JEE Main 2026: IITs Offering Admission Without JEE Scores

JEE Main 2026 Schedule Released

JEE Main 2026: The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced the timetable for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2026. This year, the examination will take place in two sessions: the first in January and the second in April. Candidates who perform well will qualify for JEE Advanced, which is essential for admission into the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Notably, students can now gain admission to certain IITs without needing to pass the JEE, as six out of the 23 IITs will accept students without a JEE score.

IITs Accepting Admissions Without JEE Scores

Identifying the Six IITs: Currently, five IITs have been admitting students without requiring a JEE score: IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur, IIT Indore, IIT Madras, and IIT Gandhinagar. The newest addition to this list is IIT Kharagpur, which has also begun accepting students without JEE scores.

Admissions via Sports Quota and Olympiads

Criteria for Admission: These six IITs are open to admitting exceptionally talented students in sports and science/math Olympiads. They have established specific guidelines for this process, prioritizing candidates who have earned medals in national and international competitions.

Seat Reservations: For instance, IIT Kanpur has allocated 17 seats across five B.Tech programs for Olympiad participants. IIT Madras has set aside 34 seats in 17 B.Tech courses for the same purpose and also reserves seats for sports quota admissions. IIT Bombay provides admission under the Olympiad quota for B.Sc. Mathematics, while IIT Gandhinagar follows a similar approach. Further details can be found on the respective IIT websites.

Mandatory JEE Main Participation

JEE Main Requirement: While students can gain admission to these six IITs through the sports and Olympiad quota without a JEE score, they must still take the JEE Main examination. However, they are exempt from the JEE Advanced.