Exam Schedule and Application Deadlines

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, established in 1847 as the Thomason College of Civil Engineering and one of the oldest technical institutions in Asia, has officially opened the registration portal for the JEE Advanced 2026 examination. Candidates must finalize their online applications by May 2, with a final deadline for fee payment set for May 4. The examination itself is scheduled to take place on May 17, consisting of two distinct sessions: the first paper runs from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, and the second paper is slated for 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. In the state of Chhattisgarh, testing centers have been designated in Raipur, Bhilainagar, and Bilaspur, reflecting the exam's expanding reach to accommodate over 250,000 annual applicants nationwide.

Eligibility and Fee Structure

Participation is restricted to students who achieved a minimum of 93.4 percentile in the general category during the JEE Mains 2026 sessions, a threshold that has gradually increased from 80.2 percentile in 2013 due to rising competition. The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the results for the January session on February 16, followed by the April session results on April 20. According to Dr. Rakshit Selot, a PhD holder from IIT Roorkee and an online tutor for the examination, approximately 350 candidates have successfully qualified to sit for the advanced test this year, a figure that represents less than 1% of the total JEE Mains applicants.

Registration Requirements

The application fee is set at 3,200 rupees for general, Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates. A reduced fee of 1,600 rupees applies to female, physically disabled, Scheduled Caste (SC), and Scheduled Tribe (ST) applicants, aligning with the government's reservation policies that allocate 15%, 7.5%, and 27% of IIT seats to SC, ST, and OBC candidates respectively. Candidates must use their existing JEE Main credentials to access the portal. Those falling under reserved categories are required to upload valid certification documents to finalize their registration. Successful candidates will eventually compete for seats in the four-year Bachelor of Technology programs offered across the 23 IITs nationwide, which collectively admit around 16,000 students annually.

As reported by The Hitavada.