CSAB 2026 highlights CSAB-NEUT counselling benefits, urging Northeast students to apply for over 1,000 special quota seats.
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KOHIMA — The Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) 2026 on Friday highlighted the opportunities available for students from the Northeast under the CSAB–North Eastern States and Union Territories (NEUT) counselling, urging eligible candidates to take full advantage of the initiative.
A press conference was held at the Directorate of Technical Education, Kohima, and addressed by Dr. Swajit Kumar Roy, Convener, LOC, CSAB 2026, IIEST Shibpur; Dr. Kunjavi Mog, Member, NEUT Sub-committee; Dr. J. Arul Valan, Associate Dean (Academic), CSAB 2026 and Admission In-charge, NIT Nagaland; David Tsela, Joint Director, Technical Education Nagaland; and Dr. Pabitra Halder, Co-ordinator, NEUT Sub-committee.
Dr. Roy highlighted the significance of the initiative for students from the Northeast as well as across India. He explained that the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), while the counselling process is managed by the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) and CSAB.
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JoSAA conducts annual joint counselling for admissions to engineering and architecture programmes in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and Government Funded Technical Institutes (GFTIs), based on JEE Main and JEE Advanced ranks. He further noted that JoSAA comprises two components: the Joint Admission Board (JAB), responsible for IIT admissions, and CSAB, which oversees admissions to NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs.
This year, the Ministry of Education has entrusted IIEST Shibpur with coordinating JoSAA and CSAB 2026. A total of 113 institutes are participating, including 26 IITs, 32 NITs, and several GFTIs, offering 47,922 seats nationwide. Of these, around 25,000 seats are in NITs, with 50% reserved under the home state quota.
In addition, the Ministry has implemented a special reservation policy through CSAB-NEUT to support students from the Northeast and Union Territories.
Dr. Roy emphasised that CSAB-NEUT seats are supernumerary—offered in addition to JoSAA seats—and are allocated through an online counselling process to ensure transparency and wider participation. Detailed information on seat matrix and procedures is available on the CSAB portal.
Dr. Kunjavi Mog stated that for 2026, a total of 1,063 seats are tentatively available under CSAB-NEUT, including 1,001 seats for B.Tech, 42 for B.Arch, and 20 for B.Pharm.
For engineering and architecture courses, candidates must have a valid JEE Main 2026 rank. Applicants should have passed Class 12 in 2024, 2025, or 2026 with at least 45% aggregate marks. For B.Arch, candidates need a minimum of 50% in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, along with qualification in NATA or JEE Paper 2. A 5% relaxation in marks is applicable for SC, ST, and PwD candidates.
Dr. Mog also noted that the candidate’s state of domicile must correspond to a participating Northeast state or Union Territory. For B.Pharm, candidates must have passed Class 12 with Physics and Chemistry, along with one additional subject such as Mathematics, Biology, Biotechnology, or Computer Science.
Registration is expected to begin in the last week of June 2026, with help centres operational from June 2, 2026.
Meanwhile, Dr. J Arul Valan stated that NIT Nagaland, located in Chümoukedima, is an institute of national importance under the Ministry of Education and offers six B.Tech courses.
He said each branch has an intake of 30 students, with 50% seats reserved under the home state quota for Nagaland.
However, he pointed out that several seats remain vacant every year. He said that in the last two years, many seats under the home state quota could not be filled, and noted that these seats cannot be filled independently outside the counselling process.
David Tsela stated that CSAB 2026 will begin in the second week of June, and the Department of Technical Education, Nagaland, as the nodal department for selection and nomination of candidates, will set up a help desk.
The official informed that 152 seats have been allotted for Nagaland in various professional courses.