Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE Main advanced 2026 for Droppers? - Official Update & Clarification

Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE Main advanced 2026 for Droppers? - Official Update & Clarification

K Guna SahitiUpdated on 13 Dec 2025, 06:59 PM IST

Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE 2026 for Droppers? This is quite a common question among JEE aspirants. Well, the answer is no. NTA has not removed the 75% criteria from JEE 2026 for droppers. However, candidates could apply for JEE Main and take the exam. The 75% criterion is only considered during the counselling process. The authority has no academic restrictions for attempting the JEE Main 2026 exam. Moreover, the 75% criterion in JEE applies to Open, OBC and EWS candidates. The SC, ST and PwD applicants must have a minimum of 65% in class 12th.
Also Check- JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2026

LiveJEE Mains Admit Card 2026 LIVE: NTA to issue exam hall tickets for BTech, other papers soon; timings, syllabusJan 14, 2026 | 4:31 PM IST

Candidates can attempt JEE Main 2026 twice, as the exam is conducted in two sessions in the same year. Students are allowed to appear in one or both sessions, and the best score out of the two is considered for the final merit list.

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This Story also Contains

  1. Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE 2026 for Droppers?
  2. Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE 2026 for Droppers- General Category
  3. Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE 2026 for Droppers- SC/ST Category
  4. Importance of 75% Criteria in JEE 2025
  5. What to do in Case the 75% Criteria for JEE 2026 are Not Satisfied
Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE Main advanced 2026 for Droppers? - Official Update & Clarification
Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE Main 2026 for Droppers

Aspirants should use the JEE Main 2026 college predictor to get an idea of their admission chances into desired colleges. For further information on whether the 75% criteria is removed from JEE 2026 for droppers, read through the article.

Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE 2026 for Droppers?

No, the 75% criteria is not removed from the JEE 2026 for droppers. This holds for general, OBC and EWS category candidates. Meaning, candidates must have scored 75% aggregate in class 12th to be eligible for admission to JoSAA participating institutes through JEE Main and JEE Advanced. These colleges are IITs, NITs, IIITs, and CFTIs. Aspirants need not have the 75% in class 12th for taking the exam. However, if candidates are applying for admission through JoSAA, they must have more than or equal to 75%.
Related- Is 75% criteria removed from JEE Main?

Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE 2026 for Droppers- General Category

No, as per the JEE Mains information brochure 2025, NTA has not removed the 75% condition from JEE 2026 for Droppers belonging to General, OBC, EWS categories. Candidates need to have secured 75% in class 12th to be capable of admission to NITs, IIITs and CFTIS through JEE Mains. The same criteria apply for JEE Advanced aspirants as well. Nonetheless, students can still apply for the IIT JEE exam. Several other institutes do not require the 75% criteria for droppers for B.Tech admission.

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Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE 2026 for Droppers- SC/ST Category

The SC, ST and PwD category candidates do not require the have 75% in class 12th to gain admission through JEE Main 2026 or JEE Advanced 2026. The authority has provided relaxation to applicants belonging to these categories. Instead of 75%, they must have an aggregate of 65% in class 12th.

Importance of 75% Criteria in JEE 2025

The National Testing Agency has not removed the 75% criterion from JEE 2026 for dropper or any other candidates from the Open, OBC or EWS categories. The simple reason for this step is to filter out the candidates. Since the competition for admission to premier institutes is increasing every year, the authority employs the class 12th percentage cutoff as a step to decrease competition. Also, one of the other reasons could be that the 75% criteria in class 12th can act as a proof of the student’s calibre in pursuing a BTech degree in some of the best institutes.

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What to do in Case the 75% Criteria for JEE 2026 are Not Satisfied

Although droppers must have taken a break in studies for a year or more, they need not panic. There are several major colleges like Amrita Vishwa Vidhyapeetham, Galgotia University, Thapar University etc that accept students based on their merit in JEE 2026, but do not place the 75% condition. Moreover, state-level counsellings in states, like, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan etc offer BTech admission to very good state government colleges. Hence. Irrespective of whether the 75% criteria is removed from JEE 2026 for droppers or not, they can take the test and apply for these colleges.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Does 75% criteria in JEE 2026 for droppers apply for SC candidates?
A:

No. Instead of 75%, SC category candidates need to have an aggregate of 65% in class 12th.

Q: What to do if 75% criteria is not removed from JEE 2026 for droppers?
A:

There is not need to worry. Droppers can still attempt the exam and apply for other state level counselling or JEE accepting colleges.

Q: Is 75% Criteria Removed From JEE 2026 for Droppers?
A:

No, the 75% criteria is not removed from JEE 2026 for droppers.

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Questions related to JEE Main

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to JEE Main ?

Hello,

Yes, attendance is compulsory in Class XI and XII.

As per school and board rules, students must maintain minimum attendance, usually around 75%. Schools can stop students from appearing in board exams if attendance is short.

Even if a student is preparing for JEE or any other competitive exam

Hello,

You can find here the direct links to download the JEE Main last 10 years PYQ PDFs from the Official Careers360 website.

Kindly visit this link to access the question papers : Last 10 Years JEE Main Question Papers with Solutions PDF

Hope it helps !

Hello Harika,

Firstly, you cannot prepare for JEE in 8 days if you havent studied before. But still, You can try solving the previous year question papers. Here's a Link for the same

Previous Year Questions

HELLO,

If you are from General category with 57 percent in 12th then to appear for JEE Advanced you need to be in top percentile of your board as the eligibility for JEE advanced you need at least 75 percent in 12th or in the top 20 percentile of your

Hello aspirant,

The JEE Main 2026 admission card will include information about the exam location. On the other hand, students can use the JEE Main 2026 city notification slip, which was made available on January 8, 2026, to check the exam city beforehand. The second week of January 2026 is