JoSAA Counselling 2025, Check Step-by-Step Playbook for Admissions

1. Know Whether You’re in the IIT or the NIT + lane

You may qualify through one or several of these papers, but JoSAA will still allow you only ONE seat, so arrange your choice list in a single, true order of preference.

2. Registration & Choice Filling - 3 - 12 June 2025

• 3 June, 17:00 IST: JoSAA portal opens. Log in with your JEE-Main Application No. (or the “Direct-Registration” credentials if you’re a foreign-tag/OCI candidate who never wrote JEE-Main).

• Mock allocations: 9 June & 11 June show you where you’d land if the round closed that day-tweak your list accordingly.

• 12 June, 17:00 IST: System auto-locks whatever is last saved. No changes after this.
  
  

Pro-tip: Upload scanned certificates and even pre-pay the seat-acceptance fee during this window to avoid payment gateway rush later.

3. The Six Allocation Rounds (14 Jun - 20 Jul)

Payments/issues can still be resolved the following day (23 Jun, 30 Jun etc.). Full timetable in Annexure 3

4. Accepting a Seat-Freeze, Float, or Slide?

1. Pay Seat-Acceptance Fee

• ₹15 000 (SC / ST / PwD)

• ₹30 000 (everyone else)

2. Upload documents (X-mark sheet, category certificates, bank details, etc.).

3. Choose an option

• Freeze - I’m happy, lock me here.

• Float - I’ll move to any institute higher on my list.

• Slide - I’ll stay in this institute but upgrade the branch if possible.
  (Not offered if you already got your first choice; then only Freeze is allowed.)

Failing to complete steps 1-3 in the same round = seat cancelled + out of JoSAA.

5. Special Money Matters for NIT + System

After Round 6, candidates holding an NIT/IIIT/The-rest seat must pay an additional Partial Admission Fee (PAF):

• ₹20 000 (SC / ST / PwD)

• ₹45 000 (others)

Pay between 23 - 27 July or lose the seat (refund minus ₹7 000 processing).

6. Changing Your Mind-Exit & Withdrawal

• Exit (no seat yet): Available Rounds 2-5; you simply leave the process.

• Withdraw (seat already accepted): Also Rounds 2-5 (for IITs) or till 21 Jul for NIT + System. Upload the signed form (Annexure 8) and get a refund minus ₹7 000.

No exit/withdrawal options once the final IIT round starts.

7. Category & Document Pitfalls

• OBC-NCL & GEN-EWS certificates must be issued on/after 1 Apr 2025 or be online-verifiable and valid till at least 31 Aug.

• Invalid certificate? The seat is cancelled or recast as GEN, depending on what you produce. (Full matrix in Clause 74.)

8. After JoSAA-What Next?

• IIT joiners: Report physically as per the institute calendar; biometric verification will be done.

• NIT + System joiners: Physical reporting happens only after CSAB-Special Rounds (details on csab.nic.in).
  
  

9. Less-talked-about Provisions

• Female supernumerary seats ensure every IIT hits ≥ 20 % women; girls compete in both Female-Only and Gender-Neutral pools automatically.

• Preparatory Courses for some SC/ST/PwD candidates who just miss the cut-one-year bridge, then automatic entry to the allotted IIT branch next year.

• Foreign/OCI students: compete for supernumerary seats or as GEN, depending on OCI card date; read Annexure 9-10 carefully.

Final Words ✨

JoSAA can feel labyrinthine, but if you:

1. Read every line of the schedule,

2. Upload the right certificates (and keep pdf+original handy),

3. Decide Freeze/Float/Slide wisely,
   
   

you’ll glide through all six rounds with zero panic.

Need structured JEE preparation or one-to-one admission guidance?
Disha has helped thousands craft rank-boosting study plans and choice lists tailored to their dreams. When you’re ready to level up, just reach out.

Best of luck for JoSAA 2025-may the seat you freeze be the campus you love!