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When JoSAA's last round ends, some seats in NITs and other centrally funded institutes are still empty. CSAB special rounds are how those seats get filled. For a student who missed out, withdrew or wants a better seat, they are a real second chance, but the rules differ from JoSAA in ways that catch families out. This post explains who can take part, what it costs, how choices and willingness work, and what happens to fees, using the official 2026 CSAB documents.
What are CSAB special rounds?
The CSAB Special Rounds 2026 Information Brochure explains that CSAB, constituted by the Ministry of Education, handles admissions to the "NIT+ System": NITs, IIEST, IIITs, SPAs and other government-funded technical institutes (GFTIs), based on JEE (Main) ranks. JoSAA 2026 had five rounds. Once they finish, "if any seats remain vacant in the NIT+ System (excluding seats of IITs), two Special Rounds called CSAB Special Rounds are conducted" through csab.nic.in.
So there are no IIT seats in these rounds, and you need a valid JEE (Main) rank.
Who is eligible?
Anyone who was eligible for the NIT+ System in JoSAA, by JEE (Main) rank and the brochure's annexures, can take part. The brochure lists nine types, including:
Students who did not register for JoSAA at all.
Students who took part in JoSAA but got no seat.
Students whose JoSAA seat was cancelled for non-payment of the seat acceptance fee, or for failed document verification.
Students who exited or withdrew during JoSAA.
Students who were allotted an IIT seat and later withdrew, had it cancelled, or even took admission.
Students who have secured an NIT+ seat and want to try for a better one.
That last group (Type 6) keeps its current seat while participating, but signs a declaration that if CSAB allots a new seat, the old one is "automatically" cancelled with no claim on it. The Class 12 rule from JoSAA still applies: at least 75% aggregate (65% for SC, ST and PwD) or a place in your board's category-wise top 20 percentile.
What does it cost?
In 2026 the Special Round Enrolment Fee was Rs 40,000 for GEN, GEN-EWS and OBC-NCL candidates and Rs 19,000 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. It includes a Special Round Processing Fee of Rs 5,000, which is "non-refundable and non-adjustable". Candidates who had already paid JoSAA's seat acceptance fee for an NIT+ seat pay only the difference. Fee paid to an IIT during JoSAA is not adjusted; it follows the IIT's own refund process.
How do choices and allotment work?
Choices filled in JoSAA are "null and void". You see every NIT+ programme you are eligible for, whether or not it currently shows a vacancy, and the brochure advises filling choices "irrespective of the vacancy status" because more seats can open later. Save often: unsaved choices are not auto-saved, and a candidate with no saved choice gets no seat. Saved choices you have not locked are locked automatically at the deadline. If you already hold an NIT+ seat, it is treated automatically as your last choice.
After each allotment you pick a willingness option:
Freeze: accept the seat and stop.
Float: accept, but take a higher choice at any institute if one comes up.
Slide: accept, but move only to a higher choice within the same institute.
Surrender: reject this seat and stay in for higher choices (not available in the last round).
Withdraw: reject the seat and leave the process.
Not choosing any option counts as rejecting the seat. In the last round, every allotment is treated as Freeze. Once you choose Freeze you cannot switch to Float, Slide or Surrender.
What was the 2026 timetable?
The 2026 schedule displayed vacancies and opened registration on 28 July 2026, closed registration and fee payment on 3 August, ended choice locking at 14:00 on 5 August, and declared Round I on 6 August and Round II on 12 August, each followed by a few days for online reporting. Every year's dates differ, so use the schedule for your year.
Worked example: what a withdrawal costs
Take a General category student who got no JoSAA seat (sample case). She pays the Rs 40,000 enrolment fee, is allotted a seat in Round I, and chooses Withdraw as her willingness option.
The Rs 5,000 processing fee is never refunded.
The brochure adds a further Rs 2,000 deduction if a candidate exercises Withdraw.
Refund, if admissible: 40,000 - 5,000 - 2,000 = Rs 33,000.
Timing matters more than this arithmetic. The brochure says there is no refund from CSAB for candidates who are allotted a seat in Round II and fail to pay the second instalment of the institute fee, or who do not join after Round II. Their fees go to the institute, whose own refund rules then apply. Decide before Round II, not after.
Mistakes families make
Assuming JoSAA choices or willingness carry over.
Filling only choices that show vacancies today.
Forgetting the Type 6 rule: a new allotment cancels your existing seat.
Choosing Surrender in a round where it is not offered, or missing the willingness deadline.
Missing the 75% or top 20 percentile Class 12 rule for NIT+ admission.
If this is your first look at counselling, start with our JoSAA counselling basics for parents. If you decide on another year of preparation instead, Fermi's AI tutor can work out what you already know and build a plan for the session.
Before JoSAA's final round, bookmark csab.nic.in and download the current special rounds brochure.
