- By Sarju Saran Tiwari
- Mon, 20 Apr 2026 02:14 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
JEE Main 2026 Cut Off: The National Testing Agency (NTA) is all set to release the official JEE Main 2026 Session 2 cutoff today, April 20, 2026, along with the Paper 1 result on the official website jeemain.nta.nic.in. The cutoff determines eligibility for JEE Advanced 2026, which is the gateway to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
Candidates who have appeared in Session 2 are eagerly waiting for the official qualifying percentile, which will be the deciding factor for their engineering career trajectory. Experts and coaching institutes have already released expected cutoffs based on Session 1 difficulty levels, registration numbers, and historical trends.
Candidates need to understand that JEE Main has two types of cutoffs- the qualifying cutoff, which determines eligibility for JEE Advanced, and the admission cutoff, which is used by NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs for seat allotment through JoSAA counselling.
The qualifying cutoff is released by NTA, while the admission cutoff varies from institution to institution. Based on expert analysis, the expected qualifying cutoff for 2026 stands at 93.3045326 percentile for the General (UR) category, with reserved categories having lower thresholds as per government norms.
JEE Main 2026 Expected Category-Wise Cutoff
Based on expert analysis of Session 1 difficulty level and past year trends, here is the expected qualifying cutoff for JEE Main 2026:
Category | Expected Cutoff 2026 (Percentile) |
Unreserved (UR) | 93.3045326 |
Gen-EWS | 81.4387917 |
OBC-NCL | 80.7456432 |
SC | 61.3526948 |
ST | 48.2456783 |
UR-PwD | 0.0082349 |
The official cutoff for Session 2 is expected to be announced shortly today on April 20, 2026. Candidates are advised to keep checking jeemain.nta.nic.in for live updates.
JEE Main Previous Years Category-Wise Cutoff Trends
Tracking past cutoff data helps candidates assess their chances of qualifying for JEE Advanced. Here is a look at how the qualifying cutoffs have moved over recent years:
Category | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
Unreserved (UR) | 93.2 | 93.2 | 90.7 | 88.4 |
Gen-EWS | 81.2 | 81.3 | 75.6 | 63.1 |
OBC-NCL | 80.6 | 80.5 | 75.6 | 68.0 |
SC | 60.9 | 60.8 | 51.9 | 46.8 |
ST | 47.8 | 46.6 | 37.2 | 34.6 |
UR-PwD | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 |
As evident from the data, the General category cutoff has remained relatively stable in 2024 and 2025, hovering around 93.2 percentile, after years of steady rise. Experts predict a marginal increase in 2026, given the slightly higher competition and registration numbers this year.
JEE Main Session 2 Cutoff 2026: To Be Announced Today
The official JEE Main Session 2 Paper 1 cutoff for 2026 is set to be declared shortly today, April 20, 2026, on jeemain.nta.nic.in. The final cutoff will be computed by NTA, taking into account the best of the two sessions for each candidate. Only those who meet or exceed the qualifying percentile in their respective categories will be eligible to register for JEE Advanced 2026.
Candidates are strongly advised to rely only on the official NTA website for cutoff information and avoid unofficial sources. This page will be updated as soon as NTA makes the official announcement.
