Over 10,100 women qualify for JEE Advanced 2026, highest in 6 years

Women have reached their highest qualification rate in six years in JEE Advanced 2026. The number of female qualifiers has also crossed the 10,000 mark for the first time. It had recorded a sharp rise in SC and ST qualification rates, while.Women have reached their highest qualification rate in six years in JEE Advanced 2026. New Delhi,Oct 6, 2026 13:04 ISTJEE Advanced 2026 has recorded two significant shifts in its qualification data: the Scheduled Caste (SC) qualification rate has crossed the 50% mark for the first time, while women have recorded their highest qualification rate in six years.The SC qualification rate rose to 50.16%, up from 40.41% in 2025. This represents an increase of 9.8 percentage points, with 3,357 more SC candidates qualifying this year.The improvement was also visible among Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates, whose qualification rate increased from 33.99% to 42.14%.WOMEN CROSS 10,000 QUALIFIER MARKWomen also registered a notable rise this year. The qualification rate among registered female candidates reached 23.4%, while the rate among women who appeared in both papers was 24.9% — the highest level in six years. Of the 43,112 registered female candidates, 40,562 appeared in both papers and 10,107 qualified. This is the first time the number of female qualifiers has crossed 10,000.Women now account for 17.76% of all JEE Advanced 2026 qualifiers. The increase is also visible over the longer term. In 2016, 4,570 women qualified. In 2026, the figure has risen to 10,107, marking growth of more than 121% over a decade.SC, ST QUALIFIERS NEAR 39% OF TOTAL POOLTogether, SC and ST candidates accounted for 22,235 qualifiers, nearly 39% of the total 56,880 candidates who qualified for JEE Advanced 2026.The SC and ST qualification rates were also higher than that of the General category. The General category qualification rate fell from 43% in 2025 to 39.8% in 2026.Category2025 qualification rate2026 qualification rateSC40.41%50.16%ST33.99%42.14%General43.0%39.8%TOP FEMALE CANDIDATE RANKS 77The top-performing female candidate scored 280 marks and secured All India Rank 77. Her subject-wise scores were 101 in Mathematics, 86 in Physics and 93 in Chemistry.The rise in female representation has also continued into IIT seat allocation. In 2026, 3,814 female-only supernumerary seats were allotted, while another 37 female candidates entered through the gender-neutral open pool.Overall, women secured 3,851 of 18,861 allotted IIT seats, or 20.22%, up from 20.15% in 2025.- Ends