What Is This Guide About?
This guide is for JEE Main 2026 candidates. It helps you understand what percentile you need to get into colleges, especially NITs. You will also know the cutoff percentiles for various categories like General, OBC, SC and ST. We will discuss the opening and closing ranks for some colleges in the round. You can also use a predictor to find out the colleges you may get based on your percentile.
1. Percentile vs College (NITs)
Here is the percentile ranges needed to get into different NITs. These are based on trends.
Institute / NIT
Approx. Percentile Range
NIT Goa
93 – 94
NIT Kurukshetra
98 – 99
NIT Agartala
86 – 89
NIT Warangal
97 – 99
NIT Srinagar
92 – 94
NIT Surathkal
97 – 99
NIT Trichy
97 – 98
NIT Delhi
97 – 99
NIT Raipur
94 – 95
You need percentiles above 97 to get into popular NITs and branches like CSE and ECE.
2. Expected Cutoff Percentile (Category-Wise)
Here are the typical percentile cutoffs you need to qualify for counselling.
Category
Expected Cutoff Percentile
General
93 – 95
OBC-NCL
80 – 82
EWS
80 – 82
SC
60 – 62
ST
47 – 49
3. College Cutoff Ranks (Round 1 Opening)
These are the Round-1 opening ranks for NITs in 2026.
Institute
Opening Rank (Approx.)
NIT Trichy
~559
NIT Surathkal
~1050
NIT Warangal
~1166
NIT Kurukshetra
~4835
NIT Goa
~24829
The higher your rank, the better your chance at top branches and colleges.
4. Tips for Predicting Your College
If your percentile is between 90 and 99 you still have options in NITs and IIITs. Even if your percentile is between 80 and 90 you may get branches in newer NITs or good colleges depending on the competition. You can use college predictors to estimate your chances based on your category and home state.
Summary
✅ The your JEE Main 2026 percentile the better your chances, at top NITs and IIITs.
✅ Percentile cutoffs vary a lot depending on the college, category and branch.
✅ Colleges and cutoffs are usually published during JoSAA counselling. Trend data helps estimate likely outcomes.
