IIT Roorkee has announced the official rules for students who want to appear in the JEE Advanced 2026 exam. These rules are crucial for anyone aiming to get into India's top engineering colleges, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The main exam for JEE Advanced 2026 is scheduled for May 17, 2026 . Students must meet all five key conditions to take this important national exam. If a student does not meet these conditions, they will not be allowed to appear. The registration process for the exam is expected to start in April 2026 .
Five Main Eligibility Rules for JEE Advanced 2026
Here are the five important conditions set by IIT Roorkee. Students should read these carefully. For more details, visit the official JEE Advanced website: jeeadv.ac.in .
1. Your Performance in JEE Main 2026
To qualify for JEE Advanced 2026, you must first perform well in JEE Main 2026. Only the top 2,50,000 candidates from JEE Main (all categories included) will be eligible. These candidates must have appeared in the B.E./B.Tech paper of JEE Main 2026. The number of students selected from each category is fixed:
| Category | Share of Top 2,50,000 Candidates |
| General - Economically Weaker Section (GEN-EWS) | 10% |
| Other Backward Classes - Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) | 27% |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) | 15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) | 7.5% |
| Open (General) | 40.5% |
Within each of these five categories, an additional 5% horizontal reservation is available for Persons with Disability (PwD) candidates.
2. Age Limit for Candidates
Candidates must have been born on or after October 1, 2001 .
- For SC, ST, and PwD categories, the birth date must be on or after October 1, 1996 .
3. Number of Attempts Allowed
A candidate can appear for the JEE Advanced exam a maximum of two times . These two attempts must be in two consecutive years .
4. Your Class 12 Board Exam Appearance
A candidate must have appeared for their Class 12 board exam, or an equivalent exam, for the first time in either 2025 or 2026 . Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics (PCM) must have been your compulsory subjects.
5. No Earlier Admission to IITs
If you have previously been admitted to any Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) for an academic program, you are not eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2026. This rule applies even if:
- You were offered an IIT seat but did not continue the program.
- You accepted an IIT seat by reporting online or at a center, but later cancelled your admission for any reason.
Simply put, if you have ever secured an IIT seat, you cannot try again.
Important Dates and Next Steps
IIT Roorkee announced the JEE Advanced 2026 exam date on December 5, 2025 . The exam will be held on May 17, 2026 . More information, like the full syllabus and exam pattern, will be released very soon. Students are advised to regularly check the official website, jeeadv.ac.in , for all new announcements and for the exact dates when registrations open in April 2026 .
