Only pass marks in Class 12 needed: Admission rules for NITs eased

After dropping the Class 12 marks criteria for admissions in IITs, the Centre has decided to follow the same for National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and all Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs).

“JEE Main 2020 qualified candidates will now need a passing certificate in Class 12 board exam for admission to NITs and CFTIs,” Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has tweeted.

?Attention JEE Main aspirants!
For admissions in #NITs & other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions, apart from qualifying #JEE Main, the #eligibility is to secure a minimum of 75% marks in XII Board exams or rank among the top 20 percentile in their qualifying examinations.

— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) July 23, 2020

“For admissions in NITs & other Centrally Funded Technical Institutions, apart from qualifying JEE Main, the eligibility is to secure a minimum of 75% marks in XII Board exams or rank among the top 20 percentile in their qualifying examinations,” Pokhriyal said.

“Due to prevailing circumstances, Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) has decided to relax the eligibility criterion for admissions to NITs and other CFTIs. JEE Main 2020 qualified candidates will now only need to obtain a passing certificate in class XII examination irrespective of the marks obtained,” he added.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) decided to relax admission criterion regarding class 12 marks this year in view of partial cancellation of exams by various boards due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had announced on Friday.

For admissions to IITs, apart from qualifying the JEE-Advanced, candidates are required to secure either minimum 75 per cent marks in Class 12 board exams or rank among the top 20 percentile in their qualifying examinations.

While JEE-Mains is conducted for admission to engineering colleges across the country, it is considered as a qualifying test for JEE-Advanced.

“Due to the partial cancellation of class 12 exams by several boards, Joint Admission Board (JAB) has decided to relax the eligibility criterion for JEE (Advanced), 2020, qualified candidates this time.

“Qualified candidates who have passed class 12 examinations will now be eligible for admissions irrespective of marks obtained,” the HRD minister said in a series of tweets.

Key school boards, including the CBSE and CISCE, cancelled their remaining class 10 and class 12 exams amid growing concerns over student safety in view of the spike in COVID-19 cases.

The boards have announced their respective results using alternative assessment schemes based on performance in exams already conducted or internal assessment.

The JEE Mains examination, which has been postponed twice, will now be held from September 1-6, while JEE Advanced, which is conducted by the IITs, is scheduled to be held on September 27.