JEE Advanced 2026: Female Candidates Achieve Historic Milestone

The JEE Advanced 2026 examination has marked a significant milestone with over 10,000 female candidates qualifying, showcasing improved performance. Despite this achievement, the increase in their share of admissions to IITs remains marginal. The report from IIT Roorkee highlights that female students secured 3,851 out of 18,861 seats. The top female candidate scored 280 marks, achieving an All India Rank of 77. Additionally, success rates for SC and ST candidates have improved, while the overall qualification statistics reveal a total of 56,880 candidates qualified this year. Read on for more insights into this year's results.

By Sourabh Singh Oct 7, 2026, 15:07 IST

Improvement in JEE Advanced 2026 Results

The JEE Advanced 2026 examination has shown a notable enhancement in student performance, particularly among female candidates. This year, more than 10,000 women qualified for the exam, marking a significant achievement not seen in the past six years. Despite this increase, the proportion of female students gaining admission to IITs has seen only a slight rise. The Joint Implementation Committee of IIT Roorkee released a report detailing the exam outcomes and seat distribution, revealing that female students obtained 3,851 out of the total 18,861 available seats.

Record Number of Female Candidates Qualified

In total, 43,112 female candidates registered for JEE Advanced 2026, with 40,562 participating in both papers. Out of these, 10,107 successfully qualified, resulting in a success rate of 23.4%, an improvement from 21.7% in 2025. Among those who took both papers, 24.9% qualified, compared to 9,404 female candidates who succeeded last year. This year, female candidates constituted 17.76% of all qualified candidates.

Female Admissions to IITs

The total number of seats available across IITs was 18,861, with female students securing 3,851 seats, which is 20.22% of total admissions. This is a slight increase from 20.15% in 2025. Of these, 3,777 seats were filled under the supernumerary quota for women, while 37 female candidates gained admission through gender-neutral seats. The introduction of supernumerary seats aims to enhance female representation in IITs to at least 20% at the undergraduate level.

Top Female Candidate Achieves AIR 77

The highest-scoring female candidate in JEE Advanced 2026 achieved an impressive score of 280 marks, earning an All India Rank (AIR) of 77. Her scores included 101 in Mathematics, 86 in Physics, and 93 in Chemistry. Among the top 100 rankers, 97 chose to enroll in IIT Bombay, Delhi, or Madras, with IIT Bombay admitting 68 of these top performers.

Increased Success Rates for SC and ST Candidates

This year also saw an improvement in the success rates for SC and ST candidates. The success rate for SC candidates rose from 40.41% to 50.16%, while ST candidates saw an increase from 33.99% to 42.14%. A total of 15,856 SC candidates and 6,379 ST candidates qualified. However, the success rate for General category candidates decreased from 43% to 39.8%, and for OBC-NCL candidates, it fell from 18.2% to 17.5%.

Overall Qualification Statistics

JEE Advanced 2026 took place on May 17 in two shifts, with 1,87,389 candidates registered. Out of these, 1,79,694 appeared for both papers, leading to a total of 56,880 candidates qualifying. Reports indicate that some of these successful candidates may also be eligible for a one-year preparatory course.