JEE Advanced Eligibility 2026 (OUT): Age Limit, Percentage in Class 12, Education Qualification

JEE Advanced Eligibility 2026: This year, IIT Roorkee will be conducting the JEE Advanced 2026 exam on May 17, 2026. The conducting institute has released the JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria 2026 on the official portal. This year, the eligibility criteria have been released in 5 different categories. It is compulsory for candidates to fulfil all the categories to appear for the JEE Advanced exam 2026.

The top 2,50,000 JEE Main 2026 qualified candidates will take the JEE Advanced 2026 exam who are born before October 1, 2001. Interested candidates must have appeared for Class 12th with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in the year 2026 or 2025. A candidate who got admission in IIT before is NOT eligible to appear for the exam. Candidates must meet the JEE Advanced eligibility criteria to appear for the exam. Additionally, the JEE Advanced syllabus has changed, so candidates must be aware of it in order to prepare well.

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JEE Advanced notification is expected in April 2026; Check here

Last Updated 7th October 2025

Before filling out the JEE Advanced Application Form 2026, it is necessary that candidates must read the required eligibility criteria in order to appear for the exam. At any stage of the selection process, candidates who fail to meet the set eligibility requirements will be disqualified.

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria 2026

The National Testing Agency (NTA) releases the JEE Advanced 2026 eligibility criteria on the official website. The eligibility requirements are a set of guidelines and conditions that candidates must meet in order to take the examination. Interested candidates can check the detailed eligibility criteria, including the age limit, passing year, percentage required, education qualification, and nationality, in the article below. 

Also Read: JEE Advanced Admit Card 2026

JEE Advanced Eligibility 2026: Performance in JEE Main Exam

• Candidates must rank among the top 2,50,000 scorers in the B.E./B.Tech. paper of the JEE (Main) 2026 exam (across all categories).
• According to their performance on the B.E./B.Tech. paper of the JEE Main exam, the top 2,50,000 applicants in each category will be chosen in the order shown in the following table.

Note:

Candidates from the following categories will be shortlisted in the following percentages:

• 10% for GEN-EWS
• 27% for OBC-NCL
• 15% for SC
• 7.5% for ST
• and the remaining 40.5% is OPEN for everyone. 

In each of these five categories, there is a 5% horizontal reservation for persons with disabilities.

Read More: JEE Advanced Exam Pattern 2026

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria 2026: Year of Passing

• The National Testing Agency (NTA) has designated the year of passing Class 12 for candidates wishing to take the JEE Advanced examination.
• Candidates must have taken the Class 12 exam for the first time either in 2025 or 2026 in order to qualify for the JEE Advanced 2026 examination.
• Regardless of the combinations of disciplines studied, candidates who have taken their Class XII (or equivalent) exam for the first time in 2024 or before are NOT eligible to take the JEE (Advanced) in 2026.

Note: The appearance in Class XII (or equivalent) examinations means the Board declared the result regardless of whether an examination was held during the year. Even if a particular candidate's result has been withheld, it will still be considered an appearance.

JEE Advanced Eligibility 2026: Age Limit

• The JEE Advanced exam has a prescribed age limit that candidates must meet.
• Candidates must have been born on or after October 01, 2001.
• It is to be noted that candidates from OBC/SC/ST categories will be given a relaxation of five years.

JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Number of Attempts

• The JEE Advanced examination is held once a year.
• Candidates are allowed to take the JEE Advanced exam a maximum of two times in two consecutive years.

Also Read: JEE Advanced 2026 Exam Syllabus

JEE Advanced Eligibility 2026: Past Admission at IITs

• Regardless of whether candidates took admission into IIT or not after getting selected, individuals who have previously been admitted to an IIT or ISM will not be permitted to take the JEE Advanced exam.
• Additionally, they won't be allowed to take JEE Advanced 2026 if they have already reported to a reporting centre to accept an IIT seat.
• Candidates whose seats were revoked after enrolling at any IIT for any reason are not permitted to take the JEE Advanced exam.
• Candidates who were first-time enrolled to a preparatory programme at any of the IITs in 2025 can participate in the JEE (Advanced) exam in 2026.
• Candidates who received an IIT seat through JoSAA 2025 but who failed to appear "online" or at any "reporting centre" OR (ii) withdrew before the final round of seat allocation OR (iii) had their seat cancelled (for any reason) prior to the final round of IIT seat allocation are eligible to take the JEE (Advanced) 2026 exam.

