IIT JAM Counselling 2026: Registration, Choice Filling and Round-Wise Seat Allotment

IIT JAM 2026 counselling is conducted centrally through the JOAPS (JAM Online Admission Portal), managed by IIT Bombay as the organizing institute, covering about 3,000 seats across 89 postgraduate programmes at 22 IITs. The second admission list has been declared on June 8, 2026, with a seat acceptance fee payment deadline of June 11, 2026 — three more allotment rounds remain before the process concludes in July 2026.

• Registering on JOAPS is mandatory — your JAM 2026 rank alone does not guarantee a seat at any IIT; you must complete the counselling process through the official portal.
• JAM 2026 was conducted in February 2026 across seven test papers: Biotechnology (BT), Chemistry (CY), Economics (EN), Geology (GG), Mathematics (MA), Mathematical Statistics (MS), and Physics (PH).
• Students who qualify JAM can also apply to NITs, IISc, and other CFTIs through CCMN (Centralized Counselling for M.Sc./M.A./M.C.A.) — a separate process that runs in parallel with JOAPS.
• After each allotment round you choose to Freeze, Float, or Reject your offered seat; Floating keeps you eligible for upgradation in the next round while retaining your current seat.
• Seat acceptance fees are ₹15,000 for General/OBC-NCL/EWS and ₹7,500 for SC/ST/PwD students, both adjusted later against the institute’s total admission fee.

Reservation of Quotas for IIT JAM Counselling 2026

IIT JAM 2026 seat allotment follows the reservation policy of the Government of India, applicable uniformly to all centrally funded technical institutes including the IITs. The category-wise breakdown is as follows:

Vertical reservations (SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS) earmark a fixed share of total seats in each programme. The remaining seats — after applying all vertical reservations — are available to General (Unreserved) category students. PwD reservation is horizontal, meaning it operates within each vertical category: a PwD-SC student occupies the SC quota, not a separate PwD pool. If PwD-reserved seats within any category go unfilled, they are reallocated within the same category.

To claim reserved-category benefits during JOAPS counselling, you must upload a valid and current caste or category certificate at the time of registration. OBC-NCL certificates must confirm non-creamy-layer status and must fall within the validity period specified by the Government of India. Category benefits are applied exactly as per the certificate you submit — no correction or change is allowed after the JOAPS registration window closes.

How to Apply for IIT JAM Counselling 2026?

IIT JAM 2026 counselling on JOAPS proceeds through five sequential steps. For the current cycle, Steps 1 through 3 (registration, form completion, choice filling) have already concluded. The active phase is Step 4 (seat allotment) and Step 5 (fee payment). The full process is documented below for students at every stage and for reference in future cycles.

Direct Link: Log in at jam2026.iitb.ac.in to check the second admission list declared today (June 8, 2026) and pay the seat acceptance fee before the June 11, 2026 deadline.

Step 1: JOAPS Registration

After JAM 2026 results are declared, qualified students log in to JOAPS using the JAM 2026 enrollment number and password set during the JAM application. The registration step involves confirming personal details, providing contact information, and uploading a valid category certificate if claiming reserved-category status. A non-refundable counselling registration fee of ₹750 is paid at this stage via net banking, UPI, or debit/credit card. For JAM 2026, the JOAPS registration window ran from March 27 to April 15, 2026.

Step 2: Application Form Completion

After registration, you fill the detailed admission application. This covers your academic history (qualifying degree, percentage or CGPA, year of passing or expected completion), personal information, category and PwD status, and details of the JAM paper in which you appeared. Accuracy is critical at this step — the institute cross-verifies every field against your original documents at the time of reporting. Discrepancies, even minor ones, can delay or cancel admission.

Step 3: Choice Filling

Choice filling is the most consequential step in JOAPS counselling. You build an ordered preference list of programme-institute combinations from among all 89 programmes offered across the 22 IITs. The system assigns you the highest-ranked available seat that matches your JAM rank, category, and preference order. Fill at least 15–20 choices to maximise your chances across all rounds. Unlike JoSAA (for JEE), JOAPS uses the same frozen list across all rounds — there is no round-specific choice revision. The choice-filling and freezing deadline for JAM 2026 was May 6, 2026.

Step 4: Seat Allotment

JOAPS runs the allotment algorithm after each round’s deadline, assigning seats based on your frozen choices, JAM rank, category, and seat availability. Results are published as numbered admission lists. For JAM 2026, five rounds are scheduled (see Round-Wise Allotment section). After each round, you receive a seat offer or a "no allotment" result. If you receive an offer, you must respond within the payment window. Not responding by the deadline causes the offer to lapse — you remain in the pool for subsequent rounds but with no guarantee of a future offer.

