JoSAA 2026: IIT Bombay remains first choice for CSE; IIT Kanpur, IIT Delhi follow
IIT Bombay retained its position as the toughest IIT to enter for Computer Science Engineering, while IIT Delhi, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur followed closely in JoSAA 2026 Round 1 counselling.
The first round of the JoSAA 2026 counselling has once again reaffirmed a familiar trend - the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay remains the most sought-after destination for Computer Science Engineering (CSE) among the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced qualifiers.
According to the Round 1 opening and closing ranks released by the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA), IIT Bombay's CSE programme opened at AIR 1 and closed at AIR 65 in the gender-neutral category, making it the most competitive IIT for the flagship programme. Among female-only seats, admissions opened at AIR 77 and closed at AIR 395, the narrowest and most competitive range across the IIT system.
TOP IITS CONTINUE TO DOMINATE
The Round 1 data shows that the older IITs continue to dominate CSE admissions. After IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur's CSE programme opened at AIR 32 and IIT Delhi's at AIR 35, underscoring how the country's highest-ranked candidates continue to prioritise the oldest IITs. IIT Delhi's gender-neutral seat closed at AIR 123, followed by IIT Madras (opening at AIR 67 and closing at 149), IIT Kanpur (32–276), IIT Kharagpur (217–509) and IIT Roorkee (277–582).
| Institute | Gender-Neutral (Opening - Closing) | Female-only (Opening - Closing) |
|---|---|---|
| IIT Bombay | 1 – 65 | 77 – 395 |
| IIT Kanpur | 32 – 276 | 755 – 1223 |
| IIT Delhi | 35 – 123 | 266 – 681 |
| IIT Madras | 67 – 149 | 111 – 539 |
| IIT Kharagpur | 217 – 509 | 1004 – 1906 |
| IIT Roorkee | 277 – 582 | 1284 – 1962 |
| IIT Hyderabad | 339 – 647 | 1833 – 2069 |
| IIT (BHU) Varanasi | 819 – 1436 | 3329 – 4270 |
| IIT Guwahati | 588 – 810 | 2252 – 2903 |
| IIT Indore | 1186 – 1639 | 2840 – 4321 |
| IIT Gandhinagar | 1248 – 2144 | 4631 – 5420 |
| IIT (ISM) Dhanbad | 1655 – 3994 | 4485 – 8000 |
| IIT Ropar | 1768 – 2907 | 2574 – 6368 |
| IIT Patna | 2184 – 3303 | 6105 – 7895 |
| IIT Mandi | 2532 – 3609 | 5961 – 7920 |
| IIT Jodhpur | 2536 – 3392 | 5700 – 7472 |
| IIT Tirupati | 2879 – 5342 | 7603 – 8942 |
| IIT Bhubaneswar | 3022 – 4582 | 5759 – 8238 |
| IIT Goa | 4323 – 6448 | 9808 – 10906 |
| IIT Jammu | 4505 – 6738 | 11456 – 13707 |
| IIT Palakkad | 4760 – 6556 | 9655 – 11396 |
| IIT Dharwad | 5380 – 7426 | 9233 – 12225 |
| IIT Bhilai | 5879 – 7981 | 10794 – 13073 |
Among the newer-generation IITs, IIT Hyderabad's CSE programme admitted candidates between AIR 339 and 647, emerging as the strongest performer outside the older IITs. It was followed by IIT Guwahati (588–810), IIT (BHU) Varanasi (819–1,436) and IIT Indore (1,186–1,639). The next tier comprised IIT Gandhinagar (1,248–2,144), IIT Ropar (1,768–2,907), IIT Patna (2,184–3,303), IIT Jodhpur (2,536–3,392), IIT Mandi (2,532–3,609) and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad (1,655–3,994).
Among the newer IITs, CSE seats closed between AIR 4,582 and 7,981, with IIT Bhubaneswar (3,022–4,582), IIT Tirupati (2,879–5,342), IIT Goa (4,323–6,448), IIT Palakkad (4,760–6,556), IIT Jammu (4,505–6,738), IIT Dharwad (5,380–7,426) and IIT Bhilai (5,879–7,981).
Notably, only seven IITs saw their gender-neutral CSE seats close within the top 700 ranks – IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee and IIT Hyderabad – highlighting the concentration of demand among the country's premier engineering institutes.
FEMALE-ONLY SEATS SHOW WIDER RANK RANGES
Closing ranks for female-only seats were considerably higher across institutes because of the supernumerary seats introduced to improve gender diversity in IITs. At IIT Bombay, female-only CSE admissions ranged from AIR 77 to 395, while IIT Madras admitted candidates between AIR 111 and 539, IIT Delhi between 266 and 681, IIT Kanpur between 755 and 1,223, IIT Kharagpur between 1,004 and 1,906, IIT Roorkee between 1,284 and 1,962, and IIT Hyderabad between 1,833 and 2,069.
Among the newer IITs, female-only closing ranks extended beyond AIR 10,000, with IIT Jammu, IIT Dharwad and IIT Bhilai admitting candidates at substantially higher ranks through the additional seats.
WHAT THE ROUND 1 TRENDS INDICATE
The JoSAA Round 1 data suggests that Computer Science continues to be the most competitive branch across the IIT system, with candidates overwhelmingly preferring the older IITs. While the hierarchy at the top has remained largely unchanged, IIT Hyderabad has continued to strengthen its position as the leading choice among the newer IITs for CSE.
