JEE Main 2027 follows the central reservation rules: 10% of seats for GEN-EWS, 27% for OBC-NCL, 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST and 5% for PwD within each group. In the JEE Main form you only declare your category and upload a PwD certificate if needed. EWS, OBC-NCL, SC and ST certificates are checked later, at JEE Advanced and JoSAA.
JEE Main 2027 Reservation and Category Certificates
The seat shares, what your category changes, the certificate rules for each category and when they are checked.
What reservation applies in JEE Main 2027?
Seats at NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded institutes are reserved as below, according to the latest (2026) JEE Main bulletin. Institutes run or aided by a state government follow that state’s own reservation policy.
| Category | Share of seats | Who can claim it |
|---|---|---|
| GEN-EWS | 10% | General category candidates who meet the Government of India income and asset limits |
| OBC-NCL | 27% | Non-creamy layer OBCs whose caste is in the central list of OBCs (ncbc.nic.in) |
| SC | 15% | Castes in the central list for your state |
| ST | 7.5% | Tribes in the central list for your state |
| PwD (PwBD) | 5% within each of GEN, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC and ST | Persons with a benchmark disability of at least 40% |
OBCs that are in a state list but not in the central list cannot claim OBC-NCL reservation at central institutes. Creamy-layer OBC candidates are treated as General and compete only for OPEN seats.
What does your category change in JEE Main?
Your category decides your fee, your category rank and your chances of qualifying for JEE Advanced.
- Fee: lower for Gen-EWS and OBC-NCL males and for SC, ST and PwD candidates. The full table is on the JEE Main 2027 page.
- Rank: NTA gives an All India category rank along with the common rank list.
- JEE Advanced: the top 2,50,000 Paper 1 candidates are chosen category-wise. In 2026 this meant 1,01,250 OPEN, 25,000 GEN-EWS, 67,500 OBC-NCL, 37,500 SC and 18,750 ST, each including a 5% PwD share.
- Admission to NITs and IIITs: you need 75% in Class 12 (65% for SC, ST and PwD) or a place in the top 20 percentile of your board.
- No later change: NTA does not change your category or PwD status after it declares the scores, and the category in your JEE Main record is carried into JEE Advanced.
Which certificate do you need for each category?
The rules below are from the JEE (Advanced) 2026 Information Brochure and the JoSAA 2026 Business Rules. The 2027 documents are not out yet; the same rules are expected, with dates moved forward by one year.
| Category | Certificate | Key rules in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| GEN-EWS | EWS certificate in the Government of India format | Family income below Rs 8 lakh for the previous financial year (2025-26 for the 2026 cycle) and within the land and house limits; certified by an officer not below the rank of Tehsildar; issued on or after 1 April 2026 |
| OBC-NCL | OBC-NCL certificate in the central format | Caste in the central list of OBCs; non-creamy layer; issued on or after 1 April 2026 |
| SC or ST | Caste or tribe certificate in the central format | Caste or tribe in the central list for your state. Maharashtra candidates also need a caste validity certificate, and Tamil Nadu ST certificates must be issued by the Revenue Divisional Officer |
| PwD | UDID card, or a disability certificate from the notified medical authority | Benchmark disability of at least 40%. Uploaded in the JEE Main form as a PDF of 50 to 300 KB; NTA checks UDID cards on the UDID portal |
For the EWS income test, family means you, your parents and siblings under 18, and your spouse and children under 18, if any. JoSAA 2026 also accepted an EWS or OBC-NCL certificate issued before 1 April 2026 if it was a government-issued, online-verifiable certificate valid till the date JoSAA set: 21 July 2026 for IITs, and 31 August 2026 or the reporting day for NITs and other institutes.
When are category certificates checked?
Certificates are checked at three stages, and only the first one is part of JEE Main itself.
- JEE Main application, open from 24 October to 22 November 2026 for Session 1: you declare your category, and only PwD candidates upload a certificate.
- JEE Advanced registration, expected in April 2027: GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC and ST candidates upload their certificate. In 2026, candidates who did not have it yet could upload a declaration and submit the certificate later.
- JoSAA counselling, expected from June 2027: certificates are checked at online reporting and again when you report at the institute.
If JoSAA finds a category certificate invalid or missing, your category tag is changed, usually to GEN. For example, a seat allotted in the OBC-NCL category is cancelled, and you are then considered as a GEN candidate in later rounds. Details are on the official JoSAA website.
How should you get your certificates ready for 2027?
- Apply for a fresh EWS or OBC-NCL certificate on or after 1 April 2027. Going by the 2026 rule, a certificate dated earlier is unlikely to be accepted at JEE Advanced 2027 or JoSAA 2027 unless it is online-verifiable and still valid.
- Use the Government of India format, not a state format. The formats are published with the JEE Advanced brochure and on josaa.nic.in.
- Check that your caste is in the central list on ncbc.nic.in before you choose OBC-NCL in the form.
- Make sure your name and your parents’ names on the certificate match your Class 10 certificate.
- PwD candidates should get a UDID card early, because NTA verifies it on the UDID portal.
- Keep clear PDF scans of every certificate ready before JEE Advanced registration opens.