JEE Main 2027 Session 1 Application: Dates, Eligibility, Fee and Exam Guide

Updated: 11 November 2026 | Candidate guide | Read the NTA Information Bulletin before submitting your form.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has opened the online application for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2027 Session 1. Registration began on 24 October 2026. The regular application and fee-payment deadline is 22 November 2026, 11:50 p.m. IST; a late-fee window follows from 23 to 26 November. The January examination will be conducted on six dates. This guide consolidates the official schedule, eligibility, paper choices, application steps and common mistakes in one place.

Apply only through the official portal: jeemain.nta.nic.in. The NTA information bulletin is available at JEE Main 2027 Documents. Do not use unofficial payment or application links.

JEE Main 2027 Session 1: important dates

These dates are reproduced from the JEE Main 2027 Information Bulletin. NTA may issue corrigenda; candidates should recheck the official portal before each deadline. A city-intimation slip is not the admit card and should not be treated as proof of the final examination centre or shift.

What is JEE Main used for?

JEE Main is the national entrance examination conducted by NTA for specified undergraduate engineering, architecture and planning admissions. Paper 1 (B.E./B.Tech.) is used by NITs, IIITs and other participating institutions and is also the qualifying examination route for JEE Advanced, subject to the latter’s separate eligibility and shortlisting rules. Paper 2A is for B.Arch. and Paper 2B for B.Planning. Admission is not decided by NTA alone: participating institutions, JoSAA/CSAB or other counselling authorities apply their own eligibility, seat-allocation and document-verification rules.

For aspirants, this distinction matters. A JEE Main score is an examination outcome; it is not an admission letter. Check the programme-specific subject requirements, Class XII performance conditions, category documents and counselling instructions of the institution where you intend to apply.

Who can appear in JEE Main 2027?

The NTA bulletin states that there is no age limit for appearing in JEE Main 2027. Candidates who passed Class XII or an equivalent examination in 2025 or 2026, or are appearing in 2027, may appear irrespective of age, subject to the examination’s qualifying-examination provisions. Candidates who first passed Class XII in 2024 or earlier are not eligible to appear in JEE Main 2027 under the stated year-of-appearance rule.

Accepted qualifying examinations include recognised 10+2 board examinations, recognised pre-university/intermediate examinations, specified NIOS and vocational qualifications, and other equivalents listed in the bulletin. For foreign or unlisted boards, equivalence requirements may apply. The State of Eligibility generally follows the State where the qualifying Class XII examination was passed, not the candidate’s domicile or current residence. NIOS candidates must follow the bulletin’s study-centre rule.

Do not confuse permission to sit for JEE Main with admission eligibility. Institutes may prescribe additional age, subject, marks or other conditions. NTA advises candidates to verify the rules of the institution/programme they seek.

Choose the correct paper

Paper 1 is a three-hour computer-based test. Each subject has 20 Section A multiple-choice questions and five Section B numerical-value questions; the paper totals 75 questions and 300 marks. The bulletin specifies +4 for a correct answer, −1 for an incorrect answer in both MCQ and numerical sections, and zero for an unanswered question. Candidates should practise the official numerical-entry method rather than assuming that every question is an ordinary four-option MCQ.

Paper 2A includes a drawing test conducted offline on an A4 drawing sheet alongside computer-based sections. Paper 2B is computer-based and includes planning-based questions. Candidates selecting more than one paper combination should review the applicable duration, fee and subject requirements in the bulletin rather than relying on a coaching-site summary.

Application fee: read the paper and category columns carefully

The fee is payable separately for each session. For a single paper at an examination centre in India, the bulletin lists ₹1,000 for General male candidates, ₹800 for female candidates, ₹900 for Gen-EWS/OBC-NCL male candidates, ₹800 for Gen-EWS/OBC-NCL female candidates, and ₹500 for SC/ST/PwD/PwBD candidates and third-gender candidates. The fee differs for centres outside India and for combinations of papers. Processing charges and GST may be additional. The uniform late fee is ₹500 over the category-wise examination fee.

Use the fee table in the bulletin for your exact paper combination, category and examination-centre location. Do not assume that the single-paper amount applies to B.Arch./B.Planning combinations.

How to complete the online form

1. Register through the NTA portal. The bulletin describes authentication through the MeriPehchaan National Single Sign-On service. Save the system-generated application number and keep the password secure.
2. Enter personal and academic details. Check name, date of birth, category, gender, contact details, Class XII passing/appearing year and State of Eligibility against original records.
3. Select paper and examination cities. Choose the intended paper(s) and city preferences carefully. City choices are preferences, not a guarantee of a particular centre.
4. Upload the required files. The bulletin specifies a live photograph during form filling, a scanned photograph, signature and Class X/equivalent certificate or marks-sheet; disability/UDID documents and other documents are required where applicable. Follow the exact format, size and face-visibility rules in the current bulletin.
5. Pay the fee online. Use the integrated payment options and retain the transaction proof. If payment succeeds but the confirmation page is missing, check payment status and contact the NTA/payment helpdesk rather than making repeated payments blindly.
6. Download the confirmation page. The application is considered successful only after the prescribed fee is received and the confirmation page is generated. Save a PDF and print a copy for reference.

Common errors candidates should avoid

• Submitting more than one application number: the bulletin warns that multiple forms can lead to cancellation of the result or unfair-means consequences.
• Using another person’s photograph, signature or certificate, or uploading blurred/incorrect files.
• Entering a State of Eligibility based on residence rather than the qualifying examination location.
• Assuming the correction window permits every field to be changed. NTA will enable only specified fields; the operative list must be checked when the facility opens.
• Confusing the city-intimation slip with the admission certificate.
• Waiting until the last hour for payment, OTP, document upload or confirmation-page generation.

Session 2 and the two-session score

NTA’s bulletin also schedules JEE Main 2027 Session 2 for April. Its regular application period is 5 January–3 February 2027; late-fee applications are 4–7 February; the correction window is 8–10 February; city intimation is 12 March; admit-card download is 25 March; and the examination dates are 2–7 April 2027. A separate notice will govern the Session 2 application/payment process. Candidates who apply for Session 1 can use the same application number for the later session, as specified by NTA.

For the overall merit process, NTA scores across shifts and sessions are merged according to the bulletin’s normalisation procedure. Candidates should not compare raw marks across different shifts as if the papers were identical. The score is an NTA percentile-based score; institution-specific cut-offs and counselling rules remain separate.

Official links and next steps

• JEE Main official portal — application and notices
• JEE Main 2027 Information Bulletin and syllabus
• National Testing Agency
• Engineering, Medical & University Entrance Exams Hub
• Competitive Exams Preparation Hub
• NIFTEE 2027 application guide

Candidate checklist: apply by 22 November if possible; confirm successful payment and download the confirmation page; keep the application number and registered contact details accessible; check the correction notice from 27 November; and revisit NTA’s portal for city information and admit-card instructions. This article is a navigation guide, not a substitute for the official bulletin.