Which branch did most top rankers choose in JEE Advanced 2026?

Computer Science Engineering. According to IIT Roorkee's JIC report, 365 of the top 500 rank holders chose CSE, and 142 of those seats were at IIT Bombay alone.

Which IIT got the most top 500 rankers in 2026?

IIT Bombay, with 183 of the top 500 rankers. IIT Delhi came second with 115, followed by IIT Madras with 78, IIT Kanpur with 49, and IIT Kharagpur with 40.

Where can I read the official JIC report for JEE Advanced 2026?

The JIC report is compiled by the organising IIT each year. IIT Roorkee conducted JEE Advanced 2026, and official information is available on the JEE Advanced website at jeeadv.ac.in.

Did any top 500 ranker pick Civil or Aerospace Engineering in 2026?

Only two of the top 500 chose Civil Engineering, and not a single one opted for Aerospace Engineering, as per the JIC report.

365 of the Top 500 Picked One Course: What JEE Advanced 2026's Official Report Reveals

When India’s best engineering minds got to pick their college and course this year, most of them picked the same thing. The official report on JEE Advanced 2026 is out, and its numbers show just how strongly Computer Science still rules the choices of top rankers.

The Joint Implementation Committee (JIC) report for 2026 has been released by IIT Roorkee, which conducted this year’s exam. The report shows that 365 of the top 500 rank holders in JEE Advanced 2026 chose Computer Science Engineering. IIT Bombay alone accounted for 142 of those CSE seats.

This is not a new trend. The report notes that the pattern is on similar lines as the past few years. But the scale is worth a look, especially for students preparing for next year’s exam and their parents trying to understand how engineering admissions actually play out at the top.

JEE Advanced 2026: IIT Bombay remains the first pick

Among the top 500 rank holders, 183 secured admission in IIT Bombay. IIT Delhi took 115. IIT Madras got 78, while IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur took 49 and 40 respectively.

The picture gets even sharper when you look at just the top 100. Of those who secured IIT seats, 68 went to IIT Bombay. IIT Delhi got 18, IIT Madras got 11, and one went to IIT Kanpur. Put together, Bombay and Delhi absorbed 86 of the top 100.

CSE has stayed the favourite of top rankers for years, but 2026’s numbers are striking: nearly three in four of the top 500 went for the same branch.

What makes this matter for aspirants? Choice filling in JoSAA counselling is where ranks turn into seats, and these numbers show the direction of the competition. If you want CSE at Bombay or Delhi, you already know what rank band you need to aim for. The official JEE Advanced information, including past data, is published on the JEE Advanced official website.

Civil, Aerospace barely find takers at the top

The report has some telling numbers at the other end of the preference list. Only two of the top 500 rank holders chose Civil Engineering. Not a single one opted for Aerospace Engineering.

Even AI and Data Analytics programmes, which many expected to eat into CSE’s share, were chosen by only 17 of the top 500. The message from the toppers is clear: they still trust the traditional CSE tag more than newer labels.

This does not mean these branches are bad choices. Core branches still have strong careers behind them, and many students outside the top 500 build successful careers from them every year. It simply shows where the most-wanted seats sit right now.

A look back at JEE Advanced 2026 in numbers

The exam was held on May 17, 2026, for the top 2.5 lakh candidates from JEE Main. A total of 1,79,694 candidates appeared in both Paper 1 and Paper 2. The result was declared on June 1, and 56,880 candidates qualified.

A few highlights from the report:

56,880 candidates qualified out of 1,79,694 who appeared in both papers
Women achieved their best success rate in six years, with over 10,000 qualifying. We covered the record number of women qualifiers in detail earlier
The qualifying criteria were relaxed so that at least twice as many candidates qualify as there are seats in each category
The JIC report is compiled every year by the organising IIT, and it also tracks seating matrices and branch allocation shifts. Students tracking exam results closely can use it to plan better

For next year’s aspirants, the takeaway is simple. The competition for CSE at the top IITs is not easing. But the report also shows that thousands of seats across branches and institutes go to students far below the top 500. A good rank opens doors; a plan for counselling opens the right one.

Why this report matters for JEE Advanced 2027 aspirants

The JIC report is compiled every year by the IIT that organises the exam, and it is one of the few places where branch-wise and institute-wise seat data is published together. Counselling experts use it to spot which branches filled early and which closed at lower ranks than expected.

If you are preparing for 2027, treat the 2026 report as a map, not a prediction. Cut-offs move every year with the difficulty of the paper and the number of candidates. But the broad pattern has held for several years now: CSE at Bombay and Delhi closes first, and the fight for it is fought in the top few hundred ranks.