Admission to NIT, tech institutes eased; minimum 75% in Class 12 clause removed

The human resource development (HRD) ministry on Thursday announced a relaxation in the admission criterion for the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and centrally-funded technical institutions due to Covid-19, doing away with the requirement of minimum 75% marks in Class 12 board exams.

“Due to prevailing circumstances, Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) has decided to relax the eligibility criterion for admissions to NITs and other centrally funded technical institutions,” Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ tweeted. “JEE Main 2020 qualified candidates will now only need to obtain a passing certificate in Class 12 examination irrespective of the marks obtained,” he further said.

For admissions in NITs and other centrally funded technical institutions, apart from qualifying the JEE-Main, the eligibility was to secure a minimum of 75% marks in Class 12 board exams or rank among the top 20 percentile in their qualifying examinations.

The Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Mains, which has been postponed twice already, is now scheduled to be held from September 1 to 6. The board examinations were disrupted due coronavirus pandemic.