CSAB Special Round 2027: How Vacant NIT, IIIT, GFTI Seats Are Filled

CSAB special round 2027 has not been announced yet; on the 2026 pattern, expect it in late July and August 2027. A CSAB special round is an extra round of counselling, held after JoSAA ends, that fills seats still vacant at NITs, IIEST Shibpur, IIITs, SPAs and other GFTIs using JEE Main ranks. It needs a fresh registration on csab.nic.in and a separate fee, and IIT seats are not included.

This explainer uses the official CSAB Special Rounds 2026 brochure and closing ranks to show who can apply, what it costs, how refunds work, how deep ranks went in 2026, and what to plan for CSAB 2027.

What is the CSAB special round?

CSAB (Central Seat Allocation Board) runs two special rounds after the last JoSAA round to fill vacant seats in the "NIT+ system": NITs, IIEST, IIITs, SPAs and other GFTIs. Seats are allotted on JEE Main rank through csab.nic.in. The rounds are completely online, and the JoSAA registration does not carry over.

Seats become vacant because students leave JoSAA seats for IITs, state colleges, private universities or a drop year, or fail document checks. CSAB collects these seats and offers them again. For 2026, CSAB was chaired by the Director of IIEST Shibpur, which coordinated the process.

The 2026 brochure listed 31 NITs plus IIEST Shibpur, 26 IIITs and 56 other GFTIs (including three SPAs) as participating institutes, with a note that the final list is on the CSAB website. If you are new to the main counselling, start with our JoSAA counselling 2027 guide.

Who is eligible for CSAB special rounds?

Anyone who was eligible for NIT+ seats in JoSAA, based on JEE Main rank and the Class 12 rule of 75% (65% for SC, ST, PwD) or top 20 percentile, can register. You do not need to have taken part in JoSAA. Students who already hold an NIT+ seat can also join to try for a better one.

The 2026 brochure described nine types of eligible candidates. In simple terms, they were:

• Students who did not register for JoSAA 2026 at all.
• Students who took part in JoSAA but got no seat.
• Students whose JoSAA seat was cancelled for not paying the seat acceptance fee or the partial admission fee.
• Students who withdrew from an NIT+ seat or used the Exit option.
• Students allotted an IIT seat who withdrew, had it cancelled, or even took admission there.
• Students who secured an NIT+ seat by paying both JoSAA fees and want an upgrade.
• Students whose NIT+ seat was cancelled after unsuccessful document verification and who got nothing later.

Foreign nationals who are not OCI or PIO card holders were not eligible. If you are unsure about the board marks rule, read our explainer on the 75% criteria and top 20 percentile.

Also readJoSAA Counselling 2027: Rounds, Choice Filling, Fees & CSAB Guide

How much does the CSAB special round cost?

In 2026, CSAB charged a Special Round Enrolment Fee (SREF) of Rs 40,000 for GEN, GEN-EWS and OBC-NCL, or Rs 19,000 for SC, ST and PwD. This included a non-refundable Rs 5,000 processing fee. After a seat was allotted, a second payment, the Institute Admission Fee-II, was also required.

Students who had already paid JoSAA fees for an NIT+ seat paid only the difference at registration. Those who had secured a JoSAA seat by paying the partial admission fee did not need to pay IAF-II. These fees are adjusted against the institute's fee when you join, but the processing fees are not. For a band-by-band view, see what opened between rank 75,000 and 1 lakh in 2026.

What was the CSAB 2026 schedule?

CSAB 2026 opened on 28 July 2026, showing the vacant seats and starting registration and choice filling at the same time. Registration and fee payment closed on 3 August, choices locked on 5 August, Special Round 1 results came on 6 August and Special Round 2 on 12 August 2026.

The brochure also said the vacant seat matrix shown at the start is tentative, and more seats can open later. So fill choices even for programmes that show zero vacancies.

What happens to your JoSAA seat if you join CSAB?

Your secured JoSAA NIT+ seat is kept as your last choice. If CSAB allots you any seat from your new list, the JoSAA seat is cancelled automatically, even if you do not accept the new seat. Your JoSAA freeze, float or slide choice does not carry over; only the fresh CSAB choices count.

This is the rule that surprises most families. Before you add a choice, ask: "Would I really leave my current seat for this?" If the answer is no, leave it out.

A few more rules from the 2026 brochure:

• Willingness options: after Round 1 you choose Freeze, Float, Slide, Surrender or Withdraw. If you do nothing, you move to Round 2 on Float, or Freeze if you got your first choice.
• Withdraw and Exit: both are allowed only during Special Round 1. Withdrawing removes you from CSAB completely.
• Last round: all Round 2 allotments are treated as Freeze.
• IIT fees: if you paid fees to an IIT in JoSAA and then get a CSAB seat, that money is not adjusted; you follow the IIT's refund process.

