JEE Mains: India has a fiercely competitive market for top-tier engineering schools, with a huge gap between the number of applicants and the number of seats available. According to the latest AISHE data, India currently has 5,868 engineering schools that have received AICTE approval, and these institutions together enroll an astounding 23.20 lakh students in BTech programs across the country. But most of these applicants are very focused on getting into the 25 IIITs, 31 NITs, and 23 IITs, which make up the top group of 80 universities. The JoSAA 2025 seat matrix shows that these 80 institutions collectively offer just 62,853 seats, which represents a small portion of the student body.
There is a huge gap between the number of applicants and the number of seats available in prestigious universities, making the competition for India's top engineering schools extremely fierce. According to the most recent AISHE data, India currently has 5,868 AICTE-approved engineering schools, which together enroll an astounding 23.20 lakh students in BTech programs across the country. But most of these applicants are very focused on getting into the elite group of 80 universities, which includes the 26 IIITs, 31 NITs, and 23 IITs. Through the JoSAA 2025 seat matrix, these 80 institutions collectively only provide 62,853 seats, which represents a small portion of the student body.
Top Colleges Accepting JEE Main Score (Excluding IITs)
For admission to their undergraduate (B.Tech/B.E.) programs, numerous esteemed engineering schools and colleges in India accept JEE Main results, in addition to the IITs. With the exception of IITs, the top universities and institutions that accept JEE Main scores are included in the following table. Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) usually use JoSAA/CSAB counseling for admissions to these colleges, whereas other institutions use state/university-level counseling.
| Institution Type | College Name | Location | Admission Process |
| Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs) / GFTIs | Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) Shibpur | West Bengal | JoSAA/CSAB |
| Birla Institute of Technology (BIT) Mesra | Ranchi, Jharkhand | JoSAA/CSAB | |
| School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) | Delhi/Bhopal/Vijayawada | JEE Main Paper 2 (B.Arch/B.Planning) | |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (ABV-IIITM) | Gwalior | JoSAA/CSAB | |
| State Government Universities | Delhi Technological University (DTU) | New Delhi | JAC Delhi Counselling |
| Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT) | New Delhi | JAC Delhi Counselling | |
| Jadavpur University (JU) | Kolkata, West Bengal | WBJEE/JEE Main (varies) | |
| Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) | New Delhi | JEE Main | |
| Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) | Mumbai, Maharashtra | MHT CET/JEE Main | |
| Top Private/Deemed Universities | Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET) | Patiala, Punjab | JEE Main/Thapar Test (varies) |
| SASTRA University | Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu | JEE Main/SASTRA Test (varies) | |
| Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham | Coimbatore, Kerala | JEE Main/AEEE (varies) | |
| Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (SOA) | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | JEE Main/SAAT (varies) |
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What to Look for in a Good Engineering College?
- NITs and IIITs: The main destinations for JEE Main qualifying candidates are all National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), not IITs. The only way to get into these is through JoSAA/CSAB counseling.
- BITS Pilani: The Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani and its campuses employ their own entrance exam, BITSAT, instead of simply accepting JEE Main grades.
- State-Specific Colleges: Applicants with high JEE Main scores are given preference for admission to a number of prestigious state government-funded or private colleges, such as those under UPSEE/AKTU in Uttar Pradesh, MHT CET in Maharashtra, or KCET/COMEDK in Karnataka.
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