Last updated on October 21st, 2020 at 05:30 pm

NTA officially released the JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2020 in its brochure. Candidates must meet the basic JEE Main Eligibility Criteria before planning to apply for JEE Main 2020. JEE Main eligibility criteria consist of various conditions such as

• Educational qualification
• Age limit,
• Nationality,
• Mandatory subjects in Class 12th or equivalent,
• 12th percentage required for JEE Main 2020.

Latest Update on JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2020-

1. JEE Main Counselling 2020 has started with counselling rounds by JoSAA from 6th October 2020. Check Here
2. Now, candidates with Class XII passing certificates will also be able to apply for JEE Main.
   • NTA conducted the JEE Main 2020 April-September session from 1st September – 6th September 2020. Check Paper Analysis
   • NITs and CFTIs have relaxed the criterion of 75% minimum aggregate percentage (top 20 percentile rule) in 10+2 due to partial cancellation of 12th CBSE boards and other equivalent exams amid COVID-19 pandemic.
   • Thus, the weightage of 12th class percentage is completely scrapped for JEE Main and for admission to central government colleges. Read More

Detailed JEE Main 2020 Eligibility Criteria

JEE Main 2020 application form was available on the official website from February 7, 2020 to March 12, 2020. One must ensure that he/she meets JEE Main 2020 eligibility criteria before proceeding for application.

Year of Qualifying Exam

• JEE Main 2020 aspirants must have passed 12th or equivalent exam in 2018 or 2019
• Candidates appearing for 12th exam in 2020 are also eligible to apply for JEE Main

Age Limit Criteria

• JEE Main does not possess any criteria for upper age limit
• IITs have separate age limit criteria for admissions, which might affect overall JEE Advanced 2020 eligibility criteria

Number of Attempts

• JEE Main aspirants can attempt entrance exam for 3 consecutive years
• NTA conducts JEE Main exam twice a year since 2019 and a candidate can appear for both exams
• Both attempts of JEE Main exam for a single academic year are considered as a single attempt for that year

Aggregate Marks in Qualifying Examination

This particular JEE Main Eligibility criterion is not considered for JEE Main 2020 exam due to COVID-19. The details below are applicable under regular circumstances:

• General Category – 75% marks in aggregate
• SC/ST/PWD Category – 65% marks in aggregate

Also Check Top NITs Accepting JEE Main Score

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2021

Due to the postponement of JEE Main 2020 April/September session, speculations are high that JEE Main 2021 exam will be impacted. Aspirants must adhere to revised eligibility norms prevalent from 2020-21 JEE Main session.

• JEE Main 2021 is open for those who have passed 12th or equivalent exam in 2019 or 2020.
• Appearing candidates of 12th board exams in 2021 are also eligible.
• JEE Main exam does not put any condition on upper age limit.
• JEE Main B.Planning participants need to secure a minimum of 50% in aggregate and Mathematics individually at 10+2 level.
• For admissions to IIT, NIT or CFTIs, one needs to secure a minimum of 75% marks in the qualifying examination.

Combination of Subject(s) for JEE Main 2020 Eligibility

JEE Main 2020 eligibility criteria require all candidates to opt for 5 main subjects in the qualifying examination. Students with less than 5 subjects will be considered ineligible.

Compulsory subjects for the candidates taking JEE Main exam includes:

• Paper 1 – B.Tech/B.E.
  • • Physics
    • Mathematics
    • Chemistry/Biology/Biotechnology/Technical Vocational Subject
• Paper 2 – B.Arch.
  • • Physics
    • Chemistry
    • Mathematics
• Paper 3 – B.Planning
  • • Mathematics

Major Changes in the JEE Main Eligibility Criteria 2020

JEE Main 2020 Eligibility Criteria changes as per the new guidelines include the following::

• Valid ID Proof – All Indian JEE Main aspirants need to produce an Aadhar Card or any other valid ID to appear for the exam. NRI candidates must present a valid passport
• Guidelines for Jammu & Kashmir, Meghalaya, and Assam Applicants
  • • Candidates from these states need to enter details like Passport Number, Ration Card, Bank Account Number or any other equivalent Govt. issued documents while filling JEE Main 2020 Application Form
    • Also, such candidates can select centres from these states only
• Exemption of Class 12th marks – For JEE Main 2020, the percentage of 12th will not be included while calculating AIR
• Admission to IITs/ NITs/ IIITs and CFTIs
  • • One need to obtain a minimum of 75% marks in class 12th or rank under top 20 percentile by the respective board for admissions to these institutes
    • For SC/ST category, the minimum aggregate required is 65%

Note: Due to the current pandemic situation, the rule of minimum aggregate marks in 12th boards has been scrapped by CSAB. Read More

Eligibility for Admission to Participating NITs, IIITs, GFTIs via CSAB

• CSAB is the regulatory body conducting admission counselling for NITs, IIITs, CFTIs
• Admission via CSAB depends on All India Ranks of candidates
• Candidates need to secure either minimum 75% marks in 10+2 exams or a place in Top 20 Percentile at 10+2 level
• For the SC/ST category, the minimum aggregate required in 10+2 is 65%.

