The National Testing Agency has not specified an age limit, upper or lower, for candidates
wishing to appear in JEE Main 2026. This way, children and youth and all age groups of adults
can participate in the exam once they meet the educational prerequisite although they need to
consider the year of passing the Class 12. Students must have passed Class 12 or equivalent
exam in 2023 or 2024 or be appearing in 2026. Candidates who have passed Class 12 prior to
2022 or are appearing in 2026 are not eligible to register for JEE Main 2026.

This wide-ranging age policy works for both fresh candidates and those candidates who may
have taken a drop year or two after Class 12.

Nationality Criteria for JEE Main 2026

JEE Main 2026 is open to a wide range of applicants with varied nationalities, provided those
candidates satisfy the eligibility conditions set by NTA. It is fully acceptable for Indian nationals
to apply to the examination. Furthermore, there are some categories of foreign nationals who
are also allowed to appear.
This covers Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO), Overseas Citizenship of
India (OCI) and foreign nationals. They are all allowed to apply for JEE Main 2026, given that
they meet the academic and subject eligibility requirements.
When it is time for admission, it is important to remember that candidates with PIO/OCI
designation will be treated as, only Other State Quota or All India Quota, admissions when
completing their Class 12 or equivalent examinations outside India for in the NITs, IIITs, IIEST,
and other centrally funded technical institutes. They are not eligible for Home State Quota.

Number of Attempts Allowed for JEE Main 2026

There are clear guidelines regarding how many times a candidate may attempt the JEE Main
examination. As per NTA’s guidelines and the exam information bulletin, a candidate may
attempt JEE Main for three years following the year of passing Class 12 or equivalent
examination.

JEE Main is conducted twice a year (generally January and April), therefore it is possible for
candidates to attempt the JEE Main examination up to six times over a period of three years.
Not to be left short, candidates are generously given numerous chances to improve scores and
obtain a favorable rank.

For example, a candidate who passed Class 12 in 2023 may attempt JEE Main in 2023 (2
attempts in January and in April), 2024 (2 attempts) and 2026 (2 attempts) (i.e. 6 attempts).
Candidates that graduated well before the 2022 calendar year and/or intends to attempt JEE
Main in 2026 or beyond will have no eligibility for JEE Main 2026.

Tip: Utilize the first attempt as a learning experience to familiarize oneself with the exam
pattern and exam conditions so that you can effectively adjust your study and optimize
your performance to maximize your attempts and combine JEE Main sessions to get the
best score possible.

Minimum Marks Required for JEE Main 2026 Eligibility

To be eligible for admission to top technical institutes through JEE Main 2026, candidates are
required to maintain specified levels of academic performance in Class 12.

In the General or Unreserved category of students, candidates are required, either to obtain a
minimum of 75% marks in the Class 12 board examination, or to be in the top 20 percentile of
the respective board’s result. These qualifications are essential for admission to NITs, IIITs, CFTIs,
and other government-funded technical institutions.

For SC, ST, and PwD category students, the criteria is not as stringent by requiring a minimum of
65% marks in Class 12 examination before being eligible for admission to those institutions. The
reservation policy intends to promote equitable accessibility for education and maintain social
inclusion in higher technical education.

Note: No specific percentage of marks are required to appear in JEE Main, but these
marks criteria must be fulfilled for admission, particularly in the case of the participating
institutions in the JoSAA counselling process.

Class 12 Subject Combinations for JEE Main Courses

The courses that a student studies in Class 12 can highly influence the qualification of being able
to apply for the different JEE Main Papers. Depending on what course you are applying for,
B.Tech, B.Arch, B.Plan, you will require different subjects studied.

  ➤ For B.Tech (JEE Main Paper 1):

Candidates must have studied:

    ● Physics and Mathematics (these are compulsory).
    ● Plus one of Chemistry, Biology or Technical Vocational Subject.

 ➤ For B.Arch (JEE Main Paper 2A):

you will require three subjects passed in Class 12:    

   ● Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

Without these subjects, it is not possible to gain entrance to the course as these subjects are
integral because of how the course emphasizes mathematical and design.

  ➤ For B.Plan (JEE Main Paper 2B):

Students applying to planning courses may only require:

    ● Mathematics as a compulsory subject in Class 12 or equivalent qualification

State Code of Eligibility for JEE Main 2026

Your State Code of Eligibility will tell you which state you will be eligible under for admission and
counselling, more specifically the state under which the candidate is considered for seat
allotment under state quota in NITs and CFTIs will be determined by the State Code of Eligibility
rule.

The State Code of Eligibility is based on the location of the school board/institution from which
the candidate has completed (or is completing) their Class 12 or equivalent examination not
based on their permanent residential address or location.

Important Scenarios to Understand the State Code:

    ● When a student passes their Class 12 from a school in Mumbai, although their
permanent address or residence is in Delhi, their state code will still be Maharashtra.
    ● In the case that a student improves their Class 12 marks from another board/state, they
will still get the state code from the state/board where they FIRST passed their Class 12.
    ● For students from NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling), the state code will be
based on where the student conducted their study hours.
    ● For Indian citizens who pass their Class 12 from abroad (either Nepal or Bhutan), the
original state code will barcode using the permanent address in the candidate’s
passport.
    ● Candidates classified as PIO/OCI will have their state code treated as Indian citizens if
they passed their Class 12 in India.
    ● Candidates classified as PIO/OCI who passed their Class 12 abroad will have no state
code assigned. They may only be eligible for the All India Quota and Other State Quota.
No Home State Quotient benefits.

Think Carefully When Selecting Your State Code, as it will affect your ability to claim state-quota
seats during counselling.