While you are finishing your preparations for the JEE Main 2026, you must know the famed institutions of India and would have already decided which one you are going to choose. While you chase your dreams, we will cover the following topics in this blog so you have a better idea to choose from, as there is little known about the opportunities given by colleges apart from the IITs and NIT’s
- How counselling works & the list of participating institutes
- Other great colleges that accept JEE Main scores (private, state, etc.)
- Tips & strategy for choosing wisely
How JEE Main Counselling Works
- After your JEE Main result, you’ll register for counselling, conducted mainly through JoSAA, followed by CSAB rounds.
- You register, fill choices, lock them, and seats are allotted based on rank, category, reservation rules, and seat availability.
- Multiple rounds → you can accept, float, slide, or withdraw.
- There are also state-level & private-college admissions that accept JEE Main scores.
Participating Institutes
- IITs (through JEE Advanced → JoSAA)
- NITs, IIITs, GFTIs (through JEE Main → JoSAA + CSAB)
- State engineering colleges (e.g., DTU/NSUT via JAC; COEP; VJTI; PEC; Thapar; KIIT; MIT-WPU; SRM; Manipal).
- State-level colleges use JEE Main for their own counselling (e.g., Maharashtra, MP, Haryana, Odisha).
- Many private universities accept JEE Main scores.
Tips & Strategy for Choosing Wisely
- Prefer a branch over college only if you are passionate; otherwise, prefer college reputation + placements.
- Check cutoffs, fees, location, internships, alumni network, and future scope of the branch.
- Make a long, safe, moderate, dream list before locking in choices.
- Don’t leave choices blank—fill maximum options in decreasing preference.
Who participates (besides IITs & NITs)?
For the main JoSAA counselling process: 23 IITs, 31 NITs, plus many IIITs & GFTIs participate.
Beyond that, many private engineering colleges and state-engineering colleges also accept JEE Main scores for their B.Tech programmes.
State-wise counselling also shows many states using JEE Main scores (alone or combined) for engineering admissions.
BEST ENGINEERING COLLEGES THAT ACCEPT JEE SCORE
List of colleges in order of preferences which you should consider for college (This is my personal preference ; opinions may vary from person to person)
| Category | College Name |
| Top 7 IITs | IIT Bombay |
| IIT Delhi | |
| IIT Madras | |
| IIT Kanpur | |
| IIT Kharagpur | |
| IIT Roorkee | |
| IIT Guwahati | |
| IIT Hyderabad | |
| Top IIITs | IIIT Hyderabad |
| IIIT Bangalore | |
| IIIT Allahabad | |
| IIIT DELHI | |
| Top NITs | NIT Trichy |
| NIT Surathkal | |
| NIT Warangal | |
| MNNIT Allahabad | |
| NIT Calicut | |
| NIT Rourkela | |
| MNIT Jaipur | |
| VNIT Nagpur | |
| NIT Kurukshetra | |
| NIT Silchar | |
| BITS Pilani | BITS Pilani (Pilani) |
| BITS Goa | |
| BITS Hyderabad | |
| Other IITs (2nd Tier) | IIT Bhubaneswar |
| IIT Gandhinagar | |
| IIT Ropar | |
| IIT Indore | |
| IIT Mandi | |
| IIT Jodhpur | |
| IIT Patna | |
| IIT Bhilai | |
| IIT Goa | |
| IIT Jammu | |
| State-Level Colleges (1–2 per state) | |
| Delhi | DTU, NSUT |
| Maharashtra | COEP Pune, VJTI Mumbai |