Note: CSAB has relaxed this rule for admission to NITs and other CFTIs. Please check the latest update

Check CSAB NEUT

Admission to NITs, IITs, CFTIs, SFIs or State Engineering Colleges

Check CSAB SFTI

JEE Main 2020 Reservation

Of the total seats, few are reserved for candidates belonging to OBC, SC, ST, and PwD category as detailed below:

The allocation of seats is done as follows:

• As per the verdict of Lok Sabha Bill in 2019, the constitution allows 10% reservation for EWS category.
• Hence, now JEE Main 2020 reservation criteria also provide 10% EWS Reservation
• The remaining seats after all other reservations will be considered as unreserved for the general category.

Check JEE Main Cut Off for Top NITs

State Code of Eligibility

For JEE Main exam, the state from which a candidate has passed the qualifying examination is considered as the state code of eligibility.

• A candidate is given the quota under that particular state as a first preference during the allocation of seats in JEE Main Counselling.
• State quota is only applicable for NITs and a few other state colleges.
• State, where the candidate passed the qualifying examination, is the state code of eligibility and not the state of residence
• If a candidate is appearing for improvement examinations, then the state code of eligibility will be the state from where the candidate has passed Class XII examination
• In cases where Indian Nationals have passed 12th from Nepal/Bhutan, the state code of eligibility will be determined by the permanent address on the passport
• For candidates who have passed/appeared in Class XII exams of NIOS, can select a state code of eligibility where the study centre is located

Qualifying Exams for JEE Main 2020

Aspirants appearing for JEE Main must have cleared the following in order to meet JEE Main eligibility criteria:

• Class 12 or equivalent from a recognized Central or State board like ICSE, CBSE, CISCE, etc.
• Intermediate or Pre-Degree Course exam or Pre-University Course under any recognized Board/University
• H.S.C or any vocational examination
• The final exam of the 2-year course of the Joint Services Wing of the NDA
• Diploma of a minimum of 3 years recognized by AICTE or SBTE
• Senior Secondary School Examination conducted by the National Institute of Open Schooling with a minimum of 5 subjects
• For admission to IITs, a candidate must complete the General Certificate Education (GCE) exam (London/ Cambridge/ Sri Lanka) at Advanced level (A
• Association of Indian Universities examination in India or any foreign country

Read IITs vs NITs

JEE Main 2020 – Eligibility Criteria For Improvement Exam

• Improvement in one/two subjects – Candidate’s previous year’s top 20 percentile is taken into account and the aggregate will be calculated based on compulsory subjects
• Improvement in all subjects – Candidate’s highest aggregate of both years is considered
• In case a candidate is unable to secure the minimum required aggregate, he/she will be deemed ineligible

Documents Required for JEE Main 2020

The candidates need to produce the following documents at the time of taking JEE Main 2020 Exam:

• Identity Card: JEE Main participants need to produce a valid ID proof like PAN Card, Driver’s Licence, Voter ID, Aadhaar Card etc.
• Photograph and Signature
  • • JEE Main application form requires Scanned copies of Signature and Photograph
    • Size of the photograph should be between 10 kb–200 kb
    • Permissible size of the signature must be between 4 kb–30 kb
    • Preferred dimensions for signature and photograph are 3.5 cm X 4.5 cm
    • The format acceptable is JPEG/JPG only
• Educational Documents: Candidates need to produce 10th and 12th mark sheet and certificate at the time of JEE Main 2020 Counselling along with JEE Main Application Form

Note – Supreme Court ruled out that Aadhar is not mandatory for admission in educational institutes. Candidates can apply for JEE Main with any valid ID proofs.

Read   

• NIT Trichy: Eligibility, Admission and Other Details
• NIT Delhi: Cut Off 2020

What is JEE Main Eligibility Criteria for Droppers?

• JEE Main 2020 eligibility criteria apply to all candidates including droppers
• To be eligible, dropouts need to fulfil the eligibility criteria for JEE Main exam
• For admission to NITs, IIITs and CFTIs, candidates need to secure a minimum score of 75% (65% for reserved category) or need to be in the top 20 percentile of their respective boards
• The droppers must have passed 12th examination in 2018 or 2019
• JEE Main aspirants can take only three consecutive attempts
• Candidates must have taken at least five subjects in their 12th class or qualifying exam, mandatory ones being Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics

JEE Main Eligibility Criteria-FAQs