JEE Advanced 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Foreign Candidates

The JEE Advanced eligibility criteria for foreign national candidates are slightly different from those of Indian candidates. Take a look at the definition of Foreign Nationals according to the JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria 2026:

• Candidates who are non-citizens of India either by birth or by naturalisation.
• Candidates who do not possess PIO (Person of Indian Origin) or OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) status.
• Those applicants whose parents are not Indian citizens and who do not fall under the OCI/PIO category during the registration process for JEE Advanced 2026.

Read More: JEE Advanced Preparation 2026

JEE Advanced Foreign Candidates Eligibility 2026: Educational Qualification

• Foreign candidates who completed their Class 12 in India or Abroad are not required to appear for the JEE Main 2026 examination. These candidates are eligible to directly appear for the JEE Advanced exam.
• The foreign candidates are not included in the Top 2,50,000 candidates eligible for the JEE Advanced examination. These candidates will be considered in addition to the top 2.5 lakh candidates.

JEE Advanced Foreign Candidates 2026 Eligibility: Age Limit

• Aspirants should have been born on or after October 1, 2001. 
• The aspirant will be offered a waiver of the requisite number of years in nations where a minimum tenure in the armed services for a specific period is essential before/after the Class XII (or equivalent) examination.
• When registering, the candidate is needed to provide a certificate or testimonial to this effect that has been given by the appropriate authorities.

JEE Advanced Foreign Candidates Eligibility: Number of Attempts

A candidate is only allowed to take the JEE (Advanced) exam twice in successive years.

JEE Advanced Foreign Candidates Eligibility: Year of Passing

• Foreign Students wishing to take the JEE Advanced examination must pass Class 12 in the year designated by the National Testing Agency.
• Candidates must have passed their Class 12 in either 2025 or 2026 in order to sit for the JEE Advanced 2025 exam.
• Candidates who took their Class XII (or equivalent) exam for the first time in 2024 or earlier are NOT eligible to sit the JEE (Advanced) in 2026, regardless of the combinations of fields they studied.

JEE Advanced Foreign Candidates Eligibility: Past Admission at IITs

• People who have previously been admitted to an IIT or ISM would not be allowed to sit for the JEE Advanced 2026 test, regardless of whether they got enrolled into an IIT after being selected.
• Furthermore, if they previously went to a reporting centre to accept an IIT seat, they won't be able to sit for the JEE Advanced 2025 exam.
• No one is allowed to sit for the JEE Advanced exam if their seats have been cancelled at any IIT after enrolling for whatever reason.

Note:

• Any applicant enrolled in a preparatory course for the first time at any of the IITs can take the JEE (Advanced) exam.
• A candidate is also eligible to appear for the exam if: 

(i) he/she has been accepted to IIT through JoSAA 2023 but has not appeared for reporting either "online" or “in person” OR

(ii) withdrew his candidature before the final round of seat allotment OR

(iii) cancelled their allotted seat (for whatever reason) prior to the final round of IIT seat allocation.

Foreign Centres for JEE Advanced 2026

It has been announced that no foreign nations or centres will host the JEE Advanced 2026 Exam. However, foreign national applicants may take the JEE (Advanced) 2026 exam at an Indian centre at their own cost (covering travel, etc.), provided they follow the necessary travel regulations set forth by the governments of India and their respective home countries.

JEE Advanced Registration 2026

Candidates who meet the aforementioned eligibility criteria may fill out a JEE Advanced application form. Before submitting an application, it is crucial for applicants to confirm their eligibility since if they are discovered to be ineligible, their application will be dismissed.

How to Fill JEE Advanced Application Form 2026?

The steps to fill out the application form are as follows:

• Visit the official website of JEE Advanced and register yourself using your roll number and password.
• Once registered, log in using the set credentials for the application form
• Fill out personal and educational details as asked
• Upload required scanned documents
• Pay the application fee
• Submit the form and take a printout of the confirmation page.

Documents Required

Candidates are required to upload certain documents at the time of JEE Advanced registration. These documents are listed below:

• Class 10th Marksheet (for age proof and date of birth)
• Class 12th Marksheet (for validating 75% criteria)
• Valid ID proof (Ex - Aadhar Card)
• Proof of Citizenship