Also readState Counselling for Low JEE Rank: UPTAC, BCECE, ACPC and More

What are the CSAB refund rules?

Refunds are possible, but with deductions. The Rs 5,000 CSAB processing fee is never refunded. JoSAA's own Rs 5,000 processing fee is also deducted, plus Rs 2,000 in certain cases, such as withdrawing or surrendering a seat and getting nothing in the next round.

In 2026, there was no refund from CSAB for candidates who did not complete Round 2 online reporting, did not pay IAF-II after a Round 2 allotment, had documents rejected in Round 2, or did not join the allotted institute. Their fees went to the institute, and any refund then followed that institute's rules.

Read the refund section of the 2027 brochure before you pay. If you are holding a state or private college seat, compare both refund policies first. Many students lose money by paying in two places without checking.

How deep did CSAB 2026 closing ranks go?

For many programmes, CSAB went well beyond the JoSAA final round. The official CSAB page notes that all its ranks are All India CRL, even for category seats. Most Special Round 2 rows cover only a few seats, so the numbers below are signals, not promises.

Other pools went even deeper. In Special Round 2, the deepest All India OPEN seat at an IIIT was IIIT Manipur ECE with a specialisation at 1,96,982, and a few GFTI seats went far beyond that (Islamic University of Science and Technology Kashmir, Electrical, closed at 7,25,062 on All India OPEN). Home-state seats at NIT Agartala, NIT Mizoram and NIT Manipur closed beyond 6 lakh, and ST seats at IIIT Manipur closed near 4.6-5 lakh CRL. Female-only Other State seats at NIT Mizoram, NIT Manipur and NIT Nagaland closed around 1.35-1.5 lakh.

For a rank-by-rank view, see what these pools mean at 60-70 percentile in JEE Main, or check your JoSAA-level options in the JoSAA college predictor. Our list of NITs for a low JEE Main rank covers the North-East NITs in detail.

What are CSAB NEUT and CSAB Supernumerary rounds?

They are separate processes, not part of the special rounds. CSAB NEUT allots reserved seats in AICTE-approved institutes to candidates from North-Eastern states and some Union Territories. CSAB Supernumerary gives extra seats at NIT Calicut, NIT Durgapur and SVNIT Surat to candidates from four specific Union Territories.

• CSAB NEUT 2026: registration ran from 17 to 25 July 2026, with Round 1 on 1 August and Round 2 on 9 August. The seat acceptance fee was Rs 5,000. Engineering and Pharmacy had separate registrations, and documents were verified by NERIST and state DTEs.
• CSAB Supernumerary 2026: open only to candidates with state of eligibility as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu, or Dadra and Nagar Haveli. It ran after the special rounds, and its allotment result is out on csab.nic.in.

Each has its own business rules and eligibility, so read them separately if you belong to these regions.

What should you expect for CSAB special round 2027?

CSAB special round 2027 has not been announced as of 7 October 2026. Based on 2026, expect vacancies and registration to open in late July 2027, about two weeks after JoSAA's final round, with two special rounds finishing by mid-August. Fees and rules may change, so wait for the 2027 brochure on csab.nic.in.

The JoSAA 2027 timeline depends on JEE Main 2027 (Session 1 on 22-30 January 2027, as per NTA's tentative calendar) and JEE Advanced 2027, which is not yet notified. Our IIT exam dates 2027 tracker lists what is official and what is expected.

One 2026 development is worth noting. On 8 September 2026, CSAB issued a public notice saying candidates whose special round seats were cancelled for not meeting the Class 12 criterion could submit revised or improved marksheets by 10 September 2026, and would be considered subject to eligibility and Ministry of Education approval. Do not count on a similar window in 2027.

What should you do next?

Whatever the final CSAB special round 2027 dates turn out to be, a CSAB special round is a genuine second chance, especially for students with modest JEE Main ranks, reserved-category candidates and home-state candidates in the North-East. But it costs money and can cancel an existing seat, so plan it with care.

• Keep your Class 12 marksheet and category certificates ready and valid well before July 2027.
• Note that CSAB needs a fresh registration after JoSAA ends; set a reminder for late July 2027.
• Keep the enrolment fee amount ready (Rs 40,000 or Rs 19,000 in 2026).
• List only choices you prefer over any seat you already hold.
• Read the refund rules before paying in CSAB, state counselling or a private college.
• Build your full backup plan with our guide to colleges for a low JEE Main rank.