The Central Seat Allocation Board (CSAB) counselling is crucial for students who were unable to secure a seat through JoSAA or are looking for better options after the JoSAA rounds.
The CSAB 2026 ranks have not been released yet. However, you can go through the expected CSAB opening and closing ranks below.
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A user at Quora asked what the CSAB choice filling order should be, so that he would get his preferred college as per his JEE Main rank. To this, K Singh, who studied in Delhi University, responded that he should first know what he wants, whether tech branches, CSE/ IT/ ECE/ Maths & Computing. Or are you ok with lower branches of better colleges?

The CSAB ranks will be released after the JoSAA counselling is done. Thus, the CSAB 2026 data is not available. The given data is based on the 2025 trend and is for the Open-GM category.
| College | Branch | Opening Rank | Closing Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| NIT Trichy | CSE | 1368 | 1605 |
| NIT Warangal | ECE | 4516 | 5948 |
| NIT Surathkal | Mechanical | 10786 | 14036 |
| NIT Silchar | CSE | 12695 | 15922 |
| NIT Sikkim | CSE | 27176 | 30684 |
| NIT Puducherry | ECE | 25248 | 31341 |

Ques. Do CSAB counselling opening and closing ranks change every year?
Ans. Yes, the CSAB opening and closing ranks change every year due to seat availability, number of applicants, exam difficulty, and student preferences. Even a small change in these factors can affect the CSAB cutoff.
Ques. Does category affect CSAB counselling opening and closing ranks?
Ans. Yes, category plays a significant role in determining the CSAB cutoff. The CSAB opening and closing rank 2026 will be different for General, OBC, SC, ST, and EWS categories. The reserved category candidates have higher closing ranks.
Students can click on the direct link provided below to check the round-wise CSAB opening and closing rank details.
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| CSAB Opening and Closing Rank PDF Link | Click Here |
| CSAB Opening and Closing Ranks of Previous Years | Click Here |
The tentative schedule of the CSAB counselling 2026 for Round 1, 2, and 3 has been shared below.
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| CSAB NUET 2026 Provisional Registration and Uploading of Documents | June 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Document Verification | June- July 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Choice Filling | June- July 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Reconciliation of data, verification and validation of allocated seats | July 2-26 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Round 1 Seat Allotment | July 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Round 1 Online Reporting | July 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Reporting Admission Data | July- August 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Round 1 Reconciliation of data, verification and validation of allotted seats | July 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Reporting at the Allotted Institute for Admission | July- August 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Online Request for Category Restoration | July 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Last Day to Respond to Queries | July 2026 |
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| CSAB NUET 2026 Round 2 Seat Allotment | July 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Round 2 Online Reporting | July- August 2026 |
| CSAB NUET Spot Round (if any) | August 2026 |
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| CSAB 2026 Special Counselling Display of Vacancies after JoSAA Rounds | July 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling 2026 Choice Filling | July- August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling 2026 Registration and Payment of Special Round Enrolment Fee | July- August 2026 |
| CSAB NUET 2026 Round 2 Seat Withdrawal | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Mock Allotment Based on Choices Filled | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Round 1 Seat Allotment | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Round 1 Exercising Willingness and Online Reporting | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Round 1 Last day to respond to the queries of Document Verifying Officer | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Round 2 Seat Allotment | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Round 2 Exercise Willingness and Online Reporting | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Round 2 Last day to respond to the queries of Document Verifying Officer | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Round 3 Seat Allotment Result | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Round 3 Online Reporting | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Physical reporting and Balance Fee Payment | August 2026 |
| CSAB Special Counselling Round 3 Last day to respond to the queries of Document Verifying Officer | August 2026 |
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| CSAB 2026 Supernumerary Counselling Registration, Choice Filling, and Online Verification of PwD Candidates | August 2026 |
| CSAB 2026 Supernumerary Counselling Display of Seat Allotment Result–Supernumerary Round | August 2026 |
| CSAB 2026 Supernumerary Counselling Document upload and Supernumerary Seat Acceptance Fee (SSAF) payment, and ⋆Online Verification of PwD Candidates | August 2026 |
| CSAB 2026 Supernumerary Counselling Physical Reporting at Allotted Institutes by all candidates who have confirmed their seats through CSAB 2025 Supernumerary Round | August 2026 |
| CSAB 2026 Supernumerary Counselling Resolution of SSAF Payment Issues for Candidates who have made SSAF Payment Attempts before the payment deadline. Last day to respond to queries | August 2026 |
The CSAB opening and closing rank 2025 for NIT Trichy has been shared below. The given CSAB cutoff is for the Computer Science & Engineering branch.
| Quota | Seat Type | Gender | Opening Rank | Closing Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home State | Open | Gender-Neutral | 4624 | 4624 |
| Home State | EWS | Gender-Neutral | 44948 | 44948 |
| Home State | SC | Female- Only | 56971 | 56971 |
| Other State | Open | Gender-Neutral | 1368 | 1605 |
| Other State | Open | Female- Only | 2600 | 3762 |
| Other State | EWS | Female- Only | 8908 | 8908 |
| Other State | OBC- NCL | Gender-Neutral | 2437 | 2866 |
| Other State | OBC- NCL | Female- Only | 5244 | 5244 |
| Other State | SC | Gender- Neutral | 13859 | 13859 |

| Quota | Seat Type | Gender | Opening Rank | Closing Rank |
| DASA- Non CIWG | Open | Gender- Neutral | 17478 | 17478 |
| DASA CIWG | Open | Gender- Neutral | 16522 | 16522 |

Ques. Why do CSAB closing ranks increase after JoSAA trends?
Ans. CSAB is conducted after JoSAA to fill vacant seats; thus, the competition naturally decreases. The majority of high-ranking candidates either withdraw or accept seats earlier, and there are seats left. This leads to higher closing ranks, especially in Round 2, and thus, students with lower ranks have a better chance of admission.
Ques. What are the opening and closing ranks in CSAB?
Ans. The opening rank indicates the rank at which the first seat is allotted for a specific course and college in a counselling round. However, the closing rank is the last rank at which admission is granted. It defines the rank range for that particular seat allotment.
Ques. Can I get NIT in CSAB counselling?
Ans. Yes, it is possible to get NIT in CSAB counselling, especially if seats remain vacant after JoSAA rounds. CSAB is a special round conducted to fill the leftover seats, and many NITs with less competitive branches become available. The chance depends mainly on JEE Main rank, category, and flexibility in choosing branches.
Ques. Is CSAB better than JoSAA?
Ans. No, CSAB is not better than JoSAA. JoSAA is the primary counselling process where most seats in NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs are filled with higher competition. CSAB is a later counselling process, conducted for leftover seats. It has higher closing ranks and comparatively lower competition. Students get better branch and college options in JoSAA counselling.
Ques. Which rank is used in the CSAB round?
Ans. The CSAB counselling uses JEE Main All India Rank (AIR) for seat allotment. However, seat allocation is done on the basis of AIR, category, preferences, and seat availability.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.