| Karnataka | RV College of Engineering, PES University |
| Tamil Nadu | CEG Guindy (Anna University), PSG Coimbatore |
| West Bengal | Jadavpur University, IIEST Shibpur |
| Uttar Pradesh | HBTU Kanpur, KIET Ghaziabad |
| Madhya Pradesh | MANIT Bhopal, SGSITS Indore |
| Bihar | IIT Patna (already above), BCE Bhagalpur |
| Rajasthan | MBM Jodhpur, LNMIIT Jaipur |
| Gujarat | DA-IICT Gandhinagar, Nirma University |
| Punjab | PEC Chandigarh, Thapar University |
| Haryana | YMCA Faridabad, NIT Kurukshetra* |
| Odisha | CET Bhubaneswar, VSSUT Burla |
| Jharkhand | BIT Mesra, NIT Jamshedpur |
| Chhattisgarh | NIT Raipur, BIT Durg |
| Telangana | JNTU Hyderabad, OUCE Hyderabad |
| Andhra Pradesh | Andhra University College of Engineering, JNTU Kakinada |
| Kerala | College of Engineering Trivandrum (CET), NIT Calicut* |
| Assam | Assam Engineering College, Tezpur University |
| Uttarakhand | College of Technology (GBPUAT), DIT Dehradun |
| Himachal Pradesh | NIT Hamirpur, HPTU Hamirpur |
| J&K | GCET Jammu, NIT Srinagar |
| Goa | Goa Engineering College |
| Tripura | NIT Agartala |
| Meghalaya | NIT Meghalaya |
| Manipur | NIT Manipur |
| Nagaland | NIT Nagaland |
| Mizoram | NIT Mizoram |
| Arunachal Pradesh | NIT Arunachal Pradesh |
| Sikkim | NIT Sikkim |
Top Colleges (besides IITs/NITs) Accepting JEE Main Scores
Here are some of the best private colleges of India which directly take JEE Main scores. They are well known for their strong alumni network and a huge number of opportunities in placements.
| College | Why it’s worth considering |
Thapar University (Patiala) | A well-known private university with strong engineering programmes. |
| BITS PILANIBITS Pilani (with campuses in Pilani, Goa, and Hyderabad) VITVIT is one of India’s largest and most well-known private engineering universities, with campuses in Vellore, Chennai, Bhopal, and Amaravati | It is one of India’s most prestigious private universities, often considered at par with the top IITs and NITs in academic quality and placements, with no reservation policy. It attracts students from across India and abroad.Consistently among the top private colleges in India for placements. Over 900+ companies visit annually — including Microsoft, Intel, TCS, Deloitte, Amazon, and PayPal. |
Strategy for JEE Main 2026 & Beyond
- Aim high on your JEE Main preparation**, but also apply broadly** — since many colleges accept these scores, you don’t have to restrict yourself to only the very top tier.
- Fill many choices in your application: include both “dream” colleges and “safe” options (good ones you’re confident about).
- Stay updated: The list of participating colleges can change year-to-year (new institutes, policy changes). For example, sources for 2025 show slight differences.
- Check cut-offs & previous year trends for the colleges you’re targeting — this gives you an idea of what rank you need.
- Be flexible with branch/college — sometimes taking a good branch in a decent college is better than holding out for the top branch in the top college and missing out.
ALL List of colleges participating in JEE mains counselling
Admission through JEE Advanced but counselling via the same portal.
