JEE eligibility criteria: IIT Roorkee rules out one-time relief in 75% rule amid CBSE evaluation row

NEW DELHI: With concerns over discrepancies in Class 12 board evaluation under CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system spilling over into engineering admissions, a section of JEE aspirants has sought a one-time relaxation in the 75 per cent eligibility criterion for admission to IITs, NITs and other centrally funded technical institutions.

The demand has gained traction on social media after several students claimed that they had secured competitive ranks in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) but failed to meet the Class 12 percentage requirement by a narrow margin, allegedly due to evaluation errors and inconsistencies linked to the new marking system.

Responding to queries from ANI on whether a one-time relaxation was being considered in view of the ongoing controversy, IIT Roorkee ruled out any dilution of the eligibility norms, but confirmed that it is in touch with CBSE to "resolve the issue."

"No relaxing in marks as candidates from 36 different boards are participating. We published this criterion almost in December, and last year, there were candidates who lost IIT/NIT seats mainly due to percentages. Hence, lowering is not possible," IIT Roorkee said in a statement.

"However, we are in close touch with CBSE and will try to resolve this for all those affected candidates on priority," the statement further read.

This year, IIT Roorkee is the organising institute for JEE Advanced 2026, the entrance examination conducted for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). As the organising IIT, Roorkee is responsible for conducting the examination, declaring results and coordinating the admission process through the Joint Admission Board (JAB).

The current eligibility rules require candidates seeking admission to IITs through JEE Advanced to either secure at least 75 per cent marks in Class 12 or be among the top 20 percentile of successful candidates in their respective boards. A similar criterion applies for admission to NITs, IIITs and other centrally funded technical institutions through JEE Main.

The requirement was reintroduced after being temporarily relaxed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The controversy comes amid growing criticism of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, which was implemented this year for the evaluation of answer sheets.

Teachers involved in the evaluation process have alleged technical glitches, interface issues and difficulties in reviewing answers comprehensively.

Students and parents argue that any evaluation-related inaccuracies could have consequences extending beyond board examination results, affecting eligibility for some of the country's most competitive engineering institutions.

On social media platform X, several users urged authorities to grant relief to affected candidates.

"Thousands of students are missing the 75% eligibility criterion by just a few marks and are now facing the possibility of losing an entire academic year," Anurag Tyagi wrote while tagging the National Testing Agency (NTA).

"A student who has cleared one of the toughest entrance exams in the country should not see their dream end because of a small gap in board marks."

Another user demanded that the overall Class 12 eligibility requirement for JEE and BITS admissions be reduced as a one-time measure, arguing that many students had met individual subject requirements but fallen short in aggregate marks.

Some candidates highlighted individual cases. One post claimed that a student who secured an All India Rank of 749 in JEE Advanced could struggle to secure admission to a preferred IIT programme because he had failed to cross the 75 per cent threshold in the CBSE board examination.

The demands come at a time when CBSE is already facing scrutiny over result-related grievances, with many students applying for verification of marks, photocopies of evaluated answer books and re-evaluation.

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