Campus Times | Lucknow

The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) has officially commenced the counselling process for the 2026 academic session, opening the registration and choice filling window for admissions to IITs, NITs, IIITs, and other participating government-funded technical institutes.

The process began on June 2, 2026, shortly after the declaration of the JEE Advanced 2026 results on June 1. Candidates who have qualified in JEE Main 2026 and JEE Advanced 2026 are now eligible to participate in the centralised seat allocation process through the official JoSAA portal.

Key dates candidates should not miss

JoSAA has released a detailed schedule for registration, choice filling, mock seat allotments, and choice locking. Candidates are advised to keep track of the following important dates:

• June 2, 2026 (5 PM): Registration and choice filling started

• June 7, 2026: AAT-specific choice filling begins

• June 8, 2026 (2 PM): Mock Seat Allotment Round 1

• June 10, 2026 (1 PM): Mock Seat Allotment Round 2

• June 10, 2026: Last date for choice locking

• June 11, 2026 (5 PM): Registration and choice filling window closes

How to complete JoSAA 2026 registration

Candidates can register for counselling by visiting the official JoSAA website and logging in using their JEE Main 2026 application number, password, and security pin. After successful login, applicants should verify all personal and academic details before proceeding with choice filling.

Choice filling: what candidates need to know

Once registered, candidates can begin selecting their preferred institutes and academic programmes. The system allows applicants to choose colleges based on institute type, institute name, and course availability.

To access the choice filling section, candidates must first verify the OTP sent to their registered mobile number. After verification, they can add multiple choices and arrange them in order of preference.

Experts advise candidates to carefully prioritise their selections, as the order of choices plays a crucial role in the seat allocation process.

Mock allotments to help candidates refine preferences

JoSAA will release two mock seat allotments on June 8 and June 10, giving students an opportunity to assess their chances of admission based on current preferences. These mock rounds allow candidates to modify and optimise their choice list before the final locking deadline.

Choice locking mandatory before deadline

Candidates must lock their final choices before the counselling window closes. However, if a candidate does not manually lock the preferences, the system will automatically lock the last saved choices after the deadline.

With the registration and choice filling process scheduled to conclude on June 11, candidates are encouraged to complete all formalities well in advance to avoid last-minute technical issues and ensure smooth participation in the seat allocation process.