Tier 1 — Elite NITs (Closing Rank Below 5,451)
These elite NITs — NIT Calicut, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, and Maulana Azad NIT Bhopal and others — offer Other Engineering Programs (Gender-Neutral) accessible only to candidates with JEE Main Category Ranks at or below 5,451. Competition here is among the most intense in Indian engineering admissions. NIT Calicut and National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli and others are showing tightening competition year-over-year — meaning these seats are becoming progressively harder to secure.