Step 5: Fee Payment and Seat Acceptance

Students who receive a seat offer must pay the seat acceptance fee on JOAPS to confirm their seat. Payment options include net banking, debit card, credit card, and UPI. The fee is ₹15,000 for General/OBC-NCL/EWS students and ₹7,500 for SC/ST/PwD students, and is later adjusted against the institute’s total admission fee — so you are not charged this amount twice. Failing to pay by the round’s deadline means automatic cancellation of your allotted seat; your name then re-enters the pool for subsequent rounds. For Round 2 (second admission list, declared June 8, 2026), the payment deadline is June 11, 2026.

How to Lock Choices for IIT JAM Counselling 2026

For JAM 2026, the choice-filling and locking window closed on May 6, 2026 — the frozen list is now in use across all allotment rounds. Students planning for future JAM cycles can use the guide below to understand the locking process. Locking is irreversible; the system uses the same frozen preference list for every round without any round-specific modification.

Step 1: Log In to JOAPS

• Visit jam2026.iitb.ac.in and click "Login".
• Enter your JAM enrollment number and the password you set during JAM registration.
• Complete any OTP or CAPTCHA verification prompted by the portal.

Step 2: Navigate to Choice Filling

• From the JOAPS dashboard, click "Choice Filling and Locking".
• Browse available programmes by test paper (e.g., Physics → IIT Delhi M.Sc. Physics) or by institute.

Step 3: Add and Arrange Choices

• Select each programme you are willing to join and add it to your preference list.
• Drag rows to reorder — place your most-wanted programme at the top and least-wanted at the bottom.
• There is no upper limit on the number of choices and no penalty for adding more. Adding more choices gives the algorithm more options to work with in later rounds when seats open up.

Step 4: Review and Lock

• Review the final ordered list carefully against your actual preferences.
• Click "Lock Choices" and confirm the dialogue that appears — this action is final.
• Download and save the locked choice confirmation slip as proof.

Once locked, your choices cannot be modified under any circumstances, including by contacting the help desk.

IIT JAM 2026 Counselling Documents Required

Documents are required at two stages: (a) uploading on JOAPS during the registration and application phase, and (b) physical verification at the reporting institute when you join. Carry originals and at least two sets of self-attested photocopies for every document on the list below.

• JAM 2026 Scorecard – downloaded from the official JOAPS or JAM portal
• Offer Letter / Admission Letter – downloaded from JOAPS after your final seat allotment (available from July 9, 2026)
• Date of Birth Proof – Class 10 mark sheet or certificate (Secondary School Certificate)
• Class 12 (Intermediate) Mark Sheet and Passing Certificate
• Qualifying Degree Certificate or Provisional Certificate – for the Bachelor’s degree in the relevant discipline
• All Semester / Year-Wise Mark Sheets of the qualifying degree, showing all years of study
• Category Certificate – SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS certificate issued by a competent government authority; OBC-NCL certificates must confirm non-creamy-layer status and be within validity
• PwD Certificate – issued by a competent medical authority in the Government of India format, certifying a minimum 40% disability
• Photo Identity Proof – the same document used during JAM 2026 registration (Aadhaar card, Passport, PAN card, or Driving Licence)
• Recent Passport-Size Photographs – at least six copies with white background, taken within the last three months
• Physical Fitness Certificate – in the format prescribed by the allotted IIT (download the format from that institute’s official admissions page)
• Anti-Ragging Affidavit – signed by both the student and parent/guardian, in the format specified by the institute
• Migration Certificate – from the previous university, if applicable; required by several IITs for students transferring from other universities
• Bank Account Details / Cancelled Cheque – for refund processing of the seat acceptance fee if you later withdraw

Note: Document formats and additional requirements vary by institute. Download the reporting checklist from your allotted IIT’s official admissions page before travelling to campus — arriving with an incomplete document set can delay or cancel your admission.

How Much Money is Needed for IIT JAM Counselling 2026?

IIT JAM 2026 counselling involves two distinct financial outflows: a non-refundable registration fee (paid at JOAPS registration) and a seat acceptance fee (paid when you confirm a seat offer). The seat acceptance fee is partially refundable and is later adjusted against the institute’s total admission fee — you do not pay it twice.

