JoSAA counselling step by step: IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs

What JoSAA is

JoSAA stands for Joint Seat Allocation Authority. It runs one combined counselling process for engineering and architecture programmes in the IITs, NITs, IIITs and other government-funded technical institutes (often called GFTIs). The process is published on josaa.nic.in, and the full rules are in a document called the business rules or information bulletin. The institutes taking part, the seat numbers and the dates are fixed for each year, so always read the current document.

Entry to the IITs is based on a JEE Advanced rank. Entry to the NITs, IIITs and GFTIs is based on a JEE Main rank. JoSAA brings both groups into one process, which is why you register once and can list choices from both groups if you are eligible for both. The NITs, IIITs and GFTIs together are referred to in the bulletin as the NIT+ system.

Step 1: Register and fill in your details

You create your account on the JoSAA portal using your exam details and complete the registration form. Keep your mobile number and email active, because the portal sends one-time passwords (OTPs) to both. The bulletin also tells you which documents to upload, and some of them can be uploaded at registration itself. Do this early so that mistakes in names, dates or category can be fixed before the first allotment.

• Enter your category and any special status exactly as it appears on your certificate.
• Check the state code of eligibility. The portal uses it to decide whether you are a home state or other state candidate for each NIT.
• Do not share your login with anyone who is not your own authorised family member or counsellor.

Step 2: Choice filling and locking

Choice filling means listing the institute and programme combinations you want, in the order you prefer them. The system reads your list from the top. For every round it gives you the first choice on your list for which a seat is available to your rank and category. Because of this, the order matters more than the number of choices. A choice you do not want should not be on your list at all.

You must lock the list before the choice-filling deadline. As described in the bulletin, if you save choices but do not lock, the last saved list is locked automatically at the deadline. Unsaved changes are not recognised. Once the deadline passes, you cannot reorder, add or delete choices. If you lock early and then want to change something, the portal lets you request an unlock, confirmed by an OTP, until the deadline.

Step 3: Seat allotment rounds and the options after allotment

JoSAA allots seats over several rounds. The portal does not send you a separate message that a seat has been allotted. You must log in after each result and check. If you get a seat, you must complete all the steps of online reporting within the time given for that round: accept the seat, upload documents if not done already, and pay the seat acceptance fee. Missing any step leads to cancellation of that seat and you cannot take part in later rounds.

When you accept a seat you must pick one of three options. The JoSAA bulletin defines them as follows.

• Freeze: you accept the seat and are happy with it. You will not be considered in later rounds and the seat stays with you, subject to verification. If your seat is your first choice, Freeze is the only option shown.
• Float: you accept the seat but want a better-ranked choice from your list in any institute if one becomes available in later rounds. If it does not, you keep the seat you have.
• Slide: you accept the seat but want a higher-preference programme within the same institute only if one becomes available later.

Rules around Freeze, Float and Slide that students miss

Float and Slide are not offered if you already got your first choice, and they are not available in the last round. You may change from Float to Slide or Freeze, or from Slide to Freeze, during rounds before the last one, but a Freeze cannot be changed afterwards. Read that again before pressing the button.

If a better seat is allotted to you because of Float or Slide, it replaces your earlier seat automatically. You then only have to accept or reject the new seat. If you reject or cancel it, you are left with no seat and cannot continue in that year's JoSAA. The seat acceptance fee is paid once, when you first accept a seat, and you do not pay it again for a later upgrade. The amount is shown on the portal and the bulletin; confirm it there.

Document verification, reporting and withdrawal

After you accept a seat, your uploaded documents are checked online. The institute may raise a query on your portal. You must reply within the time given. A seat can be cancelled if the documents are invalid or the query is not answered in time. When you move between an IIT seat and an NIT+ seat in later rounds, your documents are verified again by the new side, and you have to keep watching the portal.

Reporting at the institute is a separate, physical step. For the IITs, you report to the admitting institute and complete its admission formalities after seat allocation ends. For the NIT+ system, physical reporting happens after the CSAB special rounds, on a schedule published at csab.nic.in. At the institute, your certificates are checked again, and the admission can be cancelled if they do not meet the norms.

If you decide to leave the process, JoSAA offers a withdrawal option through the portal, using a signed declaration and an OTP. Withdrawal means the seat is cancelled, you are excluded from the rest of that year's JoSAA, and the refund of the seat acceptance fee is subject to a processing deduction described in the bulletin. The last date for withdrawal is different for IIT seats and for NIT+ seats, so check the current notice. Also note that JEE Advanced has its own rules about candidates who have accepted an IIT seat in an earlier year. Read the JEE Advanced brochure if you may want to reappear.

CSAB and special rounds

CSAB stands for Central Seat Allocation Board. After the JoSAA rounds, seats in the NIT+ system that remain vacant are filled by CSAB special rounds, which are announced on csab.nic.in. The bulletin states that there is no special round for the IITs. CSAB also runs the process for other categories of seats, so check its site for your situation.

Some NIT+ candidates are asked to pay a partial admission fee after the fifth JoSAA round to keep their provisionally allotted seat. If you miss the payment, the seat is treated as forfeited. The bulletin describes the fee and the dates, and they can change each year.

Mistakes to avoid and where to check

Where to check: the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (josaa.nic.in), the Central Seat Allocation Board (csab.nic.in) and the National Testing Agency for JEE Main. For the IITs, also check the JEE Advanced brochure published by the organising IIT.

• Choosing Freeze in a hurry, when you actually wanted to wait for a better seat.
• Putting a seat you do not want above one you do, in the hope that you will not get it.
• Forgetting to check the portal after each round, because there is no separate message.
• Paying the seat acceptance fee through anything other than the options on the JoSAA portal.
• Ignoring a query on the portal about your documents.
• Leaving choice filling to the last hours, when the portal is busy.
• Using a category or home state certificate that does not match the entries in your registration.

By Padhaidekho Editorial Team · 2026-10-20

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Guide reviewed October 2026. Rules, dates and eligibility change every cycle: always confirm on the official notice. This page is general guidance, not legal advice or an admission guarantee.