JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027: Minimum Percentage, Age Limit, Qualifying Exams & Subjects in Class 12

The Joint Entrance Examination (Main) eligibility criteria 2026 are important parameters that help select candidates for JEE Main 2026.

The exam is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission to India for admission to prestigious institutes such as IITs, NITs, IIITs, and other government-funded technical institutions.

Before filling out the JEE Main 2026 application form, candidates must carefully review the JEE Main 2027 eligibility criteria.

The criteria include requirements related to qualifying examinations, minimum marks in Class 12, age limits, year of appearance, and reservation policies.

Understanding these criteria ensures that applicants meet all the necessary conditions to appear for the examination and participate in the admission process. The complete eligibility criteria for JEE 2026 are in this SciAstra article.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027

The JEE Main 2027 eligibility criteria will be published on the official JEE Main website, jeemain.nta.nic.in, along with the JEE Main Information Brochure. The brochure is expected to be released in the fourth week of October 2026.

Meanwhile, candidates can check the eligibility criteria based on the information provided in the latest session (2026) of JEE Main.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027: Qualifying Exams

NTA has listed certain exams as qualifying exams for JEE Main. If a student has passed one of these exams or is appearing in it, they can apply for JEE Main 2027.

The list of qualifying exams for JEE Main 2027 is mentioned below:

1. The final Examination of the 10+2 system, conducted by any recognised Central/State Board, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi; the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), New Delhi; etc.

2. Intermediate or two-year Pre-University examination conducted by a recognised Board/ University.

3. Final examination of the two-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy.

4. Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of five subjects.

5. Any Public School/ Board/University examination in India or any foreign country is recognised as equivalent to the 10+2 system by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU).

6. Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination

7. A diploma recognised by AICTE or a State Board of Technical Education of at least 3 years' duration.

8. General Certificate Education (GCE) examination (London/Cambridge/Sri Lanka) at the Advanced (A) level.

9. High School Certificate Examination of the Cambridge University or International Baccalaureate Diploma of the International Baccalaureate Office, Geneva.

10. Candidates who have completed the Class XII (or equivalent) examination outside India or from a Board not specified above should produce a certificate from the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) to the effect that the examination they have passed is equivalent to the Class XII Examination.

11. In case the Class XII Examination is not a public examination, the candidate must have passed at least one public (Board or Pre-University) examination earlier.

12. Board of Open Schooling and Skill Education (BOSSE), Sikkim

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027: Marks in 12th

Check out the minimum marks that candidates required in Class 12 or equivalent qualifying exams mentioned below:

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027: Subjects in 12th

Candidates must have opted for the subjects in Class (10+2) as listed below to become eligible for JEE Main:

• Physics

• Chemistry

• Mathematics

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027: Age Requirements

There is no upper age limit for candidates to appear in the JEE Main 2027 exam. Candidates must meet the JEE Main eligibility criteria 2027 related to the year of appearance in the qualifying exam.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027: Year of Appearance in Qualifying Exam

Passing year for class 12 (or Equivalent Examination) means the year in which the result of the candidate has been declared as ‘pass’ for the first time in that particular Examination (Class 12/ Equivalent Examination).

Check out the JEE Main 2027 eligibility related to the year of appearance in the exam below:

Candidates who have passed the Class XII or Equivalent Examination in 2025 or 2026, or those who are appearing in the Class XII or equivalent Examination in 2026, are eligible to appear in JEE (Main) 2027.

Candidates who passed the Class XII / equivalent Examination in 2024 or before are not eligible to appear in JEE (Main) 2027.

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2027 for Droppers

Droppers can apply for JEE Main 2027 if they have passed their Class 12 or equivalent qualifying in 2025 or 2026 with 75% marks if they belong to the General Category or with 65% marks if they belong to the SC/ST category.

JEE Main Eligibility 2027: State of Eligibility

Candidates must fill out the information related to “State Code of Eligibility” while applying for JEE 2027. This refers to the code of the State from which the candidate has passed the Class XII (or Equivalent) qualifying examination.

Notes:

1. It is important to note that the State code of eligibility does NOT depend upon the native place or the place of residence of the candidate.

For example, if a candidate appears for the Class XII (or Equivalent) qualifying Examination from an Institution situated in New Delhi and is a resident of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, then the candidate’s State code of eligibility will be Delhi and NOT Uttar Pradesh.

2. If a candidate has passed the Class XII (or Equivalent) qualifying Examination from one State but appeared for improvement from another State, the candidate’s State code of eligibility will be from where the candidate first passed the Class XII (or Equivalent) Examination and NOT the State from where the candidate has appeared for improvement.

3. Candidates who passed / are appearing for Class XII from the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) should select the State of Eligibility according to the State in which the study Centre is located.

4. For Indian nationals passing the Class XII (or Equivalent) Examination from Nepal/Bhutan, the State code of eligibility will be determined based on a permanent address in India as given in the passport of the candidate.

5. The State code of eligibility for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) passing the Class XII (or Equivalent) Examination in India is at par with Indian nationals. However, OCI passing the Class XII (or Equivalent) Examination from an institution abroad are eligible for All India quota seats (but NOT for Home State quota seats) in all NITs, IIITs and Other-CFTIs

JEE Main Eligibility 2027: Reservation

Indian nationals belonging to certain categories are admitted under the seats reserved for them in accordance with the rules prescribed by the Government of India. This reservation is applicable to the admissions offered through JEE Main 2027. The reservation criteria are mentioned below:

JEE Main Application Form 2027

All the candidates who meet the JEE Main 2027 eligibility criteria can fill out the application form for the exam. The JEE Main 2027 application form will be released for two sessions: Session 1 and Session on the official JEE Main website – jeemain.nta.nic.in.

The application dates for JEE Main 2027 will be provided below:

Conclusion

Candidates who meet the JEE Main 2027 eligibility criteria can fill out the application form for the exam. As per the eligibility criteria prescribed by NTA, candidates with PCM (these three subjects are mandatory) or PCMB are eligible for the exam if they meet the minimum percentage criteria for their respective category.

In addition to these requirements, candidates must have pursued Class 10+2 through one of the qualifying exams listed by NTA. The complete details about the JEE Main 2027 eligibility criteria are available in this SciAstra article.