JEE Advanced 2026: Six-Year High For Women's Qualifying Rate, SC Candidates Cross 50%; Report Key Statistics Here

JEE Advanced Results 2026: The latest JEE Advanced results show a noticeable shift in who is making it through the exam. The number of SC candidates qualifying rose from 12,499 last year to 15,856 in 2026, while ST qualifiers increased from 5,008 to 6,379, a rise of about 27 per cent in both categories.

Women also recorded a 23.4 per cent qualification rate, the highest in the six years covered by the Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) report released by IIT Roorkee. The overall pool grew only marginally, from 54,378 to 56,880 qualifiers. The sharper change was not in the size of the pool, but in who made it into it.

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How Many Took the Exam, and How Many Qualified?

Of 1,87,389 registrations this year (1,87,223 last year), 1,79,694 appeared for both papers, against 1,80,422 last year. Qualifiers rose about 4.6 per cent, lifting the share of those who appeared and qualified from 30.1 to 31.7 per cent.

Did Half of SC Candidates Really Make the Cut?

Yes. The SC qualification rate rose 9.8 percentage points to 50.16 per cent from 40.41 per cent, so about one in two registered SC candidates qualified, compared with roughly two in five last year. For ST candidates, the rate climbed 8.1 points to 42.14 per cent from 33.99 per cent, meaning more than two in five qualified, up from one in three.

Source: JIC reports 2025, 2026

SC Category:  Crossing the 50 per cent mark means the majority of registered candidates in this category cleared the qualifying bar. In simple terms, for every two candidates who registered, one qualified.

ST Category:  Over 42 per cent of candidates qualified, representing a shift from nearly 1 in 3 to more than 2 in 5.

How Big Is the SC and ST Share in the Qualifying Pool?

SC qualifiers grew by 3,357 and ST qualifiers by 1,371. In percentage terms, that is nearly six times faster than the overall rise. Together they account for 22,235 of the 56,880 qualifiers, nearly 39 per cent, up from about 32 per cent a year ago. Both SC and ST rates now sit above the general category figure, which is a notable change.

What Do the Numbers Say About Women?

In 2026, 43,112 women registered, 40,562 appeared in both papers and 10,107 qualified. That is 23.4 per cent of registered women, the best rate in six years, and about 24.9 per cent of those who appeared. Women now make up nearly 18 per cent of all qualifiers. The top woman candidate scored 280 marks (101 in Mathematics, 86 in Physics, 93 in Chemistry) to secure All India Rank 77.

Have Women Gained Ground Over the Last Decade?

A decade back, 29,983 women registered in 2016 and 4,570 qualified, a rate of about 15 per cent. Registrations have since risen nearly 44 per cent, but qualifiers have more than doubled, up about 121 per cent. The 2026 rate is about eight points higher than in 2016. Women are turning up in larger numbers, and a bigger share of them is clearing the bar.

Source: JIC reports 2016, 2018, 2026

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Are Women's Seats in the IITs Also Rising?

Yes. The IITs created 800 supernumerary seats for women in 2018, and women made up about 15.34 per cent of admitted candidates, above the 14 per cent target. Last year, 3,633 female-only seats were allotted, and 31 women entered through the gender-neutral pool, taking their share to 20.15 per cent of 18,188 seats. In 2026, 3,814 female-only seats were allotted and 37 women entered through the gender-neutral pool, for a 20.22 per cent share of 18,861 seats.

Note: the source text lists the 2016 figures (29,983 registered, 4,570 qualified) under "In 2026" in one sentence. That appears to be a typo, and I have treated those figures as 2016.

Minimum Marks Required to Qualify JEE Advanced 2026 (Percentage):

Candidates who score at or above these category‑wise percentages will be eligible to be included in the JEE Advanced rank list and to participate in counselling.