JoSAA Counselling 2026: Seats increased in IITs, NITs, IIITs & GFTIs

IIT Seats Increased by 666, Admissions will be Available for 18,826 Seats this Time

The JoSAA Counselling 2026 process has begun for millions of engineering aspirants across the country. The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) has also released the seat matrix for all participating institutions.

This year’s counselling is special for students in many ways, as the number of seats in national-level technical institutions has increased significantly.

Last year, admissions were offered to a total of 62,853 seats, while this year admissions will be available to 67,323 seats. This means a total of 4,470 additional seats have been added, giving more students the opportunity to gain admission to prestigious institutions.

Admission to IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs

JoSAA Counselling is used for admission to the country’s leading technical institutions. These include the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and Government-Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs).

These institutes offer admission to various courses, including B.Tech, Integrated B.Tech-M.Tech, B.Tech-MBA Dual Degree, Bachelor of Science, and Architecture. The increased number of seats this year will provide students with more options.

Increase in IIT seats by 666 increases opportunities

According to the seat matrix released by JoSAA, there has been a net increase of 666 seats in the country’s 23 IITs this year. While the total number of seats in IITs was 18,160 in 2025, this number has increased to 18,826 in 2026.

This increase brings relief to students who, despite achieving good ranks in JEE Advanced, were unable to secure admission to their preferred institute or branch due to limited seats.

Admission to IISc Bangalore through JoSAA for the first time

One of the most significant achievements this year is the inclusion of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore in the JoSAA counselling process.

For the first time, IISc, considered one of the country’s leading scientific and research institutions, will offer admission to B.Tech programs through JEE Advanced.

A total of 125 seats have been made available across the institute’s four B.Tech streams: 25 each in Aerospace Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, 50 seats in Mathematics and Computing, and 25 seats in Mechanics and Computing.

Adding IISc’s seats brings the total number of seats available through JEE Advanced to 18,951.

Must Check – JEE Advanced Result Analysis – Know Cut-off, Toppers, Qualifying students

Seats also increased in NITs

The number of seats has also been increased in the country’s 31 National Institutes of Technology. In 2025, a total of 24,525 seats were available in NITs, while this year, with the addition of 637 seats, this number has increased to 25,162.

This is likely to benefit students who are hoping to gain admission to NITs based on JEE Main.

Largest Expansion in IIITs

Given the growing demand in the field of information technology, IIITs have seen the largest seat increase this year.

Last year, the number of seats in the country’s 26 IIITs increased from 9,940 seats in the previous year to 11,518, an increase of 1,578 seats.

This expansion is considered significant given the popularity of emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, data science, machine learning, and computer science.

Also Read – Twin JEE Advanced Top Rankers Choose Brotherhood Over IIT Bombay

Increased Admission Opportunities in GFTIs

Government-Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs) have also seen a significant increase this year. Last year, there were a total of 10,228 seats across 47 GFTIs, while this year, the number has increased to 11,692 with the addition of 1,464 new seats.

Nine new GFTI institutions have also been included in JoSAA counselling, bringing the total number of GFTIs to 56.

Number of participating institutions increased to 136

A total of 128 institutions participated in JoSAA Counselling 2025. These included 23 IITs, 31 NITs, 26 IIITs, and 47 GFTIs, along with IIEST Shibpur.

This year, the number of institutions has increased to 136. The addition of IISc Bengaluru and nine new GFTI institutions will provide students with more options than before.

Also Read – JEE-Advanced 2026 Result: Toppers’ Talk

Largest seat increase for IIT Jodhpur & IIT Mandi

The expansion of seats within IITs has benefited some of the fastest-growing institutions.

IIT Jodhpur has seen the highest increase in seats, with 140, taking the total from 610 to 750.

IIT Mandi has seen a further increase of 120 seats, bringing the total to 640.

IIT Indore and IIT Palakkad have seen an increase of 80 seats each, while IIT Hyderabad and IIT Jammu have seen 75 new seats each.

Seats have also been increased at IITs Ropar, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Delhi, Bhubaneswar, and Bombay.

While IIT Dharwad has seen a reduction of 30 seats and IIT Madras has seen a reduction of 3 seats, the overall IITs have seen a net increase of 666 seats.

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Aabshar Hassan Quazi

Aabshar H. Quazi is a seasoned education writer associated with ALLEN Career Institute, where he crafts insightful blogs on competitive exam trends, student journeys, and academic guidance. With a background in journalism, Aabshar has worked as Principal Correspondent for Hindustan Times, honing his skills in storytelling, analysis, and impactful reporting. His writing blends credibility with clarity, making complex topics accessible for students and parents alike.