With five more rounds of JoSAA counselling remaining, the closing ranks are likely to see marginal movement as candidates upgrade their choices. However, the first-round data already offers a clear snapshot of where India's top JEE Advanced performers are choosing to pursue Computer Science in 2026.
The first round of the JoSAA 2026 counselling has once again reaffirmed a familiar trend - the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay remains the most sought-after destination for Computer Science Engineering (CSE) among the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced qualifiers.
According to the Round 1 opening and closing ranks released by the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA), IIT Bombay's CSE programme opened at AIR 1 and closed at AIR 65 in the gender-neutral category, making it the most competitive IIT for the flagship programme. Among female-only seats, admissions opened at AIR 77 and closed at AIR 395, the narrowest and most competitive range across the IIT system.
TOP IITS CONTINUE TO DOMINATE
The Round 1 data shows that the older IITs continue to dominate CSE admissions. After IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur's CSE programme opened at AIR 32 and IIT Delhi's at AIR 35, underscoring how the country's highest-ranked candidates continue to prioritise the oldest IITs. IIT Delhi's gender-neutral seat closed at AIR 123, followed by IIT Madras (opening at AIR 67 and closing at 149), IIT Kanpur (32–276), IIT Kharagpur (217–509) and IIT Roorkee (277–582).
| Institute | Gender-Neutral (Opening - Closing) | Female-only (Opening - Closing) |
|---|---|---|
| IIT Bombay | 1 – 65 | 77 – 395 |
| IIT Kanpur | 32 – 276 | 755 – 1223 |
| IIT Delhi | 35 – 123 | 266 – 681 |
| IIT Madras | 67 – 149 | 111 – 539 |
| IIT Kharagpur | 217 – 509 | 1004 – 1906 |
| IIT Roorkee | 277 – 582 | 1284 – 1962 |
| IIT Hyderabad | 339 – 647 | 1833 – 2069 |
| IIT (BHU) Varanasi | 819 – 1436 | 3329 – 4270 |
| IIT Guwahati | 588 – 810 | 2252 – 2903 |
| IIT Indore | 1186 – 1639 | 2840 – 4321 |
| IIT Gandhinagar | 1248 – 2144 | 4631 – 5420 |
| IIT (ISM) Dhanbad | 1655 – 3994 | 4485 – 8000 |
| IIT Ropar | 1768 – 2907 | 2574 – 6368 |
| IIT Patna | 2184 – 3303 | 6105 – 7895 |
| IIT Mandi | 2532 – 3609 | 5961 – 7920 |
| IIT Jodhpur | 2536 – 3392 | 5700 – 7472 |
| IIT Tirupati | 2879 – 5342 | 7603 – 8942 |
| IIT Bhubaneswar | 3022 – 4582 | 5759 – 8238 |
| IIT Goa | 4323 – 6448 | 9808 – 10906 |
| IIT Jammu | 4505 – 6738 | 11456 – 13707 |
| IIT Palakkad | 4760 – 6556 | 9655 – 11396 |
| IIT Dharwad | 5380 – 7426 | 9233 – 12225 |
| IIT Bhilai | 5879 – 7981 | 10794 – 13073 |
Among the newer-generation IITs, IIT Hyderabad's CSE programme admitted candidates between AIR 339 and 647, emerging as the strongest performer outside the older IITs. It was followed by IIT Guwahati (588–810), IIT (BHU) Varanasi (819–1,436) and IIT Indore (1,186–1,639). The next tier comprised IIT Gandhinagar (1,248–2,144), IIT Ropar (1,768–2,907), IIT Patna (2,184–3,303), IIT Jodhpur (2,536–3,392), IIT Mandi (2,532–3,609) and IIT (ISM) Dhanbad (1,655–3,994).
Among the newer IITs, CSE seats closed between AIR 4,582 and 7,981, with IIT Bhubaneswar (3,022–4,582), IIT Tirupati (2,879–5,342), IIT Goa (4,323–6,448), IIT Palakkad (4,760–6,556), IIT Jammu (4,505–6,738), IIT Dharwad (5,380–7,426) and IIT Bhilai (5,879–7,981).
Notably, only seven IITs saw their gender-neutral CSE seats close within the top 700 ranks – IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Roorkee and IIT Hyderabad – highlighting the concentration of demand among the country's premier engineering institutes.
FEMALE-ONLY SEATS SHOW WIDER RANK RANGES
Closing ranks for female-only seats were considerably higher across institutes because of the supernumerary seats introduced to improve gender diversity in IITs. At IIT Bombay, female-only CSE admissions ranged from AIR 77 to 395, while IIT Madras admitted candidates between AIR 111 and 539, IIT Delhi between 266 and 681, IIT Kanpur between 755 and 1,223, IIT Kharagpur between 1,004 and 1,906, IIT Roorkee between 1,284 and 1,962, and IIT Hyderabad between 1,833 and 2,069.
Among the newer IITs, female-only closing ranks extended beyond AIR 10,000, with IIT Jammu, IIT Dharwad and IIT Bhilai admitting candidates at substantially higher ranks through the additional seats.
WHAT THE ROUND 1 TRENDS INDICATE
The JoSAA Round 1 data suggests that Computer Science continues to be the most competitive branch across the IIT system, with candidates overwhelmingly preferring the older IITs. While the hierarchy at the top has remained largely unchanged, IIT Hyderabad has continued to strengthen its position as the leading choice among the newer IITs for CSE.
With five more rounds of JoSAA counselling remaining, the closing ranks are likely to see marginal movement as candidates upgrade their choices. However, the first-round data already offers a clear snapshot of where India's top JEE Advanced performers are choosing to pursue Computer Science in 2026.
