JEE Main Cut Off 2027: Expected Percentile, Category-Wise Cutoff and Past Trends
Every JEE Main aspirant asks the same question before the first mock test: what score do I actually need? The JEE Main cut off 2027 answers it, but only if you know which cutoff you are reading. NTA has not released the 2027 figures, because it declares them after Session 2 in April 2027. Until then, the official 2026 numbers and the last five years of data give you a reliable target.
This guide covers the expected JEE Main cut off 2027 percentile for General, OBC, EWS, SC, ST and PwD candidates. It also shows the 2026 cutoff marks, the trend since 2022, the gap between the qualifying cutoff and the JoSAA admission cutoff, and the places where you can find the JEE Main cut off 2027 PDF once it goes live.
Quick answer: NTA will announce the JEE Main cut off 2027 after Session 2 (April 2 to 7, 2027, tentative). In 2026 the qualifying percentile stood at 93.41 for General, 82.42 for EWS, 80.92 for OBC-NCL, 63.92 for SC and 52.02 for ST. Expect the 2027 line to land close to those numbers, with General most likely between 93 and 94.5.
What Is the JEE Main Cut Off 2027?
People use the word “cutoff” for two different things. Mixing them up causes most of the confusion on forums and social media, so separate them first.
- Qualifying cutoff: the minimum NTA percentile you need to become eligible for JEE Advanced, which opens the door to the IITs. NTA releases it category-wise after the final result. Roughly 2.5 lakh candidates cross this line each year, and 2,50,182 did so in 2026.
- Admission cutoff: the opening and closing ranks that JoSAA publishes round by round for NITs, IIITs and GFTIs. It changes with the college, the branch, your category and your home state.
If you aim for an IIT, the qualifying cutoff is your first gate. If you aim for an NIT or IIIT, you need a far higher percentile than the qualifying line, and the admission cutoff matters more. Also remember the board-marks rule: General, OBC and EWS candidates need 75% in Class 12 (or a place in their board’s top 20 percentile), while SC and ST candidates need 65%.
When Will NTA Release the JEE Main Cut Off 2027?
NTA does not publish a qualifying cutoff after Session 1. It publishes the cutoff together with the Session 2 result and the final rank list. In 2026, that happened around the Session 2 result date of April 20. Keep the following timeline in mind, and check our JEE Main 2027 exam dates page for updates.
| Event | Date |
| Session 1 registration closes | 22 November 2026 |
| Session 1 exam | 20 to 24 and 28 January 2027 |
| Session 2 exam (tentative) | 2 to 7 April 2027 |
| JEE Main cut off 2027 release | After Session 2 result (date not announced) |
| JoSAA counselling | To be announced |
NTA counts your better percentile across the two sessions, so a weak January paper does not end your chances.
JEE Main Cut Off 2027 Category Wise: Expected vs Official Data
The table below puts the official 2026 percentile next to the two earlier years and our expected range for 2027. The 2027 column is an estimate built on trend data. It is not an NTA announcement.
| Category | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (official) | Expected 2027 (estimate) |
| General (UR) | 93.2362181 | 93.1023262 | 93.4123549 | 93.0 to 94.5 |
| EWS | 81.3266412 | 80.3830119 | 82.4164528 | 81.0 to 83.5 |
| OBC-NCL | 79.6757881 | 79.4313582 | 80.9232583 | 80.0 to 82.0 |
| SC | 60.0923182 | 61.1526933 | 63.9172792 | 62.0 to 65.0 |
| ST | 46.6975840 | 47.9026465 | 52.0174712 | 49.0 to 53.0 |
| PwD (General) | 0.0018700 | 0.0079349 | 0.0023186 | 0.001 to 0.01 |
JEE Main Cut Off 2027 for General
The General line has barely moved in three years: 93.24 in 2024, 93.10 in 2025 and 93.41 in 2026. That stability makes it the easiest number to predict. Treat 93 percentile as the floor, and aim for 95 or above if you want a safety margin. If you are searching for the general cutoff for JEE Mains 2026, the official figure is 93.4123549.