Non-Refundable Fees

This fee was payable at the time of JOAPS registration and is not returned under any circumstances — not even if no seat is allotted to you.

Refundable Seat Acceptance Fee

Students who receive and accept a seat offer in any allotment round must pay the seat acceptance fee to confirm their seat. This fee is refundable — but with a deduction — if you later withdraw within the withdrawal window (June 3 to July 3, 2026). If you withdraw after paying the seat acceptance fee, ₹1,000 is deducted as a processing charge and the balance is refunded.

The seat acceptance fee is adjusted against the allotted IIT’s total semester fee, so the effective amount you pay to the institute at reporting is reduced by this amount. Budget approximately ₹15,750 total (₹750 registration + ₹15,000 seat acceptance) for the counselling phase as a General/OBC-NCL/EWS student. SC/ST/PwD students need approximately ₹8,250.

Note: The seat acceptance fee above covers only the JOAPS counselling and admission confirmation stage. Each IIT sets its own tuition, hostel, and other semester fees separately — verify these on the respective institute’s fee structure page.

IIT JAM 2026 Round-Wise Seat Allotment

IIT JAM 2026 counselling is structured around five allotment rounds — four main rounds and one additional round for residual vacancies. Each round uses the same frozen preference list but re-runs the algorithm against updated seat availability (reflecting accepts, rejects, and floats from the previous round). Seats freed by students who rejected their Round 1 offer or chose to float and were upgraded in Round 2 become available to students ranked below them, which is why later rounds sometimes produce better cutoffs for certain programmes.

Round-wise closing ranks (the lowest JAM rank allotted a seat in each round) differ by programme and institute. Round 1 closing ranks are visible on the JOAPS portal. Round 2 closing ranks will be published after the June 11 payment deadline closes and the system reconciles accepts and rejects.

Students who chose Float in Round 1 may receive an upgraded seat in Round 2 — seats they vacate then open up for the next eligible rank in subsequent rounds. Highly competitive programmes (e.g., M.Sc. Physics or Mathematics at IIT Bombay, Delhi, or Madras) typically see modest rank relaxation round-to-round, while less-demanded programmes at top IITs often show significant relaxation by Round 3 or 4.

Upgrade, Freeze, or Withdraw – What to Choose?

After each admission round, students who receive a seat offer must choose one of four options. Understanding what each option does — and what you risk — is essential before deciding.

The withdrawal window for JAM 2026 is June 3 to July 3, 2026 — currently open. Withdrawing from JOAPS does not affect your eligibility for CCMN (NIT/CFTI counselling), which operates independently.

A practical decision guide:

• Got your first-choice or a top-3 choice programme? → Freeze.
• Got a decent seat but want a shot at a better IIT or branch in Round 3 or 4? → Float.
• Got a seat you would genuinely never join, and rounds 3–5 have meaningful seat availability in your preferred programmes? → Reject (only if willing to accept the risk of no seat).
• Secured admission at another institution and no longer want an IIT seat? → Withdraw.

Note: Float is almost always preferable to Reject — you get the upgrade benefit without the risk of losing the current seat. Only Reject when you are certain you would not join the allotted programme under any circumstances.

Reporting to Allotted Institute

After the final allotment round concludes, IIT Bombay releases offer letters on JOAPS from July 9, 2026. Students must report to their allotted IIT during the designated reporting window — typically in August 2026, before the academic session begins. Each IIT announces its specific reporting dates separately on its official admissions page; reporting dates are not uniform across all IITs.

At reporting, you must complete the following steps:

• Present the printed offer letter and JOAPS admission confirmation.
• Submit originals and self-attested photocopies of all documents listed in the Documents Required section above for verification by the institute’s admission committee.
• Pay the balance admission fee (total semester fee as announced by the institute, minus the seat acceptance fee already paid on JOAPS).
• Complete the medical fitness examination if required by the institute — the format for the fitness certificate is usually available on the institute’s admissions page.
• Submit the signed anti-ragging affidavit (student + parent/guardian).
• Collect hostel allotment details if you have applied for on-campus accommodation.

Students who were given provisional admission because their final degree results were not yet declared must submit the final mark sheet and degree certificate within the deadline set by the institute — typically within 30 to 60 days of the qualifying examination results being published. Failure to submit, or a final aggregate below the required threshold, results in cancellation of provisional admission.

Note: Report only to the institute named in your JOAPS offer letter. Missing the reporting deadline, arriving with incomplete documents, or failing document verification will result in your seat being cancelled and offered to the next eligible student.