JoSAA Counselling Registration 2026 is your gateway to seeking a seat in the IITs, IISc, NITs, IIEST, IIITs and other GFTIs for the academic year 2026-27. Candidates who have qualified the JEE Advanced 2026 or ranked in the JEE Main 2026 must fill the JoSAA 2026 registration at all costs and correctly.
The registration and choice filling window for JoSAA 2026 is live from June 02, 2026 and will close on June 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM IST. The entire process is online at josaa.nic.in. There is no offline mode, no physical centre, and no agent, if anyone claims to help you register for a fee, that is a scam.
This article walks you through the complete JoSAA 2026 registration process, step by step, so you can avoid costly mistakes.
JoSAA Counselling Registration 2026 – Key Dates
| Activity | Date | Time (IST) |
| Registration & Choice Filling Opens | 02 June 2026 | 5:00 PM |
| Mock Seat Allocation 1 | 08 June 2026 | 2:00 PM |
| Mock Seat Allocation 2 | 10 June 2026 | 1:00 PM |
| Registration & Choice Filling Ends (Auto-Lock) | 11 June 2026 | 5:00 PM |
Who Can Register for JoSAA 2026?
You are eligible to apply for JoSAA 2026 if at least one of the following applies:
- Have qualified in JEE Advanced 2026 for IIT/IISc academic programmes and satisfy the Class XII performance criterion.
- Have qualified in JEE Advanced 2026 for IIT Preparatory courses and satisfy the Class XII performance criterion.
- Have a JEE Main 2026 Paper 1 (B.E. / B.Tech.) rank for NIT+ System programmes.
- Have a JEE Main 2026 Paper IIA (B.Arch.) rank for B.Arch. Program at the NIT+ system institutions.
- Have a JEE Main 2026 Paper IIB (B.Plan.) rank for B.Plan. Program at the NIT+ system institutions.
Candidates who are awaiting revaluation or re-totalling results for Class XII must still register and fill choices within the deadline, they can be considered for seat allocation in later rounds if they subsequently become eligible.
Step-by-Step JoSAA Counselling Registration Process
Step 1: Login to the JoSAA Portal
Go to josaa.nic.in and log in by any of the following two options:
- JEE Main 2026 Application No. + Password for candidates appearing in JEE Main 2026.
- JEE Advanced 2026 Direct registration login ID + Password for Foreign National or OCI/PIO (F) cardholders not appearing in JEE Main 2026.
After logging in, you will be directed to the candidate dashboard for completion of registration, making choice and managing all future activities.
Step 2: Complete the Registration Form
After logging in, verify your personal details that have been auto-populated from your JEE registration data. You will not be allowed to change key fields such as name, date of birth, parents’ names, and exam board. Make sure you review your category tag (GEN, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD variants) and state code of eligibility at this stage. If there are genuine discrepancies, use the grievance mechanism provided on the portal.
Step 3: Fill in Your Choices
This is the most critical step of the entire registration process. You can choose as many academic programs as you want across all eligible institutes. An ‘academic program’ in JoSAA terminology is the combination of program and institute for example, B.Tech. Computer Science at IIT Bombay is one choice, and B.Tech. Computer Science at NIT Trichy is a separate choice.
- Arrange your choices strictly in order of preference, your most preferred program at rank 1, and so on.
- Consider adding all programs you would be genuinely willing to join. Not listing a program means you will never be considered for it.
- Take advantage of both mock allocations (June 8 and June 10) to assess where you are likely to land and revise your list accordingly.
- Choice filling is completely free, there is no fee for registration or choice filling.
Step 4: Pre-Upload Documents (Optional but Recommended)
Between June 2 and June 11, you have the option to pre-upload your documents on the portal. This is optional during registration but JoSAA strongly recommends it to avoid last-minute upload failures when a seat is allotted. The documents typically required include Class X certificate, Class XII marksheet and passing certificate, category certificate (if applicable), PwD certificate or UDID card (if applicable), photograph, and signature.
Step 5: Pre-Payment of Seat Acceptance Fee (Optional but Recommended)
A pre-payment facility for the Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF) is also available from June 2 to June 11, 2026. Paying in advance means you will not have to scramble to pay once a seat is allotted. If no seat is allotted to you, the pre-paid amount is refunded in full. JoSAA recommends using this option to prevent last-minute payment failures.
