JoSAA Counselling 2027: Rounds, Choice Filling, Fees & CSAB Guide

JoSAA counselling 2027 is expected to start in early June 2027, right after the JEE Advanced 2027 result, and run through June and July. The official schedule is not out yet, but the 2026 pattern (registration from 2 June, five rounds from 13 June to 21 July) is the best guide to plan with.

This guide covers how JoSAA works, the 2026 round-wise dates, a practical choice filling strategy, fees, documents, the freeze, float and slide options, and the CSAB special rounds that come after JoSAA.

What is JoSAA counselling 2027?

JoSAA (Joint Seat Allocation Authority) is the single online counselling for IITs, NITs, IIITs, IIEST Shibpur and other government-funded technical institutes (GFTIs). IIT seats are allotted on your JEE Advanced rank; all other seats use your JEE Main rank. You fill one common choice list for all of them.

JoSAA is run jointly by the Joint Admission Board (for IITs) and the Central Seat Allocation Board, CSAB (for the "NIT+ system"). The official website is josaa.nic.in. There is no separate registration fee for JoSAA itself; you pay only when you accept a seat.

In 2026, JoSAA covered 138 institutes: 23 IITs, IISc Bengaluru, 31 NITs, IIEST Shibpur, 26 IIITs and 56 other GFTIs. The number of seats is published in the seat matrix every year.

IISc Bengaluru and IIEST Shibpur are also part of JoSAA. Seat counts above are as reported by coaching and education portals from the 2026 seat matrix; check the official seat matrix on josaa.nic.in for exact programme-wise figures.

When will JoSAA 2027 start and what was the 2026 schedule?

JoSAA 2027 should open for registration in the first days of June 2027, a day or so after the JEE Advanced result. In 2026, choice filling ran from 2 to 11 June, Round 1 came on 13 June, and the fifth and final round for IITs was on 16 July. Exact 2027 dates are awaited.

Here is the official JoSAA 2026 schedule. Use it as a template for 2027, not as a promise.

JoSAA 2026 had five rounds, compared with six rounds in 2025. The number of rounds can change, so read the 2027 schedule carefully once it is released.

Every round has a short fee payment and document upload window. If you miss it, your seat is cancelled and you are out of further JoSAA rounds. Set phone reminders for each deadline.

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

How does JoSAA seat allocation work?

JoSAA allots seats using your rank, category, gender pool, home state (for NITs) and the order of your choices. In each round, the system gives you the highest choice in your list that your rank can get. Choice order is everything; the system never "jumps" to a lower choice if a higher one is available.

A few rules that surprise many students:

• NITs have a Home State (HS) quota of 50% and Other State (OS) quota of 50%. Your home state is decided by where you passed Class 12, not where you live.
• There are two gender pools: Gender-Neutral and Female-only (supernumerary). Female candidates are considered in both.
• IIT seats need a JEE Advanced rank. NIT, IIIT and GFTI seats need a JEE Main rank. Both kinds can sit in the same list.
• The 75% Class 12 criterion (or top 20 percentile of your board) applies to IITs, NITs, IIITs and most GFTIs. See our 75% criteria guide.

How should you fill choices in JoSAA 2027?

Fill as many choices as you would genuinely join, in true order of preference, from dream options down to safe ones. Use the last two years' closing ranks for your exact category, quota and gender pool. Add plenty of safe choices at the bottom so you are not left without a seat.

A simple five-step method works well:

1. Collect data. Download JoSAA opening and closing ranks for 2025 and 2026 (final round) from the official site for your category and quota.
2. Make three bands. "Dream" (closing rank a bit better than yours), "Target" (close to your rank) and "Safe" (clearly worse than your rank).
3. Decide branch vs college. Be honest: do you prefer a good branch at a newer institute or any branch at an older one? Order your list around that decision.
4. Use the mock allocations. JoSAA 2026 had two mock rounds. If you get nothing in mock allocation, add more safe choices before locking.
5. Lock only when ready. Choices lock automatically at the deadline. Download and save the locked choice PDF.

For a reference point on how competitive the top is, in JoSAA 2025 Round 1, B.Tech CSE (OPEN, Gender-Neutral) closed at about rank 66 at IIT Bombay, 125 at IIT Delhi, 171 at IIT Madras, 270 at IIT Kanpur and 450 at IIT Kharagpur (JEE Advanced CRL, approximate, as reported by Careers360). Most branches at newer IITs, NITs and IIITs close at far higher ranks.

If your JEE Main rank is on the higher side, NITs in your home state, newer IIITs and GFTIs are where the real options lie. Our list of NITs and IIITs for a low JEE Main rank and the main guide to colleges for a low JEE Main rank help you build the safe part of the list.

What is freeze, float and slide in JoSAA?

