JoSAA opens 2026 counseling registration, choice filling for engineering admissions

The admission process for undergraduate engineering programs at IITs, NITs, IIITs, and other centrally funded technical institutions has commenced, with the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) launching registration and choice filling for the 2026 counseling cycle on June 2.

Candidates who qualified through JEE Main 2026 and JEE Advanced 2026 can now submit their institute and branch preferences through the official JoSAA portal.

Authorities have advised applicants to keep all required documents ready, as these will be needed during seat allotment, verification, and online reporting stages.

Candidates seeking admission to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs through JEE Main 2026 must keep the following documents ready:

• Class 10 certificate, Aadhaar card, or birth certificate as proof of date of birth
• Class 12 mark sheet and passing certificate
• JEE Main 2026 admit card
• Category certificate for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, or GEN-EWS candidates, where applicable
• PwD certificate, if applicable
• Certificate for candidates with less than 40% disability and writing difficulties, where applicable
• Copy of a crossed bank cheque or passbook showing account details
• Medical certificate
• OCI certificate or PIO card, if applicable
• Passport or citizenship certificate, where required

Candidates allotted seats in IITs through JEE Advanced 2026 will be required to submit:

• Class 10 certificate, Aadhaar card, or birth certificate as age proof
• Class 12 mark sheet
• Applicable category certificate
• PwD certificate, where relevant
• Certificate for candidates with less than 40% disability and writing difficulties, if applicable
• Crossed bank cheque copy or passbook image with account details
• Medical certificate
• OCI certificate or PIO card, if applicable
• Passport or citizenship certificate, where applicable
• No registration fee, but seat confirmation charges apply

While participation in JoSAA Counseling 2026 does not require any registration fee, candidates who receive a seat allotment must pay a Seat Acceptance Fee to confirm their allocation.

The Seat Acceptance Fee has been set at ₹15,000 for SC, ST, and PwD candidates, while all other candidates must pay ₹30,000.

After the completion of the counseling rounds, students allotted seats in the NIT+ system will also have to deposit a Partial Admission Fee to secure their admission.

The Partial Admission Fee is ₹20,000 for SC, ST, and PwD candidates and ₹45,000 for all other categories.

According to JoSAA, these payments can be made through debit card, credit card, UPI, net banking, or e-challan.

Candidates must complete the fee payment process within the prescribed timelines to retain their allotted seats.