JoSAA 2025 Categorisation of Candidates

JoSAA 2025 Categorisation of Candidates is done based on nationality and ability or disability of the candidates which includes Category tags like GEN, OBC-NCL, etc. Check the article to understand the category tags of JoSAA here.

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JoSAA 2025 Categorisation of Candidates
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JoSAA 2025 Categorisation of Candidates - The Joint Seat Allocation Authority, for the purpose of JoSAA 2025 seat allocation categorises the qualified candidates based on their nationality, ability, or disability. Based on the JoSAA Categorisation of Candidates, each candidate is classified into a distinctive category tag. As per JoSAA 2024 5Categorisation of Candidates, candidates are classified into Category tags GEN, GEN-PwD, GEN-EWS, GEN-EWS-PwD, OBC-NCL, OBC-NCL-PwD, SC, SC-PwD, ST, ST-PwD, OCI/PIO. In this article, we have discussed the detailed categorisation of JoSAA here. Check JoSAA Eligibility Criteria 2025 here!

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JoSAA 2025 Categorisation of Candidates

JoSAA for the sake of JoSAA Counselling 2025 releases the JoSAA Categorisation of Candidates in the official bulletin. Candidates can check the detailed information on the same here as per the past year's data.

Srl no.	JoSAA 2025 Category	Details
1	General Category Tag GEN	This category is for OCI/PIO candidates who obtained their OCI/PIO card before March 4, 2021 Indian nationals of the general category who do not fall under the GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, or ST category Fail to provide a valid GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, or ST certificate Not Persons with Disabilities (PwD).
2	General Category Tag GEN-PwD	This is for OCI/PIO candidates who obtained their OCI/PIO card before March 4, 2021, Indian nationals of the general category who do not fall under the GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, or ST category Fail to provide a valid GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, or ST certificate) and are Persons with benchmark Disabilities (PwD). To receive this tag, candidates must provide a valid PwD certificate (or valid UDID card).
3	General Category Tag GEN-EWS	This is for Indian nationals of the general category who belong to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) are not Persons with Disabilities and are not in the OBC-NCL/SC/ST category.
4	General Category Tag GEN-EWS-PwD	This is for Indian nationals of the general category who belong to the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) are Persons with Disabilities and are not in the OBC-NCL/SC/ST category.
5	Other Backward Classes Non-Creamy Layer Category Tag OBC-NCL	This category is for Indian nationals who belong to the Non-Creamy Layer of Other Backward Classes (OBCNCL) and are not Persons with Disabilities. The backward class must be listed in the Central List of OBCs published by the National Commission for Backward Classes, Government of India.
6	Other Backward Classes Non-Creamy Layer Category Tag OBC-NCL-PwD	This is for Indian nationals who belong to the Non-Creamy Layer of Other Backward Classes and are Persons with benchmark Disabilities. Therefore, candidates belonging to the Non-Creamy Layer of Other Backward Classes are split into two mutually exclusive categories and are assigned either the OBC-NCL or OBC-NCL-PwD tag.
7	Scheduled Castes Category Tag SC	This is for Indian nationals who belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC) and are not Persons with Disabilities. The Scheduled Castes must be listed in the respective State-wise List published by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India.
8	Scheduled Castes Category Tag SC-PwD	This is for Indian nationals who belong to Scheduled Castes and are Persons with benchmark Disabilities. To receive this tag, candidates must provide valid SC and PwD certificates.
9	Scheduled Tribes Category Tag ST	This category is for Indian nationals who belong to Scheduled Tribes (ST) and are not Persons with Disabilities. The Scheduled Tribes must be listed in the respective State-wise List published by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.
10	Scheduled Tribes Category Tag ST-PwD	This is for Indian nationals who belong to Scheduled Tribes and are Persons with benchmark Disabilities. To receive this tag, candidates must provide valid ST and PwD certificates.
11	For IIT	Candidates who are not Indian nationals (by birth or naturalized including OCI/PIO card holders who have secured OCI/PIO cards after March 4, 2021) are assigned the Foreign Tag for seat allocation to IITs. These candidates are not eligible for reservation benefits (e.g., GEN-EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, or PwD), and their seats are redundant. There are no separate supernumerary seats or sub-categories for females in the foreign national supernumerary seats according to the Judgment dated February 3, 2023, passed by the Supreme Court of India.
12	For NIT +System	Candidates who are not Indian Nationals (by birth or naturalized) (including OCI/PIO card holders who have secured OCI/PIO cards after March 4, 2021) are assigned the Foreign tag. These candidates are not eligible for seat allocation through JoSAA to NIT+System.

Related Articles on JoSAA,

JoSAA Cutoff 2025: JoSAA Opening & Closing Ranks for IITs, NITs, IIITs and GFTIs	List of JoSAA 2025 Participating Institutes
JoSAA Choice Filling 2025	List of documents required for JoSAA counselling 2025

NOTE:

The category of the candidates who have qualified for JEE Advanced 2025 and have appeared or registered in JEE Mains will be the same as entered in the JEE Mains Registration.
Candidates who have appeared in JEE Main 2025 but have not appeared or qualified or registered in the JEE Advanced will fall into the OCI/PIO card holder and the category of the candidate will be based on the JEE Main candidate portal and the document verification will be subject to the rules based on CSAB.
Candidates seeking admission based on the NIT+System will be provided with a State code of eligibility which signifies the codes provided in the JEE Main Bulletin and not dependent on the candidate’s native or residential address.

For instance, if a student takes the Class 12th exam in Delhi and lives in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, the student's eligibility state code will be for Delhi and not for Uttar Pradesh.

If a candidate appeared in the Class 12th (or equivalent) exam for the first time in one state but attempted to improve their score in another state, the candidate's eligibility state code will be based on the state where they first appeared for the Class 12th (or equivalent) exam, not the state where they attempted to improve their score.
Indian nationals who have completed their Class 12th (or equivalent) abroad such as in Nepal, Bhutan, Gulf countries, Sri Lanka, UK, US, Canada, etc. will have their state code of eligibility determined based on the permanent address in India as mentioned in the candidate's passport. These candidates must upload their Indian passport along with their Class 12th (or equivalent) examination certificate.
The eligibility of OCI/PIO (who have obtained an OCI/PIO card before March 4, 2021) for appearing in Class 12th or equivalent in India is the same as that of Indian nationals. However, OCI/PIO candidates passing the Class 12th or equivalent from a foreign institution are qualified for seats under the Other State quota or All India quota in all NITs, IIEST, and GFTI , but they are not eligible for seats under the Home State quota.

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For more information and updates on JoSAA 2025 Categorisation of Candidates, stay tuned with CollegeDekho!

FAQs

How will my state code be determined in NIT+System of JoSAA 2025 Seat Allotment?

Applicants who wish to gain admission through the NIT+System will receive a State code of eligibility. This code corresponds to the codes listed in the JEE Main Bulletin and is not determined by the candidate’s place of birth or current address. For example, if a student completes their Class 12th exam in Delhi but resides in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, their eligibility state code will be for Delhi and not for Uttar Pradesh.

What is JoSAA 2025 Categorisation of Candidates?

The Joint Seat Allocation Authority has grouped eligible candidates for JoSAA 2025 seat allocation according to their nationality, abilities, or disabilities. Candidates are assigned a unique category tag based on JoSAA's classification. As per JoSAA 2025, candidates are categorized with category tags GEN, GEN-PwD, GEN-EWS, GEN-EWS-PwD, OBC-NCL, OBC-NCL-PwD, SC, SC-PwD, ST, ST-PwD, OCI/PIO.

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