JEE Advanced 2025: Important Eligibility Criteria and New Updates on Attempt Limit

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced is one of the most competitive entrance exams in India, serving as the gateway for admission to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). For aspiring candidates, the year 2025 brings significant updates, particularly concerning the number of attempts allowed. The maximum number of attempts for JEE Advanced has been increased from two to three, providing candidates with a better chance to secure admission to IITs.

Number of Attempts for JEE Advanced 2025

In a noteworthy update, the number of attempts for JEE Advanced 2025 has been increased to three, a significant shift from the previous limit of two attempts. This change has been implemented from the year 2025, and candidates will now be allowed to attempt JEE Advanced a maximum of three times, provided the attempts are made within three consecutive years. This update is expected to give students an added opportunity to improve their performance and increase their chances of securing admission to IITs.

Age Limit for JEE Advanced 2025

The age limit for candidates appearing for JEE Advanced 2025 remains aligned with the existing norms. To be eligible, candidates must have been born on or after October 1, 2000. However, a relaxation of five years is granted to candidates from the SC, ST, and PwD categories. For these candidates, the age limit is extended, and they must have been born on or after October 1, 1995.

JEE Main 2025 Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for JEE Advanced 2025, candidates must first qualify the JEE Main 2025 exam. Only the top 2,50,000 successful candidates from JEE Main, across all categories, will be eligible to appear for JEE Advanced. It is important to note that the total number of candidates may slightly exceed 2.5 lakh due to “tied” ranks or scores within categories.

The candidates will be shortlisted according to the following category-wise distribution:

• GEN-EWS: 10%
• OBC-NCL: 27%
• SC: 15%
• ST: 7.5%
• OPEN: 40.5%

Additionally, a 5% horizontal reservation is available for PwD candidates within each of these categories.

Important Note on OCI/PIO Candidates

The eligibility criteria for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) candidates have also been updated. According to a Supreme Court ruling on February 3, 2023, OCI/PIO candidates who secured their OCI/PIO card before March 4, 2021, will be considered as Indian nationals for the purpose of seat allocation to IITs. However, they are not eligible for any kind of reservation benefits, including GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST, with the exception of the OPEN-PwD category.

Class 12 Examination Eligibility

Candidates wishing to appear for JEE Advanced 2025 must have completed their Class 12 (or equivalent) examination for the first time in 2023, 2024, or 2025. The compulsory subjects for eligibility are Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics.

Candidates who appeared for their Class 12 examination before 2022 are not eligible to sit for JEE Advanced 2025, regardless of the subjects they attempted.

However, if the results for the academic year 2021-22 were declared after September 21, 2022, candidates from those boards are eligible, provided they meet all other criteria.

It is important to note that if a candidate’s Class 12 results were withheld for any reason, they will not be eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2025.

Previous IIT Admission Restrictions

Candidates who have already been admitted to an IIT in any academic program under the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) Business Rules of 2024 or earlier will not be eligible for JEE Advanced 2025, regardless of whether they continued in the program or accepted the seat. This includes candidates whose admission was canceled after joining an IIT.

However, candidates who were admitted to a preparatory course at any IIT in 2024 are eligible to appear for JEE Advanced 2025. Additionally, candidates who were allocated a seat in IITs but did not report online, or withdrew their seat before the last round of seat allotment, are also eligible to appear.