Thousands of JEE Advanced 2026 qualifiers awaiting the outcome of CBSE Class 12 re-evaluation requests have been closely watching developments around IIT admission eligibility. Amid growing demands for a one-time relaxation in the Class 12 marks requirement, IIT Roorkee Director Kamal Kishore Pant, who chairs the Joint Admission Board (JAB), has issued an important update for aspiring IIT students.
The clarification comes as concerns continue to mount over delays in the CBSE re-evaluation process following the introduction of the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system this year.
Why CBSE 12th students are seeking one-time marks relaxation in IIT Admission?
Many students and parents argued that pending re-evaluation requests could affect admission prospects for candidates who have already cleared JEE (Advanced) but are waiting for revised Class 12 results.
The issue gained attention as JoSAA counselling began while several candidates were still uncertain about whether updated marks would arrive in time to meet IIT admission requirements.
Against this backdrop, students urged authorities to consider a temporary relaxation in the Class 12 eligibility criteria for the current admission cycle.
IIT Admission Board responds to demands
Addressing the issue, the Joint Admission Board said a relaxation in the eligibility criteria would not be feasible because candidates from dozens of educational boards participate in the admission process.
The board noted that the existing rules were announced well in advance and apply uniformly to all eligible candidates.
“No relaxation in marks as candidates from 36 different boards are participating. We published this criterion almost in December and last year there were candidates who lost IIT/NIT seats mainly due to percentages. Hence, lowering is not possible; however, we are in close touch with CBSE and will try to resolve this for all those affected candidates on priority,” the JAB said in a statement.
What IIT Roorkee Director said earlier
On June 1, Pant advised all candidates who qualified JEE (Advanced) 2026 to participate in the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) counselling process, irrespective of their current Class 12 percentage status.
However, he also underlined that admission would eventually depend on candidates meeting all eligibility requirements mentioned in the admission brochure.
“..However, the final admission shall remain subject to the fulfilment of the percentage-related eligibility requirements and other applicable conditions prescribed in the JEE (Advanced) 2026 Information Brochure,” he said.
Competition for IIT seats remains intense
This year, 56,880 candidates cleared JEE (Advanced) 2026, representing a 4.6 per cent rise compared with last year.
The successful candidates include 46,773 men and 10,107 women. The number of women qualifying for the examination is the highest recorded so far.
These candidates will compete for 18,951 BTech seats available across 23 IITs through the JoSAA counselling process, making admission highly competitive despite the increase in qualifiers.
What is IIT admission Class 12 eligibility requirement?
Under existing IIT admission norms, candidates must either secure at least 75 per cent aggregate marks in Class 12 or rank among the top 20 percentile successful candidates in their respective school boards.
For SC, ST and PwD candidates, the minimum aggregate marks requirement is 65 per cent.
JoSAA counselling schedule
The JoSAA 2026 registration and choice-filling process started on June 2 and will remain open until June 11.Seat allocation this year will be conducted in five rounds, with the counselling process scheduled to continue until July 21.
