JEE Main 2026 Exam City Allocation to be Aadhaar Address Based; Will it really help students?
NTA will allocate JEE Main 2026 exam cities based on Aadhaar addresses instead of the candidate's choice. The move aims to ensure transparency, but experts warn it may inconvenience students studying away from home.
JEE Main 2026 Exam City Allocation: Starting from 2026, the National Testing Agency (NTA) announced to bring a major change in the JEE Main exam city allocation system. From now on, the exam centres will be assigned based on the candidate’s Aadhaar-linked address instead of allowing students to choose their preferred exam city. This is highly likely as the authorities issued an advisory asking all applicants to update their Aadhaar and other documents before the registration process. This will make the form-filling process shorter and simpler, but will take away the candidate's option for choosing their preferred centre.
This new policy, announced by NTA, will also apply to other national-level exams like NEET-UG and CUET-UG/PG from the 2026 session onwards. Officials claim that this change aims to reduce malpractice, false address submissions, and logistical challenges during the exam allotment process. The new process will ensure that each candidate is allotted a centre nearest to their permanent residence as per Aadhaar records. However, students who live away from home, for example, in hostels or coaching hubs like Kota, Delhi, or Hyderabad, may face inconvenience if their Aadhaar address belongs to a different state or city.
Many parents and students raise concerns over this speculated decision, saying it might cause inconvenience and add to travel costs if their Aadhaar details are not updated promptly. While some education experts and anti-cheating advocates praise the move, others highlight the need for flexible exceptions. Candidates need to ensure that their Aadhaar details are current and reflect the location where they want to take their exam.
The authority is expected to release the JEE Main 2026 exam notification soon. The JEE notification will clarify all the doubts and put the speculations at rest.
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