admissionProcess

Admission Process

Application Fees for Admission is ₹750/- for all the candidates. The application fee for Admission is non-refundable under any circumstances.
Applicants who are allotted a seat in any of the admission rounds will receive an official admission offer via the JOAPS portal — https://joaps.iitb.ac.in. The offer will specify:
• The name of the Admitting institute
• The academic program offered
• The category under which the offer is made
• The deadline by which the candidate must take an action
Applicants who receive an offer of admission in any round will be notified via the JOAPS portal and through registered email/SMS. Upon receiving an offer, the applicant must log in to JOAPS within the stipulated deadline and choose ONE of the following three options to indicate their decision:

1. Accept and Freeze

This option should be chosen if the candidate is satisfied with the offered program and does not wish to be considered for higher preferences in subsequent rounds.
By selecting this option, the candidate confirms his/her admission to the offered program, provided he/she completes the required admission formalities within the given time frame.
Once frozen, the candidate’s name will be excluded from consideration in all future admission rounds.
The candidate must pay the Seat Booking Fee within the specified deadline to secure admission.
Failure to make the payment will result in automatic forfeiture of the offer.

2. Accept and Upgrade

Candidates who are willing to accept the current offer but also wish to be considered for higher-preference choices in later rounds should select this option.
The current seat will be provisionally allotted, and if a seat in a higher preferred program becomes available in the subsequent rounds, the candidate’s admission will automatically be upgraded.
Once upgraded, the previous offer stands cancelled, and the new offer becomes binding.
If no higher preference program becomes available, the initially offered seat will remain confirmed.

3. Reject and Quit

This option must be selected by candidates who do not wish to accept the current offer and do not wish to participate in any further admission rounds.
Once this option is exercised, the candidate’s name will be permanently removed from all subsequent seat allocation processes under JAM 2026.
The seat is released to the next eligible candidate on the merit list.
The candidate forfeits the right to claim any admission-related benefits thereafter.

When an applicant selects “Accept and Freeze” or “Accept with Upgrade” for the first time during the admission process, they will be automatically redirected to the online payment portal to pay the Seat Booking Fee within the specified deadline.

The fee amount varies by category and must be paid to confirm the provisional seat acceptance:

₹ 15,000/- for candidates belonging to the General, OBC–NCL, or EWS categories.
₹ 7,500/- for candidates belonging to the SC, ST, or PwD categories.

This Seat Booking Fee will subsequently be transferred to the Admitting Institute and adjusted against the Institute’s admission fee at the time of final admission.
Non-payment of this fee within the given time window will lead to the cancellation of the admission offer, and the seat will be allotted to another eligible candidate in subsequent rounds.

Note:
Candidates must respond within the deadline mentioned in their offer letter. Failure to take action (i.e., not choosing any of the three options within the given time) will be treated as a rejection, and the offer will automatically lapse. All communications regarding offers, upgrades, and seat confirmations will be available only through the official JOAPS portal; no separate physical letters/emails will be sent. Once a candidate’s admission is finalized (after choosing “Accept and Freeze”), the respective Admitting Institute will complete the verification of documents, eligibility requirements, and payment details before issuing the final Admission Letter.

The dates mentioned below are tentative and they are subjected to change.

Admission Offer Decision Process (Refer to important dates of JAM-2026 admissions):

First Admission List

The First Admission List will be published on or before May 25, 2026. Candidates must log in to JOAPS portal (https://joaps.iitb.ac.in) to check their offer status.
Those who are offered a seat must choose one of the three options - Accept and Freeze, Accept with Upgrade, or Reject and Quit - on or before May 30, 2026.
Candidates selecting Accept and Freeze or Accept with Upgrade must complete the Seat Booking Fee payment by the deadline to secure their seat

Second Admission List

If seats remain vacant after the first round, a Second Admission List will be released on or before June 8, 2026.
Candidates who had chosen Accept with Upgrade in the first round must log in again to view their updated seat allocation.
Those receiving a new or upgraded offer must make their decision and, if applicable, complete the seat acceptance process by June 11, 2026.

Third Admission List

In case of further vacancies, a Third Admission List will be issued by June 16, 2026.
Candidates who previously opted for Accept with Upgrade must revisit the portal to verify if they have received an upgraded offer.
Applicants offered a seat in this round must confirm their choice and make payment (if applicable) on or before June 20, 2026.

Fourth Admission List

If seats continue to remain vacant after the third round, a Fourth Admission List will be published by June 27, 2026.
Candidates from earlier rounds with Accept with Upgrade status will again need to check their allocation and complete any required formalities.
Applicants who receive a seat offer in the Fourth Admission List must confirm their choice and make payment on or before June 30, 2026.

Important Instructions for Applicants

Each admission round follows a strict timeline, and candidates must take action within the notified deadline. Missing the deadline will result in automatic forfeiture of the offer.
Offers, payment links, and updates will be available only on the official portal (https://joaps.iitb.ac.in).
NO physical letters or separate email confirmations will be sent.
Candidates who have already paid the Seat Booking Fee in an earlier round are NOT required to pay again if they receive an upgraded offer in a subsequent round. The previously paid amount will remain valid and will continue to be adjusted at the time of admission.
Once the Fourth Admission List is completed, the final list of admitted candidates will be shared with the respective Admitting Institutes to initiate document verification, physical fitness assessment, and final fee payment as per the institute-specific guidelines

Withdrawal of Admission Offer

Applicants who have already been offered a seat in any admission round but later wish to withdraw from the process can do so by logging into the candidate portal and selecting the “Withdraw” option.
Once an applicant withdraws, the allocated seat is permanently forfeited, and will not be considered for any additional admission rounds or waitlist movement.
The withdrawal window will remain open from June 3, 2026, to July 3, 2026.
Candidates exercising this option after paying the Seat Booking Fee will receive a refund, after deduction of a Processing Fee of ₹ 6,000/-.
The refund process will be initiated by the Organizing Institute (IIT Bombay), and the amount will be credited by August 15, 2026 to the same bank account used during payment.