JoSAA Counselling: Eligibility, Registration, Procedure

What is JoSAA counselling?

The Ministry of Education (formerly the Ministry of Human Resources Development) created the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) to oversee and control joint seat allocation for engineering admissions for over 100 institutions, including IITs, IIITs, NITs, and other-government funded technical institutes (Other-GFTIs). A single portal handles admission for all such institutes, introducing a unified counselling platform that reduces the number of empty seats in engineering universities nationwide. The joint seat allocation process was efficiently implemented to accelerate the admissions process and make it more transparent.

Candidates who clear JEE (Main) or JEE (Advanced) must register for JoSAA counselling to participate in the admission process for various eminent engineering institutions in India. JoSAA supervises admissions to 33 Other-GFTIs, 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, 23 IITs, and IIEST Shibpur. 

Allotting seats to candidates occurs throughout six rounds of the JoSAA counselling process. The selection of candidates for seats through JoSAA is based on their qualifications and preferences for colleges and courses.

JoSAA counselling: Eligibility criteria

Candidates can participate in JoSAA counselling if they have one or more of the below qualifications. According to all the criteria mentioned below, the candidate must have also passed the “Performance in Class 12 or equivalent examination” to be JoSAA eligible. 

• JEE (Advanced) for academic programmes (not including the preparatory courses) at IITs. 

• JEE (Advanced) for preparatory courses at IITs. 

• Rank in JEE (Main) last year, B.E./BTech paper for B.E./B. Tech. programmes at IIITs, IIEST, NITs, and Other-GFTIs.

• Rank in JEE (Main) B.Arch. paper for B.Arch. programmes at IIITs, IIEST, NITs, and Other-GFTIs. 

• Rank in JEE (Main) B. Plan. paper for the B. Plan. programme at IIITs, IIEST, NITs, and Other-GFTIs. 

What are the documents needed for JoSAA counselling?

All documents needed for JoSAA counselling can be accessed on the official JoSAA website. On the assigned date and time, candidates should report to centres carrying the required documentation.

Documents required for IITs

• Two passport-sized photographs 

• JoSAA provisional seat allotment letter for the respective year

• Seat acceptance fee proof 

• Candidate undertaking

• A valid photo ID card 

• Original admit card for JEE (Advanced) of the latest year

• Registration and filled choices for seat allotment

• Proof of date of birth (10th standard mark sheet)

• Class 12 (or equivalent) pass certificate and mark sheet

• Medical certificate

• DS certificate (if applicable)

• Certificate for PwD (if applicable)

• Category certificate (if applicable)

• OCI certificate, passport (for foreign nationals), or PIO card (if applicable)

Documents required for IIITs, NITs, and GFTIs

• Three passport-sized photographs

• JoSAA provisional seat allotment letter for the respective year

• Seat acceptance fee proof (SBI net banking or e-challan)

• JEE (Main) scorecard of the latest year

• JEE (Main) admit card of the latest year

• Candidate undertaking

• Proof of date of birth (10th standard mark sheet)

• Class 12th (or equivalent)pass certificate and mark sheet 

• A valid photo ID card

• Medical certificate

• PwD certificate (if applicable)

• Category certificate (if applicable)

• PIO card or OCI certificate (if applicable)

• Registration and seat allotment filled choices

JoSAA registration and counselling procedure

As you register for JOSAA, it is important to know all the steps. Here are step-by-step instructions for the JoSAA counselling procedure.

Step 1: Online registration

• Open the JoSAA website and select “JoSAA Candidate Registration and Choice Filling”.

• Next, log in by filling in the JEE (Main) or JEE (Advanced) application number and password. 

• Verify that all the personal information displayed on your profile is accurate. You can only change the contact information if necessary. 

Step 2: Choice filling

You will select your preferred specialisation and colleges from the list of colleges and courses after registering.

• Explore your options according to the qualification.

• Fill in enough choices to increase your chances of earning a seat. 

Step 3: Locking the choices

• After you have filled in your choices, you need to lock the seats by making the appropriate selection.

• If you wish to change the choices later, you can do so within a 10-day period. Choices will lock automatically once the deadline for choice filling has been reached. You cannot edit your choices after the deadline.

• Finally, print a copy of the page for future use. 

Mock allotment for JoSAA counselling 

For JoSAA counselling, a mock allotment takes place before the final seat allocation. This helps candidates determine their chances of getting into their preferred colleges based on their rank and preferences. Candidates can change their college and course selections afterwards.

Seat allotment for JoSAA counselling 

Announcement of the final JoSAA seat allotment occurs over six rounds after the release of two mock allocations. The assignment of the seat is based on the results of the qualifying exam (JEE [Main] or JEE [Advanced]) and the choices made during registration. You can examine the seat allocation results by entering your application number and password into your account.

You must download the provisional allotment letter and deposit the fee for seat acceptance. Then, you will visit the reporting centre (RC) for verification of the document.

What to do if you are not satisfied with the allotted seats

The following options are available to you if you're unhappy with the seat assigned:

• Freezing: If you choose to freeze, you accept the seat you've been given and will not participate in any other rounds.

• Floating: If you want to accept the provided seat but are simultaneously looking for a place in a better/higher-ranked college or course, you can float.

• Sliding: You accept the seat allotted, but if seats become available in a better programme at the same institute, you will apply for an upgrade.

All candidates must report to the colleges allotted to confirm their admission by paying any outstanding academic costs.

Next steps

In JoSAA counselling, there isn’t a special technique to get into the desired college, except that you strive to attain a good rank. However, on Coursera, you can discover courses that can help you prepare for your education journey like Deep Teaching Solution’s Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects course. Consider enrolling today.

Frequently asked questions