After you get a seat, you must choose freeze, float or slide. Freeze accepts the seat and stops all upgrades. Float accepts the seat but lets you move to any higher choice. Slide accepts the seat but only allows a higher branch in the same institute. Any upgrade automatically cancels the earlier seat.

Whatever you choose, you must complete the online reporting (fee payment and document upload) in that round. Choosing float without paying the fee does not keep your seat.

An upgrade under float or slide is automatic and final. You cannot go back to the previous seat. Only keep higher choices in your list that you will truly accept.

Also readColleges for Low JEE Main Rank 2027: Options by Percentile Band

What is the JoSAA seat acceptance fee for 2027?

The 2027 fee is not announced yet. In JoSAA 2026, the seat acceptance fee (SAF) was Rs 30,000 for GEN, GEN-EWS and OBC-NCL candidates and Rs 15,000 for SC, ST and PwD candidates, including a Rs 5,000 processing charge. NIT+ candidates also had to pay a Partial Admission Fee (PAF) at the end.

The PAF is what confirms an NIT, IIIT or GFTI seat. In 2026, the rules said that non-payment of PAF would be treated as rejection of the seat, even if the SAF was paid. The SAF and PAF are adjusted against the institute's fee when you join.

What documents are needed for JoSAA counselling?

Keep scanned copies of your JEE admit cards and scorecards, Class 10 and Class 12 documents, a photo ID, photographs, and any category or PwD certificate you claim. Certificates must be in the format and date range given in the JoSAA business rules, or your category may be changed to GEN.

• JEE Main 2027 admit card and scorecard (and JEE Advanced 2027 admit card and scorecard, for IIT seats)
• Class 10 certificate or marksheet (proof of date of birth)
• Class 12 marksheet (for the 75% or top 20 percentile check)
• Government photo ID (Aadhaar or equivalent) and recent passport-size photographs
• OBC-NCL or GEN-EWS certificate in the central government format, issued within the valid window
• SC or ST certificate, if applicable
• PwD certificate, if applicable (PwD candidates may also need medical verification)
• Any undertaking or declaration forms that JoSAA asks for in that year

In 2026, JoSAA allowed candidates to pre-pay the seat acceptance fee and pre-upload documents during choice filling. If this continues in 2027, use it; it reduces last-minute stress in Round 1.

Can you withdraw or exit from JoSAA?

Yes. In JoSAA 2026, candidates could withdraw an accepted seat or exit the process from Round 2 onwards. For IITs and IISc, Round 4 was the last round to withdraw. For NIT+ seats, withdrawal was allowed up to Round 5. The fee is refunded after deducting charges.

Withdrawing means giving up your seat completely. Only do it if you have a confirmed better option elsewhere, such as a state college or private university seat you prefer. If you just want a better JoSAA seat, choose float or slide instead.

What are CSAB special rounds after JoSAA?

CSAB Special Rounds fill vacant NIT, IIEST, IIIT, SPA and GFTI seats after JoSAA ends. IITs are not included. In 2026, registration ran from 28 July to 3 August, Special Round 1 results came on 6 August and Special Round 2 on 12 August. A fresh registration on csab.nic.in is compulsory.

To register, candidates paid a Special Round Enrolment Fee of Rs 40,000 (GEN, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL) or Rs 19,000 (SC, ST, PwD), which included a non-refundable Rs 5,000 processing fee. Candidates who had already paid SAF in JoSAA paid only the difference.

CSAB is a real second chance for students with modest JEE Main ranks, because seats vacated after JoSAA are offered again. It is also worth watching state counselling in parallel; our guide to state counselling through JEE Main (UPTAC, BCECE, ACPC) explains how.

What should you do next? JoSAA 2027 checklist

JoSAA counselling 2027 will move fast once it starts in early June 2027. Prepare now so that you only need to focus on choices and deadlines when the time comes.

• Note the expected timeline: JEE Main 2027 session 1 in late January (tentative), session 2 in April, JEE Advanced in May, JoSAA from early June. See the JEE Advanced 2027 exam date and eligibility guide.
• Get your category certificate (OBC-NCL or EWS) in the correct central format and financial year well before June.
• Download 2025 and 2026 closing ranks for your category, quota and gender pool.
• Draft a choice list of 60-100+ realistic options, with a strong safe band at the bottom.
• Keep the fee amount (around Rs 30,000 for GEN/OBC/EWS or Rs 15,000 for SC/ST/PwD, based on 2026) ready in an account you can pay from quickly.
• Track every round's fee deadline and query window.
• Register for CSAB special rounds if you want a better NIT+ seat or did not get one.
• Keep a backup with private colleges; see private engineering colleges accepting JEE Main score.

Check josaa.nic.in and csab.nic.in regularly from May 2027. We will update this JoSAA counselling 2027 guide once the official schedule and business rules are published.