- IIT Madras
- IIT Delhi
- IIT Bombay
- IIT Kanpur
- IIT Kharagpur
- IIT Roorkee
- IIT Guwahati
- IIT Hyderabad
- IIT Indore
- IIT Gandhinagar
- IIT Ropar
- IIT Bhubaneswar
- IIT Mandi
- IIT (ISM) Dhanbad
- IIT Jodhpur
- IIT Patna
- IIT Tirupati
- IIT Bhilai
- IIT Goa
- IIT Jammu
- IIT Palakkad
- IIT Dharwad
- IIT Varanasi (IIT-BHU)
2. FULL LIST OF NITs
- NIT Tiruchirappalli
- NIT Surathkal
- NIT Warangal
- NIT Calicut
- VNIT Nagpur
- MNIT Jaipur
- MNNIT Allahabad
- NIT Rourkela
- NIT Durgapur
- NIT Kurukshetra
- NIT Silchar
- NIT Hamirpur
- NIT Jamshedpur
- NIT Raipur
- NIT Patna
- NIT Agartala
- NIT Arunachal Pradesh
- NIT Delhi
- NIT Goa
- NIT Meghalaya
- NIT Nagaland
- NIT Puducherry
- NIT Sikkim
- NIT Uttarakhand
- NIT Mizoram
- MANIT Bhopal
- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar NIT Jalandhar
- NIT Andhra Pradesh
- NIT Manipur
- NIT Srinagar
- NIT Tadepalligudem (New campus)
- NIT Uttarakhand (temporary campus listed separately sometimes)
FULL LIST OF IIITs
(Includes IIITs under PPP mode → JEE Main + JoSAA)
- IIIT Allahabad
- IIIT Jabalpur
- IIIT Gwalior (ABV-IIITM)
- IIIT Kancheepuram (Chennai)
- IIITDM Kurnool
- IIIT Guwahati
- IIIT Kota
- IIIT Vadodara
- IIIT Sri City
- IIIT Sonepat
- IIIT Kalyani
- IIIT Una
- IIIT Manipur
- IIIT Dharwad
- IIIT Nagpur
- IIIT Pune
- IIIT Ranchi
- IIIT Kottayam
- IIIT Lucknow
- IIIT Tiruchirappalli
- IIIT Bhagalpur
- IIIT Bhopal
- IIIT Agartala
- IIIT Raichur
- IIIT Surat
- IIITDM Jabalpur
(Note: IIIT Hyderabad and IIIT Bangalore do NOT participate in JoSAA. They have their own processes.)
LIST OF GFTIs (Government-Funded Technical Institutes)
These participate directly through JEE Main + JoSAA.
Central Universities / National Institutes
- Assam University Silchar
- Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra
- Indian Institute of Carpet Technology, Bhadohi
- Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar
- Institute of Infrastructure Technology Research & Management (IITRAM), Ahmedabad
- Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering & Technology (SLIET)
- North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & Technology (NERIST), Itanagar
- Central University of Rajasthan
- Central University of Haryana
- Mizoram University, Aizawl
- Tezpur University
- School of Engineering, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong
State Government / Other GFTIs
- PEC Chandigarh
- Punjab Engineering College (PEC)
- J.K. Lakshmipat University / Jodhpur? (Not JoSAA) — skip
- National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology (NIFFT), Ranchi
- Institute of Engineering & Management? (Not GFTI) — skip
- University of Hyderabad? (Not via JoSAA) — skip
(Actual continuing list below — confirmed GFTIs): - University of Hyderabad (CEEP) – Engineering Sciences
- International Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing (IIITDM) Kancheepuram (also categorized under IIIT)
- IIITDM Jabalpur (dual category, but officially IIIT)
- Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (rare entries)
- School of Planning & Architecture (SPA) Bhopal*
- SPA Delhi*
- SPA Vijayawada*
(*via JEE Paper 2 for B.Arch/B.Plan)
Remaining GFTIs from JoSAA official list:
- GKV Haridwar
- Institute of Engineering & Management (not official—removing)
- Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU), Katra
- University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), Kurukshetra
- University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), CSJM Kanpur
- National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Aurangabad
- NIELIT, Calicut
- NIELIT, Gorakhpur
- NIELIT, Imphal
- NIELIT, Jammu
- NIELIT, Tezpur
- NIELIT, Srinagar
- Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT Mumbai – Jalna Campus)
- ICT Bhubaneswar
- Central Institute of Technology (CIT), Kokrajhar
- School of Engineering CISCE Meghalaya
- School of Engineering, Tezpur
- School of Engineering, North Maharashtra? (removed)
- Jorhat Engineering College (removed – not JoSAA)
- Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT), Rae Bareli
- Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE), Visakhapatnam
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