JEE Advanced 2026 shows significant improvement in SC/ST and women qualification rates

Hindustan Times - India · 6 Oct 2026 · 2 min read
Prelims · Education Mains · GS2 Social justice High relevance

JEE Advanced 2026 results show a significant rise in qualification rates for SC (50.16%), ST (42.14%) and women (23.4%) candidates, reflecting progress in inclusive education policies despite increased cut-off marks across categories.

Key points

Scheduled Castes (SC) qualification rate rose sharply to 50.16% from 40.41% in 2025, marking the highest ever recorded for this category.

Scheduled Tribes (ST) saw qualification rates increase to 42.14% from 33.99%, showing substantial improvement in access to premier technical education.

Women candidates achieved their highest qualification rate (23.4%) in six years, up from 21.7% in 2025, indicating progress in gender parity in STEM fields.

The Supernumerary Seats Scheme (SSS) introduced in 2018 has been instrumental in increasing women's representation in IITs from 7-9% to nearly 20% by 2020.

[GS2-Social Justice] The improved qualification rates for SC/ST candidates demonstrate the impact of affirmative action policies in higher education access.

Despite higher qualifying marks across all categories (CRL cut-off increased to 92 from 74), marginalized groups showed improved performance, indicating better preparation.

IIT Delhi-University of Houston study (2025) confirmed that SSS increased representation of women in male-dominated engineering branches and SC/ST women at IITs.

[GS3-Economy] The qualification trends reflect changing socio-economic dynamics in access to quality technical education, with implications for India's skilled workforce development.

The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) data shows 52,559 of 56,880 qualifiers participated in counseling, indicating high demand for IIT seats despite rigorous standards.

Way Forward: Expand targeted coaching programs for SC/ST students, increase female-only supernumerary seats beyond 20%, and strengthen pre-examination mentorship initiatives to sustain this positive trend.

Key terms

Supernumerary Seats Scheme (SSS)

A 2018 IIT initiative creating additional seats exclusively for women without reducing male candidate quotas. Under this policy, IITs gradually increase female representation towards 20% of total seats. This matters for UPSC as it represents an innovative affirmative action model that balances merit with gender equity in technical education.

Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA)

The centralized counseling body for admissions to IITs, NITs, IIITs and other GFTIs. Established in 2015, it streamlines the admission process through a single platform. For UPSC, JoSAA exemplifies governance reforms in higher education administration and transparency in merit-based seat allocation.

JEE Advanced

The entrance examination for admission to undergraduate programs at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Conducted by one of the IITs annually, it represents the pinnacle of engineering entrance tests in India. Its evolving patterns reflect national priorities in technical education accessibility and quality.

Common Rank List (CRL)

The overall merit list in JEE Advanced prepared without category reservations. The CRL cut-off marks (92/360 in 2026) serve as the baseline qualifying standard. For UPSC, CRL analysis helps evaluate the intersection of merit and social equity in competitive examinations.