candidates must have studied Mathematics as compulsory subject in class 12^th.

Note* Candidates are given a total of three attempts (consecutive) in order to qualify JEE Main Examination.

Eligibility for JEE Mains 2026

The National Testing Agency defines JEE Main Eligibility based on the four parameters and students appearing for the exam must qualify each parameter in order to be eligible for JEE Main. These four aspects are as following:

• Age Limit
• Educational Qualification
• Number of Attempts
• Year of Appearing in Qualifying Examination

The basic eligibility to appear in JEE Main examination would be having passed senior secondary school/12^th class or qualifying examination. The detailed eligibility criteria given below would help you understand the requirements clearly.

JEE Main Age Limit

• There is no such age limit bar set for students to appear in JEE Main 2026 Examination.
• Nevertheless, there are some age limit criteria set by some institutes. Candidates must check this before applying for the examination.
• Besides, candidates must consider their year of passing 12^th class.

Year of Passing Qualifying Examination

• This is one of the criteria defined to check if the students are eligible to apply for JEE Main exam or not.
• It is important for students to have passed qualifying examination in the year 2022 or 2023. Students who are appearing in 2026 are also eligible to apply for JEE Main 2026.

Find below the table which defines year of passing qualifying examination:

Candidates are also considered if they are eligible or not based on the number of attempts, they have been given to qualify the examination. It must be noted that students can apply for JEE Main for three years that too consecutively.

• JEE Main 2026 Exam will be conducted twice this year, i.e. in the month of January and April.
• Students can appear for all the four sessions.
• Students' appearance in all the four sessions would be considered one single attempt.

Number of Subjects in Qualifying Examination

• Students appearing for JEE Main are also required to fulfill this parameter of eligibility to be eligible for taking the exam.
• Candidates must pass the qualifying examination with at least 5 subjects in total.
• Candidates with less than 5 subjects will not be eligible for taking JEE Main 2026 Exam.

Marks Required in Qualifying Examination

• Students appearing for JEE Main exam must pass senior secondary school or qualifying examination securing a minimum percentage.
• Candidates must secure at least 75% marks in aggregate in senior secondary school or qualifying examination.
• Candidates belonging to SC/ST/PwD categories must secure at least 65% marks in aggregate in qualifying examination.

You can also read: JEE Main total marks

JEE Main 2026 – Qualifying Exams

The basic eligibility for students to appear in JEE Main 2026exam is to pass senior secondary school or qualifying exam from a center or state recognized university or board. Following is the list of other relevant qualifying examinations students of which are considered eligible for taking JEE Main 2026 exam:

• 12^th class examination conducted by central/state board namely Central Board of Secondary Education, Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, etc.
• Two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of National Defense Academy.
• Exam conducted by the National Institute of Open School.
• Any examination in India or Outside India recognized as equivalent examination by the Association of Indian Universities.
• Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination.
• Any diploma recognized by All India Council for Technical Education or State Board of Technical Education. (with at least 3 years of duration)
• General Certificate of Education Examination at the Advanced level for admission to IITs.

JEE Main Eligibility 2026 – State Code

The state code generally defines the state where the students have completed their senior secondary school from. This is another aspect based on which it is decided if the students are eligible to take JEE Main exam or not. Below is the list of State Codes for JEE Main Eligibility 2026.

• Admission to IITs, NITs, and CFTIs usually depends on Central Seat Allocation Board and the admission procedure primarily depends on All India Rank (AIR).
• For admission to NITs, IIITs, or GFTIs, candidates must qualify senior secondary school with at least 75% marks in aggregate. Besides, candidates in top 20 percentile in 12^th class are also eligible for admission. (65% for students of SC/ST/PwD category)
• For admission to B. Arch and B. Planning, candidates must have passed 12^th class or qualifying examination securing at least 50% marks in aggregate from a recognized board.