NIT Surathkal Cutoff 2026: Branch & Category Wise Ranks

Admission to B.Tech programs at NIT Surathkal is offered through JEE Main scores followed by JoSAA counselling. Every year, thousands of students compete for a limited number of seats across branches such as Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, Electronics and Communication Engineering, and Computational and Data Science.

JoSAA counselling for 2026 has now moved through all rounds, and the Round 5 cutoff data is out. Round 5 is important because it is one of the last rounds before the seat matrix is finalised, so the closing ranks here give the clearest picture of how far a rank can stretch at NIT Surathkal. The NIT Surathkal CSE cutoff for Home State OPEN candidates closed at rank 3,331 in Round 5, while Computational and Data Science closed at 4,529 and Electronics and Communication Engineering closed at 5,652.

These numbers show that closing ranks moved up compared to Round 1, as seats vacated by students who got better offers elsewhere were reallocated in later rounds. For students planning their counselling strategy, understanding the latest NIT Surathkal cutoff, branch preferences, and category-wise trends can help in making informed choices during JoSAA counselling.

NIT Surathkal Cutoff 2026 Highlights

Round 5 cutoffs are usually higher than Round 1, since candidates who get better options at other institutes leave their NIT Surathkal seat, and that seat is then offered to the next student on the list. This is exactly what happened this year. Here are the key takeaways from the Round 5 data:

• Computer Science and Engineering remains the toughest branch to get into, with the Home State OPEN closing rank moving from 3,184 in Round 1 to 3,331 in Round 5.
• Artificial Intelligence saw one of the biggest jumps among Home State OPEN candidates, closing at 5,557 in Round 5 compared to 5,143 in Round 1.
• For Other State OPEN candidates, Artificial Intelligence is actually more accessible than CSE, closing at 3,060 against CSE's 1,954 (CSE Other State OPEN closed tighter because fewer seats were left in that quota).
• Civil Engineering had the biggest overall movement, with the Home State OPEN cutoff rising from 25,337 in Round 1 to 33,461 in Round 5, showing how much room opens up in core branches by the later rounds.
• Reserved category ranks also moved up across branches, most visibly in SC and ST categories, which is normal as JoSAA carries forward unfilled reserved seats into later rounds.

NIT Surathkal JEE Main Cutoff 2026 (Round 5)

The table below presents the complete Round 5 category-wise closing rank data for major B.Tech programs at NIT Surathkal (Gender-Neutral seats):

NIT Surathkal Round 5 Cutoff 2026

Compared to Round 1, almost every branch saw its closing rank move up by Round 5, as vacated seats were reallocated to students further down the merit list. Computer Science and Information Technology continue to be the most competitive branches, while core branches such as Civil, Mining, and Metallurgical Engineering opened up considerably for students with higher ranks.

NIT Surathkal Cutoff 2026 for CSE

Computer Science and Engineering is the most sought-after branch at NIT Surathkal, and its Round 5 cutoff reflects that. Even after five rounds of counselling, the Home State OPEN closing rank stayed under 3,500, which means CSE seats remain out of reach for most students unless their rank is well inside this range from the start.

NIT Surathkal CSE Round 5 Cutoff (All Categories)

A few things stand out in the CSE data:

• The Home State OPEN category needed a rank inside 3,331, making it the single toughest seat at NIT Surathkal in Round 5.
• Other State OPEN candidates actually closed at a better (lower) rank, 1,954, than Home State OPEN. This is because the Other State quota has fewer seats reserved for it, so it fills up faster with high-ranking candidates.
• Among reserved categories, ST candidates had the lowest closing ranks (133 for Home State, 109 for Other State), since very few seats are set aside in this category.
• The PwD sub-category within Home State OPEN closed at rank 43, showing how limited these seats are.

If your rank is close to these numbers, CSE at NIT Surathkal should still be kept as a preference, but it is worth having Information Technology or Artificial Intelligence as backup choices in the same college.

