The registration and choice-filling for admissions to the BTech, BE and related programmes in 114 institutions such as IITs, NITs and IIITs start on Saturday, October 16. The process is conducted by the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JOSSA) and its website is josaa.nic.in
Meanwhile, the choice filling for the BArch course in IITs will start on October 22, when the result of the Architecture Aptitude exam would be announced. Subsequently, the first round allocation is scheduled to take place on October 27.
Candidates who have qualified in the JEE-Main can register for all institutions, except IITs, together. To register for IITs, JEE-Advanced score is needed.
(All the institutes that will give admission purely on the basis of JEE-Mains is denoted as NIT+ by the JOSA. An ‘Academic programme’ as envisaged by the JOSSA comprises a programme and an institute.)
File choices for IITs, NIT+
Those candidates who are eligible to apply for IITs can carry out choice filling for NIT+ together. A candidate can submit any number of choices, but they should remember to lock their final choice. If they fail to do so, the choices last saved would get automatically locked when the deadline ends. After locking their choices, the candidates have to take a printout.
Later, the website would display the programmes offered by each institution, facilities available and fees under ‘Institutional profile.’
Some candidates would be eligible for admissions to even four categories of seats:
BE/ BArch based on Paper 1 of JEE- Main Exam.
BArch on the basis of Paper 2
BPlanning based on Paper 2
IITs on the basis of JEE-Advanced.
Even though such candidates may be eligible for all these four types of seats, only one seat will be allotted. So, utmost care has to be exercised during choice filling.
Mock seat allocation
Mock seat allocations would be conducted on October 22 and 24. Checking this allocation, candidates can change their choices, if needed.
Freeze, Float and Slide
There are six rounds of allocations in JOSSA counselling. Candidates have to download the ‘Provisional seat allocation letter’ and accept a seat. They should then choose one among their options: Freeze, Float or Slide.
Freeze: The candidate is fully satisfied with the allotted seat and no change is needed.
Float: Accepting the allotted seat, but will join a better seat in the following rounds.
Slide: Wishing to change but only to other programmes in the same institution where a seat was allotted.
Candidates who have been allotted the first choice will not be able to exercise ‘Float’ or ‘Slide.’
After allocation
On being allotted a seat, fees could be paid. The ‘Seat Acceptance Fee’ is Rs 35,000. For differently abled and scheduled category students, it is Rs 15,000. The amount can be paid through SBI e-challan, Net banking or debit card.
The next step is confirming at the reporting centre that all the documents are proper. An NIT or IIT would be designated as the reporting centre. In case there is a defect in any document, the candidate would be informed and he or she should carry out the correction and convince the reporting centre.
If the candidate fails to do the online reporting within the stipulated period, it would result in expulsion from the allotment process.
Double reporting
If a candidate shifts from a non-IIT institution to an IIT or vice-versa, documents should be verified at the institution where he or she joins for the second time. In other words, such candidates need to carry out online reporting two times.
Even if a seat is accepted, candidates can opt out till the fifth round.
Things to note
Applicants would not be considered for admissions if they fail to register or fill choices on time.
Choices once locked cannot be changed. But if they are desperate for a change, an application could be submitted online and on receiving an OTP, the choices could be edited. Even then, unlock will not be allowed after the end of the choice-filling deadline.
For more details, check ‘Business rules’ section on the website.
Categories of seats
Ranking and selection takes place after dividing the seats into various categories.
1) OPEN: All students, including those belonging to reserved sections, will be considered. Other categories include OPEN-PwD, OBC-NCL, OBC-NCL-PwD, SC, SC-PwD, ST and ST-PwD. Only non-creamy layer (NCL) will be considered as Backward. Economically backward students also have seats – GEN-EWS and GEN-EWS-PwD.
Apart from these ‘Gender-neutral seats’, 20 per cent ‘Female only’ seats are available. The ‘Seat matrix link’ would display the number of seats under each category in all institutions.
2) NITs have another quota system: HS (Home State) and OS (Other State).
A special ranklist will also be prepared based on the score in the 2A/2B papers in JEE-Main.
JOSAA timetable
October 16: Registration and choice-filling begins. For Architecture course in IITs, the process starts from October 22.
October 22: Mock seat allocation based on choices submitted till October 21.
October 24: Mock seat allocation.
October 25: Choice-filling closes.
October 27: Round 1 allocation.
October 27 to 5 pm on October 30: Online reporting, payment of fees and scrutiny of documents.
November 1: Round 2 allocation.
Rounds 3, 4, 5 and 6 will follow.
The list of certificates to be presented by reserved candidates in IITs, NITs and other institutions are displayed on the website.
(IITs: Indian Institutes of Technology; NITs: the National Institutes of Technology and IIITs: Indian Institutes of Information Technology.)