JEE Advanced 2025 Eligibility Criteria – Age, Qualification, Attempts & Reservation

Before applying for JEE Advanced 2025, it’s important to check the age criteria set by the Joint Admission Board (JAB). Candidates must have been born on or after October 1, 2000, to be considered eligible. There is a significant relaxation in the age limit for specific reserved categories. Candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories are granted a five-year age relaxation. This means that SC, ST, and PwD candidates should have been born on or after October 1, 1995, to meet the age eligibility. Knowing the age rules in advance ensures you apply within the permitted criteria and make full use of any relaxation benefits.

JEE Advanced 2025 offers relaxations for candidates belonging to specific reserved categories as per Joint Admission Board (JAB) guidelines. These benefits may include reduced qualifying marks in the JEE Advanced examination, extended age limits, and reservations in the total number of candidates selected from JEE Main for the Advanced exam. For instance, the top 2,50,000 JEE Main qualifiers include specific percentages for various categories: 10% for GEN-EWS, 27% for OBC-NCL, 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST, and 40.5% for the OPEN category. Additionally, a 5% horizontal reservation is available for Persons with Disabilities (PwD) candidates within each of these five categories. For inclusion in the JEE Advanced rank list, the minimum aggregate marks required are lower for reserved categories; for example, 35% for the General category, 31.5% for OBC-NCL/EWS, and 17.5% for SC/ST/PwD candidates. To avail these benefits, candidates must upload valid and up-to-date category certificates during registration. For OBC-NCL and EWS categories, certificates must be issued on or after April 1, 2024, and adhere to the latest format. PwD candidates must provide a valid disability certificate from a notified medical authority, with specific forms required for dyslexic students. Verification will follow the official protocol set by the authority. It is crucial to note that a category once submitted cannot be changed during the registration process. Unoccupied seats under OBC-NCL and GEN-EWS may be shifted to the OPEN category, and unoccupied PwD seats within a category will be made available to other candidates in that specific category. However, seats remaining vacant under the SC, ST, and PwD categories will not be de-reserved for any other category. By understanding and following the process, eligible candidates can make full use of the category-based benefits available for JEE Advanced.

JEE Advanced 2025 is open to Indian citizens and valid Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) or Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card holders as per Joint Admission Board (JAB) rules. For national-level examinations like JEE Advanced, domicile requirements typically do not apply as a direct eligibility criterion for the exam itself. Guidelines for foreign nationals, including NRI and OCI/PIO applicants, are distinct. Candidates who are not citizens of India, either by birth or naturalization, are considered foreign nationals. OCI/PIO cardholders who obtained their cards after March 4, 2021, are also treated as foreign nationals. Those OCI/PIO cardholders who obtained their cards before March 4, 2021, have the option to apply either as foreign nationals or at par with Indian nationals. Foreign nationals and OCI/PIO candidates considered foreign nationals are not required to appear for JEE Main 2025 and can directly register for JEE Advanced 2025, provided they fulfill other eligibility criteria, including having completed Class XII or equivalent with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics. Seats allotted to such foreign national candidates are supernumerary, capped at 10% of the total seats in each course. These candidates are generally not eligible for reservations under categories like GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, or PwD. Applying through both JEE Main credentials and direct foreign national registration will lead to cancellation of candidature. By understanding these rules early, candidates can ensure they meet the required nationality conditions before applying.

Before preparing for JEE Advanced 2025, it’s essential to know if there’s a cap on the number of attempts. For JEE Advanced, the standard rule is that a candidate can attempt the examination a maximum of two times in two consecutive years. This means that candidates who appeared for JEE Advanced in 2024 are eligible to sit for JEE Advanced 2025. However, those who appeared in 2023 or earlier are not permitted to attempt the exam in 2025. A notable, special exception has been made for JEE Advanced 2025: candidates who withdrew from their courses and dropped out between November 5, 2024, and November 18, 2024, are eligible for a third attempt, as directed by the Supreme Court. Aside from this specific scenario, there are no general category-based relaxations that increase the number of allowed attempts for other candidates. Being aware of attempt limits helps you plan your preparation strategy effectively and avoid exhausting your chances prematurely.

A candidate can attempt JEE Advanced a maximum of two times in consecutive years. The first attempt must be in the year they first appeared for or passed their Class 12th or equivalent examination, or in the subsequent year.