Students who scored below 75 per cent in their Class 12 board examinations but qualified in JEE Advanced can now participate in the JoSAA counselling process, IIT Roorkee clarified recently. While the move has brought relief to many aspirants, it has also raised questions about who can actually benefit from the relaxation.
Under the revised arrangement, candidates from the General, OBC-NCL and EWS categories who have not secured 75 per cent marks in Class 12, and candidates from the SC, ST and PwD categories who have scored below 65 per cent, are allowed to take part in seat allocation and fill their choices based on their JEE ranks.
However, they must submit a revised marksheet meeting the eligibility criteria by July 15. Final admission will depend on fulfilling this condition.
The announcement has triggered a wave of reactions from students and parents on social media. Many have argued that while the relaxation appears helpful on paper, the July 15 deadline makes it difficult for several candidates to avail themselves of the benefit.
Students point out that re-evaluation processes and improvement examinations are still underway across various boards. In some cases, improvement examinations themselves are scheduled around mid-July, making it unlikely that revised marksheets will be available before the deadline.
One student, Ravi, said he secured 72.2 per cent in the UP Board examination and believes errors in evaluation affected his score. He claimed that he currently has no opportunity to improve his marks and meet the eligibility requirement.
Others have called for an extension of the deadline. Lakshit, another aspirant, said re-evaluation and improvement examination results are expected after July 15 and urged IIT Roorkee and JoSAA officials to provide more time.
Several users have also sought a review of the 75 per cent eligibility rule itself. Some suggested lowering the threshold to 65 per cent for General, OBC and EWS candidates, and 55 per cent for SC, ST and PwD candidates.
They cited precedents from the COVID-19 period, when eligibility norms were relaxed under exceptional circumstances.
For many students, the issue is less about the marks requirement and more about the timeline.
They argue that if the objective is to provide deserving candidates another chance, the deadline should take into account the schedules of board examinations, re-evaluation processes and improvement tests.
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