Can JEE Advanced 2026 qualifiers with less than 75% marks also get an IIT seat? Why did IIT Roorkee suddenly avert the threat of being out of counselling? Why did the deadline of July 15 become the biggest suspense among 56,880 successful candidates? Could CBSE marking controversy change IIT eligibility of thousands of students?
New Delhi/Roorkee: For thousands of students hoping to get admission in the most prestigious engineering institutes (IITs) of the country, a news has come which has written a new chapter of suspense and relief. Amid the controversy arising out of the marking system of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), IIT Roorkee, which is conducting JEE Advanced 2026 this year, has suddenly announced a major decision. The institute has given life to the students amid the ongoing tension regarding the mandatory condition of 75% marks in class 12th.
Fear of board results: When on-screen marking took away sleep from students
The beginning of this year has been like a nightmare for engineering aspirants. Despite securing stellar ranks in the exams, thousands of students went into deep depression when the results of CBSE’s new on-screen marking system were revealed. Due to this technical arrangement, the marks of many promising students remained much lower than expected.
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As a result, students who had cracked the country’s toughest exam ‘JEE Advanced’ were on the verge of losing their 12th Eligibility Criteria. Demand for grace marks was rising everywhere and the hopes of admission in IIT seemed dim. Just then, the Joint Admission Board (JAB) and IIT Roorkee decided to intervene.
Why did such a big controversy arise?
This year, many students and parents raised questions regarding the on-screen evaluation system of CBSE. Many students claimed that they had got much less marks than expected. After this the demand for grace marks and revaluation intensified. This was the reason why thousands of JEE qualifier students were in a strange situation. He cracked the country’s most prestigious engineering entrance exam, but his future appeared to be in limbo due to his board marks.
Midnight decree: 75% relaxation or just a deadline?
Ending the suspense, IIT Roorkee released a notice on its official social media handle ‘X’ which turned the whole game of counselling. The institute clarified that candidates who have less than $75\%$ (General/OBC-NCL/EWS) or $65\%$ (SC/ST/PwD) marks in Class 12 will not be immediately eliminated from the counseling process.
Official statement from IIT Roorkee: “You are fully eligible for choice filling now and seats will be allotted to you based on your rank. However, this relief is not permanent.” The institute has also hung the sword of a deadline over the heads of the students. Candidates have been given time till July 15, 2026 to prove their eligibility. By this date, students will have to submit their revised scorecard through email, only after which their admission to the seat allotted at the end of the fourth round will be considered confirmed.
Big story hidden in figures
This year the competition for JEE Advanced 2026 was anyway very tough. This time a total of 56,880 candidates have passed the exam, which shows the increasing cut-throat competition in this field. But the real shocking figures come from the women candidates. This year a total of 10,107 women candidates have won the flag of success. If compared with the figures of 2019, this is a historic and unprecedented increase of approximately $89\%$. Experts believe that this is a direct and positive result of the special initiatives and supernumerary seats launched by the government and institutions to increase the participation of women in engineering.