The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) 2025, established by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, is set to manage and regulate the joint seat allocation for admissions to a significant number of technical institutes across the country for the academic year 2025-26. This single platform aims to streamline the admission process for aspiring students.

Participating Institutes:

JoSAA 2025 will oversee admissions to a total of 127 institutes. This includes:

• 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)
• 31 National Institutes of Technology (NITs)
• Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) Shibpur
• 26 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)
• 46 Other-Government Funded Technical Institutes (Other-GFTIs)

Official JoSAA 2025 Schedule:

• Candidate Registration and Choice Filling: June 3, 2025, to June 12, 2025
• AAT-Specific Choice Filling (for AAT qualified candidates): Starts June 8, 2025 (after AAT result declaration)
• Mock Seat Allocation 1: June 9, 2025 (based on choices filled by June 8)
• Mock Seat Allocation 2: June 11, 2025 (based on choices filled by June 10)
• End of Registration and Choice Filling (Auto/Manual Locking): June 12, 2025
• Data Reconciliation, Verification, and Validation by JoSAA: June 13, 2025
• Seat Allocation - Round 1: June 14, 2025
• Online Reporting (Fee Payment/Document Upload/Response to Query) for Round 1: June 14 - June 18, 2025
• Seat Allocation - Round 2: June 21, 2025
• Seat Allocation - Round 3: June 28, 2025
• Seat Allocation - Round 4: July 4, 2025
• Seat Allocation - Round 5: July 10, 2025
• Final Seat Allocation (Round 6 - Only for IITs): July 16, 2025
• Withdrawal/Final Admission Process for NIT+ System Begins: July 16 - July 22, 2025

Eligibility Criteria:

Key aspects include performance in JEE (Main) and JEE (Advanced) examinations and fulfilling requirements in the Class XII (or equivalent) examination. The Business Rules (JoSAA Business Rules) also outline special eligibility criteria or restrictions for various institutions/academic programs of IITs.

JoSAA 2025 Counselling Process:

The entire JoSAA process is conducted online and is computer-operated, adhering to strict timelines.

1. Online Registration: Candidates must register on the official JoSAA website josaa.nic.in. The process typically involves:
   • Visiting the official website and clicking on the registration link.
   • Entering required details for authentication (e.g., JEE Main application number, name, date of birth).
   • Setting a password for the JoSAA portal.
2. Choice Filling and Locking: After registration, candidates fill their choices of academic programs and institutes in order of preference.
   • The order of preference is critical for the seat allotment process.
   • Choices should be locked by the specified deadline; otherwise, the last saved choices will be automatically locked.
3. Mock Seat Allotment: JoSAA conducts mock seat allotments to help candidates understand their likely seat allocation based on their filled choices, allowing them to refine their preferences before the final locking.
4. Seat Allotment Methodology: Seat allocation is based on:
   • Candidate's category (GEN, GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, and PwD subcategories).
   • Position in the relevant rank list(s) (JEE Advanced for IITs, JEE Main for NIT+ System).
   • The order of academic programs chosen by the candidate.
   • Availability of seats in different categories and quotas.
5. Freeze, Float, and Slide Options: Once a seat is provisionally offered, candidates must choose one of the following online options:
   • Freeze: Accept the offered seat and opt out of further rounds. Mandatory if the first choice is allotted.
   • Float: Accept the offered seat but remain open to an academic program of higher preference in any participating institute in subsequent rounds.
   • Slide: Accept the offered seat but remain open to an academic program of higher preference within the same institute in subsequent rounds.

   These options (Float/Slide) are not available in the final round of JoSAA.

6. Document Upload and Verification: Candidates must upload required documents online via the JoSAA portal for verification.
   • If a query is raised by the verifying officer, candidates must respond online within the stipulated time.
   • Specific formats for certificates (Medical, Category, PwD, Undertakings, etc.) are provided on the JoSAA website under "Certificate Format".
   • Physical verification for PwD candidates may be required under specific conditions.
7. Reporting to Institutes: After final seat allocation and acceptance, candidates must report to the admitting institute (physically for IITs, and after CSAB Special Rounds for NIT+ System) to complete admission formalities.

Key Changes in JoSAA 2025:

The "Business Rule (Updated on 28-05-2025)" document on josaa.nic.in highlights several updates for the 2025 session:

• Supernumerary Seats for Female Candidates: To improve gender balance, supernumerary seats will be created for female candidates in IITs, NITs, IIEST Shibpur, and some IIITs. Two seat pools (Gender-Neutral and Female-Only) will be used, with specific allocation rules to ensure no disadvantage to any candidate group.
• Revised Guidelines for OCI/PIO Candidates: Based on recent judicial pronouncements, OCI/PIO candidates are categorized (OCI/PIO (I) and OCI/PIO (F)) with different eligibility conditions for seat allocation in IITs and the NIT+ System.
• Optional Pre-payment of Seat Acceptance Fee: Candidates have the option to pre-pay the JoSAA seat acceptance fee during the choice-filling period. This fee is refundable if no seat is allotted.
• Direct Payment of Seat Acceptance Fee: A provision for direct payment of the seat acceptance fee without candidate login will be available.
• Withdrawal Option Differences: Deadlines for seat withdrawal vary for IITs (up to the second-to-last round) and the NIT+ System (up to the final round of online allocation).
• Class XII Passing Status Revision Rules: Procedures are defined for candidates whose Class XII passing status changes after choice locking due to re-evaluation.

Open House Sessions:

Several IITs are conducting Open House sessions (both online and in-person) for JEE (Advanced) 2025 qualified candidates and their parents/guardians. These sessions provide insights into academic programs, campus life, and research opportunities. Schedules and links for these Open House sessions are available on the "Open House" page of the JoSAA website (josaa.nic.in/open-house/). Examples include IIT Bhilai, IIT BHU, IIT Bhubaneswar, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and others.