JEE Main Cut Off 2027 for OBC
The OBC-NCL cutoff rose from 79.43 to 80.92 between 2025 and 2026, a jump of about 1.5 points. Your 2027 target sits in the low 80s. Keep your non-creamy layer certificate current, because NTA verifies it, and read our reservation criteria guide to see how the 27% OBC quota works.
EWS, SC, ST and PwD
Reserved categories moved the most. The ST cutoff climbed more than four points in a single year, and SC gained close to three. A larger pool of serious candidates and a score spread that favours reserved groups explain much of this rise. PwD candidates compete in a separate quota, so their percentile line stays close to zero.
JEE Main Cut Off 2027 Percentile vs Marks
NTA states the qualifying cutoff as a percentile, not as raw marks. A percentile shows the share of candidates you beat, so the marks behind it shift with every session and shift. Our marks vs percentile vs rank guide explains the normalisation in detail. For a rough idea, the 2026 conversion looked like this:
| Marks (out of 300) | 2026 percentile range | What it means |
| 109 to 100 | 94.97 to 93.80 | Safe for the General cutoff |
| 99 to 90 | 93.68 to 92.22 | Around the General cutoff line |
| 89 to 80 | 92.06 to 90.28 | Close, but below General |
| 69 to 60 | 87.34 to 83.89 | Above EWS and OBC cutoffs |
| 59 to 50 | 83.51 to 78.35 | Near EWS and OBC cutoffs |
| 39 to 30 | 68.80 to 56.09 | Near the SC cutoff |
| 29 to 20 | 54.01 to 36.58 | Near the ST cutoff |
JEE Mains Cut Off Marks 2026 (Approximate)
Matching each 2026 cutoff percentile to the marks bands above gives these rough scores. They are estimates, so use them for planning only.
| Category | 2026 cutoff percentile | Approximate marks |
| General | 93.41 | 96 to 98 |
| EWS | 82.42 | 56 to 58 |
| OBC-NCL | 80.92 | 53 to 56 |
| SC | 63.92 | 34 to 37 |
| ST | 52.02 | 27 to 29 |
So a General candidate who scores about 97 out of 300 would have sat right on the 2026 line. That is why you should never plan for the exact cutoff. Plan for 20 to 30 marks above it.
JEE Main Cut Off 2026 Percentile: What Happened Last Year
The JEE Mains cut off 2026 percentile rose in every category compared with 2025. General reached 93.4123549, EWS 82.4164528, OBC-NCL 80.9232583, SC 63.9172792, ST 52.0174712 and UR-PwBD 0.0023186. The qualifying quota followed reservation shares: 40.5% open, 27% OBC-NCL, 15% SC, 10% EWS, 7.5% ST and a 5% horizontal PwD reservation. Higher reserved-category cutoffs signal that more of those candidates scored well, not that the rules changed.
JEE Main Cutoff Trend: Last Five Years
| Year | General | EWS | OBC-NCL | SC | ST |
| 2026 | 93.41 | 82.42 | 80.92 | 63.92 | 52.02 |
| 2025 | 93.10 | 80.38 | 79.43 | 61.15 | 47.90 |
| 2024 | 93.24 | 81.33 | 79.68 | 60.09 | 46.70 |
| 2023 | 90.78 | 75.62 | 73.61 | 51.98 | 37.23 |
| 2022 | 88.41 | 63.11 | 67.01 | 43.08 | 26.78 |
Three patterns stand out. First, the General cutoff jumped about 2.4 points in 2024 and has held near 93 since. Second, reserved categories kept climbing and closed much of the gap with General. Third, the ST cutoff almost doubled in four years. If these patterns continue, 2027 will not bring a dramatic fall. Plan for a bar that stays flat or edges up.
What Decides the JEE Main Cut Off 2027?
- Number of candidates: more serious test-takers push percentile lines up.
- Paper difficulty: a tough paper lowers raw marks, yet normalisation keeps the percentile fair across shifts.
- Score distribution: NTA picks the top 2.5 lakh ranks and splits them by category share, so the spread of scores in each category sets its line.
