JoSAA 2026 Counselling: Best IITs And NITs In Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai — Cutoffs And What You Need To Know

With the declaration of JEE Advanced 2026 results, the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) will begin the counselling process from June 2, 2026. This counselling is conducted for admission to IITs, NITs, IIITs, IISc Bengaluru and other government-funded technical institutes. For lakhs of aspirants, this marks the most crucial phase of the admission cycle, where ranks must be strategically converted into seats.

The JoSAA counselling process is conducted in a centralised manner and comprises multiple stages, including registration, choice filling, mock allotments and final seat allocation rounds. Cutoffs are released after each round in the form of opening and closing ranks and vary across categories, courses and institutions on the basis of which

admissions are made.

Delhi

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi continues to be one of the most top choices among engineering aspirants. Among the most sought-after branches, Computer Science Engineering (CSE) tops the list. Other courses include Mathematics and Computing and Electrical Engineering. Typically admission to these branches close within the top 600 ranks, while Mechanical Engineering extends to around the 2000 rank range. Securing a seat in a top branch at IIT Delhi generally requires a rank within the top 500.

For candidates seeking admission through JEE Main, National Institutes of Technology (NIT) Delhi, though relatively new, has been gaining popularity due to its location advantage, with CSE expected to close between ranks 7,000 and 10,000.

Mumbai

IIT Bombay remains one of the most preferred institutes in the country, with its CSE programme often recording the lowest closing rank nationwide. The closing rank for Computer Science is usually between 1 and 60 for general category candidates. While Electrical Engineering may close around rank 300. Mechanical Engineering, another popular branch, usually remains accessible up to around rank 1500. Due to its consistent academic reputation and placement record, competition for IIT Bombay remains exceptionally high.

Mumbai does not have an NIT, but Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) Nagpur is often considered a preferred option for students targeting that region, with CSE cutoffs typically ranging between ranks 5,000 and 7,000.

Chennai

In Chennai, IIT Madras continues to be a leading academic and research institution. The expected closing rank for CSE is likely to fall between 150 and 180, while Electrical Engineering may close around ranks 800 – 900. Mechanical Engineering seats are typically filled by candidates within the top 2500 ranks.

While NIT Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) stands out as one of the top NITs in India. Its CSE programme is expected to close within the top 2,000 ranks, while Electronics and Communication Engineering may close around rank 4,000. Mechanical Engineering usually extends up to ranks between 6,000 and 8,000, making it a strong option for students who narrowly miss out on IITs.

Cutoffs each year are influenced by several factors, including the difficulty level of entrance exams, the number of applicants, seat availability and the popularity of specific branches. As a result, they are subject to variation across counselling rounds and should be used as indicative benchmarks rather than fixed thresholds.

Thequalifying aggregate cutoff for the general category in JEE Advanced 2026 is 92. Although the 2026 cutoff is significantly higher than the 2025 cutoff, it remains lower than the 2024 record. In 2024, the qualifying aggregate percentage was 30.34, with qualifying marks of 109. This was followed by a steep decline in 2025, when the aggregate cutoff dropped to 20.56% (74 points). It has now climbed again to 25.56% (92 points) in 2026.