JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria – Age, Rank, Qualifying Marks

JEE Advanced eligibility criteria is one of the most important aspects that candidates must carefully go through before submitting the exam application form. JEE Advanced 2021 is conducted and governed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. However, this year, the exam has been postponed and rescheduled to be conducted on July 3, 2021. This information has been confirmed by BS Murty, director, IIT Hyderabad, which is the South zone co-ordinating institute for JEE (Advanced) 2021. The main reason for the reschedulement of the exam is the current, second wave of COVID pandemic. 

Nevertheless, aspiring candidates must prepare well and satisfy all the prescribed eligibility criteria to appear for the JEE Advanced 2021. JEE Advanced eligibility criteria is based on  the following parameters – 

1. Securing rank amongst top 2,50,000 candidates in JEE Main
2. Result of qualifying exam (12th class boards or equivalent)
3. age limit, and others. 

It is crucial for the candidates to read all these guidelines in the article below, before filling the JEE Advanced application form.

Important Updates

1. The Union Education Minister has announced the JEE Advanced exam 2021 has been rescheduled and will be conducted on July 3, 2021.
2. 75 per cent of eligibility criteria have also been scrapped by the Education Ministry.
3. IIT Kharagpur will release detailed JEE Advanced 2021 eligibility criteria along with the JEE Advanced application form.

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria – Important Dates

Exam Events	Important Dates
Release of Notification (Detailed)	To be Announced
Dates for submission of online applications	To be Announced
Application Deadline	To be Announced
Last day for payment of registration fee	To be Announced
JEE Advanced 2021 Admit Card Release	To be Announced
JEE Advanced 2021 Exam	3rd July 2021

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria

Along with securing an eligible rank in JEE Main 2021, candidates have to satisfy all the 5 JEE advanced eligibility criteria implemented by the governing body of the exam. Inability to do so would lead to a cancellation of the candidature. 

The 6 major JEE Advanced eligibility criteria are:

1. Secure eligible rank in JEE Main – It is mandatory for the candidates to secure a rank amongst top 2,50,000 in the Paper-1 (B.E/B.Tech) of the JEE Main 2021. This is applicable for all the candidates irrespective of their categories. Qualified candidates will be categorized in the following manner-

1. GEN-EWS- 10%
2. Scheduled Caste- 15%
3. Scheduled Tribe- 7.5%
4. Other Backward Classes ( non-creamy layer)- 27 %
5. Open – 40.5%
6. Pwd- 5%

Distribution of 2,50,000* places amongst Categories

Category	Number of “Top” candidates
OPEN	96187	101250
OPEN-PwD	5063
GEN-EWS	23750	25000
GEN-EWS-PwD	1250
OBC-NCL	64125	67500
OBC-NCL-PwD	3375
SC	35625	37500
SC-PwD	1875
ST	17812	18750
ST-PwD	938

*Total number of candidates can go above 2,50,000 with “tied” ranks/scores in any category.

2. Age Limit – Aspiring candidates should have been born on or after October 1996 to be eligible to appear for the JEE Main. This age limit is for the general category aspirants. A relaxation of 5 years is granted to the aspirants belonging to the SC, ST and PWD categories. These candidates should not have been born before the 1st October 1991.

3. Number of Attempts – Any candidate, irrespective of the category that he/she belongs to, can apply for JEE Advanced for maximum of two consecutive years.

4. Appearing year for the Qualifying exam (class 12th or equivalent) – Aspiring candidates should have appeared for their qualifying exam in the academic session of 2020 or 2021 to stay eligible for appearing in the JEE Advanced. Applicants must have passed the exam with Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry as main subjects.

5. Minimum marks required in Qualifying exam (class 12th or equivalent) – All candidates should have qualified the 10+2th examination in 2020 or 2021 for the first time. In case the result is declared for the academic year 2018-19 after June 2019, then the aspirant of that board who appeared for their 12th standard qualifying exam in 2019 will also be considered eligible for JEE Advanced 2021, if they meet the other eligibility criteria.

6. Previously admitted in any IIT – Any candidate who has previously been enrolled in any IIT branch and has dropped out of the college, will not be eligible for appearing in the JEE Main. Also, candidates who have previously accepted a seat by reporting at the centre and then have withdrawn from the seat will not be considered eligible to appear for the examination.

Read More :- JEE Advanced Syllabus – Exam Pattern, Syllabus, Books, Preparation Tips

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria – Qualifying exams accepted for JEE Advanced

Given below is the list of qualifying exams which are accepted by the governing body of JEE Advanced. You must have cleared the qualifying exam from any of the following, to stay eligible for the JEE Advanced 2021:

1. Final board exams for 10 + 2, validated by any recognized Central/State board such as the CBSE, ICSE, and ISC
2. 2 year pre-university examination conducted by any recognized board/university
3. Final examination of 2-year courses from the Joint Services Wing (National Defense Academy)
4. Senior Secondary School Examination validated by the National Institute of Open Schooling. Candidates must pass the exam with 5 main subjects.
5. Higher Secondary Certificate Vocational Examination
6. Any Indian or foreign school/board/university examination which is recognized as equivalent to the 10 + 2 system by the AIU (Association of Indian Universities)
7. A 3-year diploma recognized by AICTE or a State Board of Technical Institution

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria – Performance in Class 12th or equivalent 

NTA has waived off the eligibility criteria of minimum 75% marks in class 12 for JEE Advanced 2021 due to COVID-19. In normal situations, for admissions into IITs, the candidates will be required to meet the following criteria:

1. He/she should have scored at least 75% aggregate marks (for OPEN category candidates) in class 12th or equivalent, with physics, chemistry and mathematics as main subjects. Candidates belonging to the SC/ST/PwD categories, must score at least 65% marks to stay eligible.
2. His/her qualifying exam score should be within the top 20 percentile of the successful candidates for the respective 12th board or equivalent exam.

