JEE Advanced 2026: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the CBSE 12th result 2026 on May 13 on its official result portals. A wave of anxiety has swept through the JEE Advanced 2026 aspirants across India after the results revealed that many students scored below the mandatory 75 per cent marks required for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) admission.
Besides IIT, several NITs also prescribe a minimum of 75 per cent marks in Class 12 board or equivalent examinations for the general category students as an eligibility for admission.
What Is The 75% Rule?
As per the official JEE Advanced 2026 eligibility criteria, any candidate seeking admission to IITs must secure at least 75 per cent marks in their Class 12 board examination or fall within the top 20 percentile of their respective board. For SC/ST candidates, the minimum requirement is 65%.
This criterion is binding even if a student secures an excellent rank in JEE Advanced. A qualifying rank alone does not guarantee IIT admission without meeting the board marks threshold.
CBSE Vs JEE Scores
Students have taken to social media reporting lower than expected scores. A user on X claimed that his brother secured 97 percentile in the JEE Main examination, this year. However, only 67 per cent in the CBSE board exam. Another student from Dhanbad, Jharkhand, said he got around 90 percentile in the JEE Main 2026, while only 71.8 per cent in the CBSE 12th board exam. "I cannot sit for the JoSAA counselling now, I am no longer eligible, " he said. "I was expecting around 85 to 88 per cent marks in my board exam, " he added.
Read more at: CBSE Says On-Screen Marking Efficient, Meets Student Backlash For Low Scores
With several students set to appear for the JEE Advanced 2026 on May 17, candidates who do not meet the 75 per cent criteria are anxious about the outcome and next steps in their academic journey.
Also read: CBSE Class 12 Supplementary Exam 2026: Who Is Eligible to Apply
What Now?
Students who face this hurdle, can look for the following options:
- Candidates can appear for the CBSE Class 12 supplementary exam to be held on July 15.
- Utilise the re-evaluation facilities of the board.
- Students can also enrol themselves with the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).
- Explore non-IIT engineering colleges.
- Look for other government engineering colleges.
- Consider alternative routes to top engineering education.
For more details, check: CBSE Shifts To On-Screen Marking In 2026: Is Re-evaluation Still An Option
The overall pass percentage stood at 85.20 per cent, marking a decrease by 3.19 percent from last year in the CBSE 12th exam. This year, only 94,028 (5.32%) candidates have scored 90 per cent and above.