Step 6: Lock Your Choices
Before June 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM, you must lock your choices. If you do not lock manually, the system auto-locks the last saved choices at the deadline. Once locked, you cannot add, delete, or reorder choices.
If you wish to make changes after locking but before the deadline, you can request to unlock via an OTP sent to your registered mobile number and email. Once validated, your choices are unlocked for editing. You can re-lock after making changes.
Warning: If no choices are saved before the deadline, you will not be considered for any program. The system only auto-locks saved choices, unsaved choices are not recognised.
Mock Seat Allocations – How to Use Them
JoSAA 2026 offers two mock seat allocations before actual allotment begins. These are based on choices filled up to specific cut-off times:
| Mock Round | Based on Choices Saved By | Displayed On |
| Mock Allocation 1 | June 7, 2026 at 8:00 PM IST | June 8, 2026 at 2:00 PM |
| Mock Allocation 2 | June 9, 2026 at 5:00 PM IST | June 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM |
Check the mock allocations to see what you can possibly get given your rank and category. For example, if you see that you can almost surely get the 15th ranked program in your list but you really desire the 12th ranked program, then there is an option for you to re-arrange it. Mock allocation is just indicative, not binding.
Documents Needed During JoSAA Registration
While document upload is optional during registration, it is compulsory during Online Reporting after a seat is allotted. Keep these ready:
| Document | Required For |
| Class X Certificate | Date of birth proof |
| Class XII Marksheet & Passing Certificate | Academic eligibility |
| JEE (Advanced) 2026 Admit Card | IIT/IISc candidates |
| JEE (Main) 2026 Admit Card | NIT+ System candidates |
| Category Certificate (OBC-NCL/SC/ST/GEN-EWS) | Reserved category candidates |
| PwD Certificate or valid UDID Card | PwD candidates |
| Passport-size Photograph | All candidates |
| Signature | All candidates |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is JoSAA 2026 registration free?
A. Yes, totally free. Registration form fee and option form filling fee are zero. You just have to pay Seat Acceptance Fee (SAF) at the time you accept the allocated seat and PAF for NIT+ System seats after round 5.
Q. What if I forget to lock my choices before the deadline?
A. If you have saved choices but not locked them, the system auto-locks the last saved choices at 5:00 PM on June 11, 2026. If you have not saved any choices, you will not be considered for any program. Always save your choices frequently during the filling process.
Q. Can I edit my choices after locking?
A. Yes, but before 11 June, only. Unlock form must be submitted, validated with OTP, choices filled and locked. After 11 June you cannot do any changes under any situation.
Q. How many choices can I fill in JoSAA 2026?
A. No restriction has been placed on number of choices. You can fill as many programs as you wish across IITs, IISc, NITs, IIITs, IIEST and GFTIs. You will be allotted only one seat though.
Q. Can I pre-pay the Seat Acceptance Fee during registration?
A. Yes, pre-payment facility is available from 2 June to 11 June 2026. The total amount will be refunded if you don’t get any seat. The system advice to pre-pay to prevent from any failure at last minute.
Rajesh Mishra is an admission counsellor and the founder of GLN Admission Advice Pvt. Ltd. with more than 16 years of experience in student counselling and admission guidance. He has worked with thousands of students and parents seeking clarity in complex admission processes across India.
His guidance approach is practical, transparent, and strategy focused. Rajesh Mishra helps families understand counselling systems, admission rules, and college selection in simple language so they can make informed decisions.
Through GLN Admission Advice, he provides guidance for Medical, AYUSH, Engineering, MBA, PGDM, and Law admissions, and regularly shares content to help students understand counselling procedures, cutoff trends, and common mistakes during admission counselling.
Rajesh Mishra is an admission counsellor and the founder of GLN Admission Advice Pvt. Ltd. with more than 16 years of experience in student counselling and admission guidance. He has worked with thousands of students and parents seeking clarity in complex admission processes across India.
His guidance approach is practical, transparent, and strategy focused. Rajesh Mishra helps families understand counselling systems, admission rules, and college selection in simple language so they can make informed decisions.
Through GLN Admission Advice, he provides guidance for Medical, AYUSH, Engineering, MBA, PGDM, and Law admissions, and regularly shares content to help students understand counselling procedures, cutoff trends, and common mistakes during admission counselling.