- Reservation shares: the seat split among Open, EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST and PwD fixes how many qualifiers each category gets.
- Two-session format: candidates who attempt both sessions can improve their percentile, which raises the overall competition level.
Qualifying Cutoff vs JoSAA Admission Cutoff
Crossing the qualifying line does not guarantee a seat in a good college. JoSAA decides admission through ranks. At the most competitive NITs, the General cutoff can reach around the 98 percentile. Computer science seats at NITs have closed anywhere between roughly rank 500 and rank 4,800 for the Open category, based on recent rounds. Branches such as civil or chemical close at much higher ranks.
Use the qualifying cutoff to judge your JEE Advanced eligibility. Use the JoSAA opening and closing ranks to judge your college options. Both matter, but they answer different questions.
JEE Main Cut Off 2027 PDF: Where to Find It
NTA publishes the qualifying cutoff as a notice and a result document. Download the JEE Main cut off 2027 PDF from official sources only:
- Visit nta.nic.in and open the result or public notice section after Session 2.
- Check the public notices on ac.in for the final result and cutoff announcement.
- Download the opening and closing rank files for each round from nic.in when counselling begins.
Avoid PDFs from unknown sites that promise “leaked” or “confirmed” 2027 cutoffs. NTA has not issued them, and any figure you see today is a prediction.
How to Score Above the JEE Main Cut Off 2027
A cutoff is only a number until you turn it into a study plan. These steps work for most students who start now:
- Set a target at least 20 marks above your category’s estimated line, so a hard paper does not sink you.
- Learn the paper structure first. Our JEE Main exam pattern 2027 guide covers marks, sections and negative marking.
- Build a weekly plan using the step-by-step JEE Main preparation plan, and finish NCERT-based theory before heavy problem solving.
- Take one timed mock every week, then spend twice as long reviewing errors as you spent solving.
- Treat Session 1 as a real attempt. A strong January score lets you attack Session 2 without pressure.
Remember that the percentile you chase depends on your goal. A General candidate eyeing the IITs needs to clear about 93, while one eyeing a top NIT branch should push towards 98 and above.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the JEE Main cut off 2027 for General category?
NTA has not announced it. Based on 2024 to 2026 data, the expected range is 93.0 to 94.5 percentile. The official 2026 General cutoff was 93.4123549.
What is the JEE Main cut off 2027 for OBC?
The expected OBC-NCL range is 80.0 to 82.0 percentile. The 2026 official figure was 80.9232583.
What is the JEE Main cut off 2027 category wise?
Expect roughly 93 to 94.5 for General, 81 to 83.5 for EWS, 80 to 82 for OBC-NCL, 62 to 65 for SC and 49 to 53 for ST. These are estimates until NTA publishes the real data.
When will the JEE Main cut off 2027 come out?
NTA releases it with the Session 2 result, which follows the April 2027 exam. No exact date exists yet.
Where can I download the JEE Main cut off 2027 PDF?
Use jeemain.nta.nic.in and nta.ac.in for the qualifying cutoff, and josaa.nic.in for admission cutoff ranks.
What were the JEE Mains cut off marks 2026?
NTA publishes percentiles, not marks. Roughly, General needed about 96 to 98 marks, EWS about 56 to 58, OBC-NCL about 53 to 56, SC about 34 to 37 and ST about 27 to 29.
Does the qualifying cutoff guarantee an NIT seat?
No. NIT admission follows JoSAA ranks, which usually need a much higher percentile than the qualifying line.
Final Thoughts
The JEE Main cut off 2027 will not arrive until after the April session, but you do not need to wait to act. Five years of data show a General line near 93 and reserved-category lines that keep rising. Use those numbers as a floor, aim well above them, and track the official NTA notices for the final announcement. Bookmark this page, because we will update it with the real percentile the moment NTA releases it.
Disclaimer: The 2027 ranges in this article are estimates based on past NTA data and do not come from the NTA. Always confirm final figures on jeemain.nta.nic.in and josaa.nic.in.