What After JEE Main?

JEE Advanced 2026

Candidates who qualify the JEE Main exam and are among the top 2,50,000 candidates can appear for the JEE Advanced. However, candidates need to fulfil the other eligibility criteria too. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) conduct the JEE Advanced exam. Registration for JEE Advanced 2026 will commence online. The exam is conducted for two papers. JEE Advanced qualifying candidates will be offered admission to the IITs. The qualifying candidates need to participate in the JoSAA counselling. Other institutes which will consider JEE Advanced merit are the Indian Institutes of Science Education & Research (IISERs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram. Around 10,988 seats are available for admission in the participating IITs.

JoSAA Counselling

If you missed the chance for JEE Advanced 2026, then do not despair. Based on your JEE Main 2026 performance, you will be eligible for admission into good engineering colleges. Through the JoSAA counselling, you will be allotted seats offered by NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. The counselling is conducted online. The allotment process will be conducted by Joint Seat Allocation Authority and admissions will be done based on JEE Main rank and choice of college or courses.

Other Top Engineering Entrance Examination

Other than NITs, IIITs, CFTIs and IITs, there are other top engineering entrance options present for you. Private and state-level engineering entrance exams will also be able to win you a seat in prestigious institutes. By attempting other top engineering entrance exams, you will be able to provide yourself with a wider range of options to select. These exams will also let you be closer to home and ensure a good all-round education.

State Engineering Entrance Examinations

If you wish to study near home, then you can always apply for the state engineering entrance exam as an option for "What after JEE Main 2026?". These exams provide admissions into the best government institutes and give preference to those students who meet the domicile requirements. Some states also provide admissions through the JEE Main rank. These states use the All India ranks to allot seats and simply conduct the counselling based on specified eligibility criteria as announced by the state authorities.

States offering partial admissions through JEE Main 2026

• Maharashtra – Maharashtra state offers 15% of the total seats at private/self-financed engineering institutes through JEE Main 2026.

• West Bengal – The state offers 10% of the total seats at private engineering institutes through JEE Main.

• Himachal Pradesh – Himachal Pradesh offers the first 50% of the total seats across all institutes based on JEE Main merit/rank.

• Rajasthan – The state offers 15% of the total seats at private-unaided engineering institutes and 15% of the total seats across self-financed courses offered by government-aided institutions to candidates from other states based on JEE Main score or class 12th marks.

College After JEE Mains 2026

After the JEE Mains 2026 results, candidates can aim for some of the top-tier institutions in India. For example, the premier National Institutes of Technology (NITs) like NIT Trichy, NIT Warangal, and NIT Surathkal are among the top choices for engineering aspirants. Other prestigious options include the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) such as IIIT Allahabad, IIIT Bangalore, IIIT Hyderabad, IIIT Delhi, and IIIT Kancheepuram, which are known for their specialized focus on IT and computer science. Additionally, Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) like IIEST Shibpur, PEC Chandigarh, and BIT Mesra offer excellent opportunities for those seeking a solid technical education. With the growing number of IIITs and newer institutes, there are increasingly more options for aspiring engineers across the country.

Top Engineering Colleges other than IITs & NITs

• Jadavpur University

• Vellore Institute of Technology

• Anna University

• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

• Thapar University

• BITS Pilani

• Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi

• Siksha `O` Anusandhan

• S.R.M. Institute of Science and Technology

• Delhi Technological University

• Amity University

Engineering Entrance Exams Other Than JEE Main

Engineering entrance exams in India are held at the national, state and college levels. State-level engineering exams are conducted by individual states for admission to engineering colleges within that state, providing an alternative route to engineering education. Candidates need to fulfil the eligibility conditions to appear for the entrance examinations conducted at the state level. The same is the case with the entrance test held at university level.