With JoSAA 2026 registration and choice filling now open at josaa.nic.in, lakhs of engineering aspirants across India need to carefully plan their programme and institute selections before the June 11, 2026 deadline. The JoSAA process is a centralised counselling platform that handles seat allotment for 127 premier government-funded technical institutions in a single unified system.
This is arguably the most consequential academic decision a young engineering aspirant makes, and errors in choice filling — including not locking choices, placing preferred institutes too low, or ignoring category quotas — can result in missing a desirable seat.
Participating Institutions in JoSAA 2026
| Institution Type | Number |
|---|---|
| Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) | 23 |
| National Institutes of Technology (NITs) | 31 |
| Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) | 26 |
| Other Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) | 47+ |
Key Choice Filling Tips for Students
- Add all options you might be interested in — no limit on the number of choices
- Do not rely only on mock allotment results — use previous year opening and closing ranks to frame your list
- Keep at least 20 to 30 choices arranged from most preferred to least preferred
- Consider branch preference vs. institute preference carefully
- Include Category-specific seats (EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST) if applicable
- Lock your choices before June 11 — unlocked choices will not be considered for allotment
JoSAA 2026 Process After Choice Filling
- Mock Round 1 — June 8
- Mock Round 2 — June 10
- Actual Round 1 Allotment — June 13
- Seat acceptance fee must be paid after each round’s allotment to hold your seat
- Unused seats are returned to the pool for subsequent rounds
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