Rules of Changing Branch in NIT - How to Change Branch

Rules of Changing Branch in NIT - How to Change Branch

K Guna SahitiUpdated on 22 Aug 2025, 11:30 AM IST

Rules of Changing Branch in NIT: JoSAA is the counselling body that provides admission to 32 NIT colleges in India. A BTech stream is assigned based on the number of seats available, the choice of the candidates and the JEE Main result. In a few cases, an aspirant may not get entrance to the desired BTech discipline. Hence, most of the institutions have provisions for branch change in NITs. Candidates will be able to select a different stream after the first year based on their academic performance. The conditions for changing branches in NIT vary for each college. Students who wish to change their BTech stream can go through this article for the rule of changing branch in NITs.

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Rules of Changing Branch in NIT - How to Change Branch
Rules of Changing Branch in NIT

Rules of Changing Branch in NIT:

In the table below, candidates can check the criteria to apply for a branch change in NIT. The following information consists of Institute-wise NITs along with their conditions for changing branches.

Institute-wise branch changing rules

College NameRule of Branch Change
NIT Bhopal

General/OBC Category- Minimum CGPA of 8.5 after completion of the first year without backlogs.
SC/ST/PH Category- Minimum CGPA of 8.0 after completion of the first year without backlogs

NIT Durgapur

General/OBC/EWS Category- SGPA not less than 9.00.
SC/ST - SGPA not less than 8.5.

NIT Jalandhar

General Category- Minimum CGPA of 7.5 after completion of the first year without backlogs.
SC/ST Category- Minimum CGPA of 6.5 after completion of the first year without backlogs.

NIT Jamshedpur

CGPA must be equal to or greater than 8.00 by the end of the second semester.

NIT Mizoram

Obtained a CGPA not less than 8.00 at the end of the second semester.

NIT Agartala

Obtained not less than 8.5 CGPA at the end of the second semester.

NIT Arunachal Pradesh

CGPA obtained at the end of the second semester shall be considered. In case of a tie, the JEE rank of the applicants will be considered.

NIT Nagpur

Highest CGPA candidates in the first year.

NIT Sikkim

Minimum CGPA of 7.00 after completion of the first year without backlogs.

NIT Uttarakhand

Minimum CGPA of 7.50 after completion of the first year without backlogs.

NIT Meghalaya

Minimum CGPA of 8.0 after completion of the first year without backlogs.

NIT Andhra Pradesh

Minimum CGPA of 8.5 after completion of the first year without backlogs.

NIT Goa

Minimum CGPA of 8.5 at the end of the second semester. First year must be cleared without backlogs.

NIT Manipur

Must have completed all the common credits required in the first two semesters.

NIT Rourkela

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Warangal

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Silchar

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Raipur

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Delhi

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Puducherry

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Calicut

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Allahabad

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Tiruchirappalli

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Jaipur

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Kurukshetra

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Nagaland

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Hamirpur

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Surathkal

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Patna

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

NIT Surat

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

IIEST Shibpur

No provision for changing the branch after admission.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Do all NITs provide option for branch change?
A:

No, not all the NIT colleges provide the option for branch change, for example, NIT Trichy, NIT Rourkela,  NIT Kurukshetra, NIT Nagaland and NIT Jaipur.

Q: How do I change my branch in NIT?
A:

The branch change in NIT is based on the merit of the students. The higher the scores the more chances to get the branch changed.

Q: Can we change the branch in the NIT second year?
A:

No, candidates can not change the branch in NIT's second year. The branch upgrade is only done based on the first-year results.

Q: Is there a student exchange program at NIT?
A:

Yes, Many NITs offer a student exchange program.

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Questions related to JEE Main

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to JEE Main ?

Hello,

Generally an income certificate isn't required for the JEE Main registration, but if you want to claim the EWS quota, then you need this. You must provide the certificate, issued by a government authority, as proof of your family's income being below the specified limit for the reservation category you wish to apply under.

I hope it will clear your query!!

Yes, as JEE does accepts improvement examination scores, so you must go for it but most of the state boards have already conducted or are conducting their 2025 improvement exams. If you have already given your improvement that's fine. If you have not given improvement this year then you can take your improvement next year.

Thank You.

Hello,

Yes, you can prepare for and take the JEE Main exam after completing your intermediate (12th year) exams. This is a common path for students who want to dedicate a year to intensive preparation without the pressure of simultaneous board exams.

I hope it will clear your query!!

You said you belong to the BC category, converted Christian from a Scheduled Caste background under 16A, and your community certificate is BC. You are giving the JEE exam and want to know which category you should choose and what benefits are there.

If you have a BC certificate, it means you are not eligible for the Scheduled Caste category now because after conversion to Christianity, SC reservation does not apply. So, in JEE or any central exam, you cannot use SC.

JEE and other central exams use the Central Government category list, not the state one. The Central categories are General, General-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST.

The BC category used by your state is not always the same as OBC-NCL. You need to check if your BC community name appears in the Central OBC list. If it appears there, you can select OBC-NCL. If it is not in the Central OBC list, you must select either General or General-EWS, depending on your family income.

If your family income is below 8 lakh per year, and you do not belong to any reserved category, you can choose General-EWS. If your income is above that, you must select General.

The difference between OBC-NCL and General-EWS is that OBC-NCL students get 27 percent reservation in IITs, NITs, and IIITs, and they also get government scholarships. General-EWS students get 10 percent reservation and can apply for EWS scholarships. General students do not get reservation or category-based scholarships.

So, the steps are simple. Check if your community is listed in the Central OBC list. If it is there, choose OBC-NCL in your JEE form. If it is not there, see if you are eligible for EWS. Otherwise, choose General.