Every year, many engineering aspirants aim to secure a seat at the Indian Institutes of Technology or the Indian School of Mines. But unfortunately, their low rank in JEE Advanced makes them eligible for admission in the National Institutes of Technology (NITs), the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and other Government Funded Technical Institutions (GFTIs). For such students, JEE Advanced brings as a ray of hope. By appearing again in the exam, they get a chance to better score, improve rank and make it to their dream Institute. 

Several students had accepted their seats through the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSSA) process last year but were an unhappy lot. Selvi Durai, a student of NIT Puducherry, took the decision of re-appearing for the JEE advanced this year. “We had organised protests for better infrastructure, but it didn’t help. I saw my seniors suffer; I don’t want to go through the same ordeal,” she said.

A student from NIT Srinagar, which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in the last few months, shared the same concern. For him, JEE Advanced is a ticket to make it to a better institute this time around. “I was shocked with whatever happened here. My parents also support my decision to reappear for JEE Advanced,” he said. He also added that though this move would mean wasting a year, he would still prefer to opt out of NIT Srinagar.

However, it is not as easy as it sounds. There are certain eligibility conditions listed out by JEE authorities for students who are taking JEE Advanced. Students can check the link to know them. Students, who have accepted admission to an IIT or ISM are, however, cannot sit for JEE Advanced once again. A student from IIT Tirupati, on the condition anonymity, said that she too would have like to benefit from this opportunity. “I was disappointed with my choice. I wish this would be extended to students of IITs as well,” she said.