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JoSAA counselling: rounds, Freeze / Float / Slide and fees
Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA): IITs and IISc (by JEE Advanced rank) and NITs, IIITs and other government-funded institutes, together called NIT+ (by JEE Main rank).
Every date, fee and rule below is from JoSAA's own 2026 documents (linked at the end), read on 22 Oct 2026. Official site: josaa.nic.in ↗
2026 round calendar
JoSAA 2026 is over. The 2027 schedule is not out yet (checked 22 Oct 2026); the next one will be on josaa.nic.in.
| Round | Seat allotment (2026) | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and choice filling | 2 Jun, 17:00 to 11 Jun, 17:00 | Fill and order choices; they were locked automatically at the close. Seat acceptance fee could be paid in advance in the same window. |
| Mock allotment 1 | 8 Jun, 14:00 | Shows what your choices (as on 7 Jun, 20:00) would get. Not a real seat; reorder choices if needed. |
| Mock allotment 2 | 10 Jun, 13:00 | Based on choices as on 9 Jun, 17:00. Last look before locking. |
| Round 1 | 13 Jun, 10:00 | Online reporting and fee by 26 Jun, 17:00. No withdrawal in Round 1. |
| Round 2 | 30 Jun, 17:00 | Fee by 3 Jul, 17:00. Withdraw or exit 1 Jul, 10:00 to 3 Jul, 17:00. |
| Round 3 | 6 Jul, 17:00 | Fee by 8 Jul, 17:00. Withdraw or exit 7 Jul, 10:00 to 8 Jul, 17:00. |
| Round 4 | 10 Jul, 17:00 | Fee by 13 Jul, 17:00. Withdraw or exit until 14 Jul, 17:00: the last withdrawal for IITs and IISc. |
| Round 5 (final) | 16 Jul, 17:00 | Fee by 20 Jul, 17:00. NIT+ seats could still be withdrawn 16 to 20 Jul. |
| NIT+ partial admission fee | 22 to 24 Jul (extended to 25 Jul, 11:00) | NIT+ seat holders paid the partial admission fee; physical reporting at the institute 13 to 18 Aug. |
Your options after a seat is allotted
Freeze
You accept this seat and leave the later rounds. Your seat will not change.
Float
You accept this seat but want a higher choice at any institute in later rounds. If one is allotted, it replaces this seat.
Slide
You accept this seat but want a higher choice only within the same institute in later rounds.
Rules to know before you accept a seat
- If you get your first choice, Freeze is the only option.
- Float and Slide are not available in the last round. You can change Float to Slide or Freeze, and Slide to Freeze; Freeze cannot be changed.
- If a higher choice is allotted in a later round, the earlier seat is gone. Rejecting the upgraded seat means losing every seat and leaving JoSAA.
- Not reporting online or not paying the fee by the deadline counts as rejecting the seat: you leave JoSAA 2026 and cannot join later rounds.
- Withdraw: Round 2 to Round 4 for IITs and IISc; until the final round for NIT+. Withdrawing takes you out of JoSAA, and IITs have no spot round.
- Exit (for candidates who hold no seat): Round 2 to Round 4. If you do not exit and get a seat for the first time in Round 5, you are taken to have accepted it.
Fees (2026)
- Seat acceptance fee: ₹15,000 for SC, ST and every PwD candidate; ₹30,000 for everyone else (each includes ₹5,000 JoSAA processing charges). Paid once.
- After a valid withdrawal it is refunded minus ₹7,000.
- NIT+ partial admission fee after Round 5: ₹20,000 for SC/ST/PwD, ₹45,000 for others, non-refundable.
Which seat to lock: how to think about it
How should I order my choices?
Put them in the order you truly prefer, your first preference at the top. The allotment gives you the highest choice your rank reaches, so a choice you would happily take should never sit below one you would not. Do not leave out a dream choice because last year's closing rank looks out of reach; it costs nothing to list it above the safer ones.
When is Freeze right?
When the seat you got is the one you want most, or when you want certainty and would not move for any higher choice. After Freeze nothing changes.
When is Float right?
When you would take any higher choice on your list, at any institute. Remember that a higher seat, once allotted, replaces the current one: you cannot go back.
When is Slide right?
When you like this institute and want only a better branch there, not a move to another institute.
Does the predictor tell me what I will get?
No. A predictor compares your rank with last year's official closing ranks. Closing ranks move every year with seats and candidates, so treat a match as a guide, not a seat.
See which programmes closed at or above your rank last year: JoSAA college predictor (official closing ranks; free, nothing saved).
Official sources
- Schedule of Events of JoSAA 2026 (Online Reporting) ↗ (no date printed (posted 1 Jun 2026))
- Business Rules for Joint Seat Allocation, academic year 2026-27 ↗ (1 Jun 2026)
This guide explains the published rules; it cannot tell you which seat you will be allotted. When the rules and this page differ, the official brochure is right.