NIT Surathkal Cutoff 2026 Category-Wise

Category-wise cutoffs vary a lot by branch, and this affects how students should plan their choice filling. The table below compares EWS and OBC-NCL closing ranks (Gender-Neutral, Round 5) for the top branches:

NIT Surathkal Round 5 Cutoff – EWS and OBC-NCL

Key patterns to note in the category-wise data:

• OBC-NCL cutoffs are consistently higher (less competitive) than EWS cutoffs across almost every branch, since OBC-NCL has a larger reservation percentage and more seats to fill.
• SC and ST candidates have the tightest closing ranks of all categories. For example, ST candidates could get CSE at NIT Surathkal with a Home State rank of just 133, a rank that would not come close to qualifying under the OPEN category.
• The gap between Home State and Other State cutoffs is wider in EWS and OBC-NCL than it is in the OPEN category for most branches, since the Other State quota has a smaller share of seats in every category.
• Female-only supernumerary seats (not shown in the table above) generally close at higher ranks than the corresponding Gender-Neutral seats in the same category, since these are additional seats created specifically to improve female enrolment.

Students should check the specific category and quota combination they fall under rather than relying only on the OPEN category numbers, since the difference between categories can be several thousand ranks in branches like Civil and Metallurgical Engineering.

What Next After NIT Surathkal Seat Allotment?

Securing a seat at NIT Surathkal is a major milestone, but students must also understand the choices available after JoSAA seat allotment. Selecting the correct option is important because it directly impacts future counselling rounds and admission opportunities.

Freeze Option

Students who are completely satisfied with their allotted seat can choose the Freeze option. This confirms the seat and removes the candidate from further rounds of counselling. Students selecting Freeze must complete the document verification and fee payment process within the prescribed deadline.

Float Option

The Float option is suitable for candidates who accept their allotted seat but wish to be considered for higher-preference choices in subsequent rounds. If a better option becomes available, the previous seat is automatically cancelled and upgraded.

Slide Option

Students choosing Slide remain within the same institute but seek an upgrade to a higher-preference branch. This option is useful for candidates who are satisfied with NIT Surathkal but want a different branch within the institute.

Fee Payment and Document Verification

After seat allotment, candidates must complete online fee payment and document verification as per JoSAA guidelines. Missing the deadline can result in cancellation of the allotted seat.

Participate in Further Rounds Carefully

Since Round 5 is close to the end of JoSAA counselling, students still in the process should track any remaining rounds and the CSAB special rounds closely, as these can offer one last chance to move into a preferred branch at NIT Surathkal or another institute.

Factors Affecting NIT Surathkal Cutoff

The NIT Surathkal cutoff does not stay the same every year or even every round. Several factors influence how closing ranks move:

• Number of seats in each branch: Branches with fewer seats, such as Artificial Intelligence and Computational and Data Science, tend to have tighter cutoffs than branches with a larger intake, such as Mechanical or Civil Engineering.
• Category and quota-wise reservation: Each round, unfilled reserved seats (SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS) are carried forward, which changes the closing rank for that category as counselling proceeds.
• Number of counselling rounds: Cutoffs almost always move up between Round 1 and Round 5 because candidates who receive offers from IITs or other NITs vacate their NIT Surathkal seats, which then go to students with higher ranks.
• Total number of candidates and JEE Main difficulty level: A tougher exam that year usually pushes ranks up for the same score, while a large number of registered candidates increases competition at every rank level.
• Choice filling patterns: If a large number of students list CSE or AI as their top choice regardless of their rank, it affects how quickly those seats fill up and how the closing rank behaves across rounds.
• Seat acceptance and withdrawal trends: Students freezing, floating, or sliding their seats in earlier rounds changes how many seats are actually available in each subsequent round, directly affecting the closing rank.
• New or restructured branches: Programs like Artificial Intelligence and Computational and Data Science are relatively new, so their cutoffs tend to fluctuate more year-on-year compared to established branches like Mechanical or Civil Engineering.

NIT Surathkal Cutoff FAQs