Following are the subjects, which are considered for evaluation of aggregate marks-

1. Mathematics
2. Physics
3. Chemistry
4. One Language subject
5. Other main subject with highest marks

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria – Calculation of Class 12th boards or equivalent

1. The calculation of marks will be done out of 500 (100 marks for each subject). If marks in any of the subjects are not given out of 100, then the marks will be proportionally scaled down or up, so that the final evaluation of aggregate marks is done out of 500.
2. If the result is announced through the grade system and not through marks, then candidates must obtain a certificate from the board mentioning the equivalent marks out of 100 (for each of the 5 subjects). You must carry the certificate at the time of seat allotment (if selected). In case the candidate fails to provide the certificate at the time of seat allotment, the final decision will be taken by the Joint Implementation Committee.
3. Candidates who have appeared for the academic session of the qualifying exam (class 12th or equivalent) in both 2020 and 2021, their best of two results will be considered.
4. In case the board doesn’t provide the final result in marks but only in aggregate marks, then the aggregate result announced by the board will be considered.
5. If the board gives aggregate marks of both 11th and 12th class, then only 12th aggregate marks will be considered. Similarly, for the 3-year diploma (or an equivalent qualifying exam), the result of the final year would be considered.

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria – For Foreign Nationals

Governing body of the JEE Advanced has set eligibility criteria for the foreign nationals as well. Candidates belonging to the below-mentioned categories will be considered as Foreign Nationals-

1. Non-Citizens of India 
2. Non-OCI (Overseas Citizens of India)
3. Non-PIO (Persons of Indian Origin)
4. Candidates whose parents are not the citizens of India and neither do they belong to the above mentioned categories (at the time of JEE Advanced registration).

Seat Allotment – Foreign Nationals

The governing body of JEE Advanced has allotted 10% of total number of seats to the foreign nationals.

Basic Eligibility Requirements for Foreign Nationals

Before filling the application form, candidates belonging to the “foreign nationals” category must fulfill the below given eligibility criteria.

1. Age Limit – He/She should be born on or after 1st October 1996.
2. Number of Attempts– He/She can only give a maximum of two consecutive attempts at the JEE Advanced.
3. Year of Appearing for the 12th Class final exams– He/She must have appeared in class 12th or equivalent final exams in either 2020 or 2021.

These candidates are not required to qualify JEE Main 2021 and are eligible to register for JEE Advanced 2021 directly, subject to fulfilment of other eligibility criteria.

Performance in Class 12th or equivalent (Foreign Nationals)

1. He/she should have scored at least 75% aggregate marks in class 12th or equivalent, with physics, chemistry and mathematics as main subjects.
2. He/She must secure a place in the top 20 percentile of the successful candidates in the respective class 12th or equivalent board examination.

Documents required for JEE Advanced 2021 (Foreign Nationals)

1. Age proof (Birth Certificate)
2. Class 12th result and other relevant certificates for verification.
3. Identity proof 
4. Passport or other Recognized Citizenship Certificate 
5. Testimonials

Foreign Centres for the JEE Advanced 2021

1. Dhaka (Bangladesh)
2. Kathmandu (Nepal )
3. Singapore
4. Dubai (UAE)

JEE Advanced Eligibility Criteria – FAQ’s

Q. I appeared in class 12th examination in 2019 (for the first time). Am I eligible for JEE Advanced 2021 ?

Yes, you are eligible to appear for the JEE Advanced 2021, provided that you also satisfy other JEE Advanced eligibility criteria. Read all the guidelines mentioned in this article carefully.

Q. What is the basic JEE Advanced eligibility criteria 2021?

The basic JEE Advanced eligibility criteria for the year 2021 was previously stated as- that candidates must secure a place in top 2,50,000 candidates of JEE Main 2021. He/she must have scored at least 75% marks (OPEN category) in class 12th or equivalent, with Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry as main subjects. For SC, ST and OBC (NCL) candidates, the minimum marks required in class 12th or equivalent is 65%. However, HRD Minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal announced last year that the eligibility criteria of minimum 75% marks in class 12 has been waived off .

Q. What is the age limit criteria for JEE Advanced 2021?

The JEE Advanced eligibility criteria for age limit is given below -

1. Candidates belonging to the OPEN category must be born on or after 1st October 1996.
2. Candidates belonging to SC, ST and OBC (NCL) categories must be born after 1st October 1991 (5 Year relaxation).
3. Candidates belonging to Foreign Nationals category, must be born on or after 1st October 1996.

Q. Can foreign nationals appear for the JEE Advanced without appearing for the JEE Main?

Yes, foreign nationals can appear for the JEE Advanced without appearing for the JEE Main provided that they fulfill all the prescribed eligibility criteria implemented by the governing body of JEE Advanced. Read the article above for all the essential information regarding ‘JEE Advanced eligibility criteria’ for foreign nationals.

Q. How many attempts can I give at the JEE Advanced?

You may give as many as two attempts of JEE Advanced in consecutive years.