CSAB 2026 Special Counselling Registration Opens for 15,423 Vacant Seats

The Central Seat Allocation Board has started online registration for CSAB Special Rounds 2026, offering JEE Main-qualified candidates another opportunity to secure admission to vacant seats in NITs, IIITs and other Government-Funded Technical Institutes.

Registration for DASA UG 2026 is also being conducted through the same counselling platform. Candidates interested in CSAB Special Rounds must complete fresh registration, pay the applicable enrolment fee and submit their choices through the official portal. The procedure is separate from JoSAA, so previous JoSAA registration does not automatically make a candidate eligible for CSAB allotment.

Important correction: Registration and fee payment close on August 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., but candidates can continue filling and locking choices until August 5, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.

Another Admission Opportunity After JoSAA

CSAB Special Rounds are organised after JoSAA counselling to fill seats remaining vacant in the NIT+ System. The process can benefit students who did not receive a seat through JoSAA, surrendered or withdrew from an earlier allotment, or want to compete for another institute or programme, subject to the official eligibility and participation rules.

CSAB Special Counselling 2026 will have two seat-allotment rounds. Candidates must register again because choice filling, fee payment, reporting and seat-confirmation procedures are different from those followed during JoSAA counselling.

Mock Seat Allocation Released

The CSAB mock seat allocation was scheduled for July 31, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., based on the preferences saved by candidates up to 5:00 p.m. on July 30. The official CSAB portal now shows that the mock allocation has been announced.

A mock allotment gives candidates an indication of the seat they might receive according to their current choice order. It is not a final admission result. Students may revise, add, remove or rearrange their preferences before the choice-locking deadline.

CSAB Special Counselling 2026 Schedule

The actual physical-reporting date may vary by institute. Candidates should check the website of the allotted institution for its reporting schedule, balance-fee instructions and commencement of classes.

15,423 Tentative Vacancies Across 114 Institutes

An analysis of the official tentative vacancy matrix gives a total of 15,423 vacant seats across 114 participating institutes. The largest share is available in GFTIs, followed by NITs and IIITs. These figures are calculated from the institute-, programme-, category- and seat-pool-wise entries published by CSAB.

The vacancy list is tentative. CSAB has clarified that students may also include acceptable choices that are not currently shown in the matrix, as additional vacancies can arise during the counselling process.

Institutes With a High Number of Vacancies

According to the official vacancy matrix, some institutes offering a comparatively large number of available seats include:

Seat availability differs by programme, quota, reservation category and gender pool. Therefore, a high overall vacancy count does not mean that every branch or category has the same number of seats.

Registration Alone Is Not Enough

Candidates must complete all required stages within the prescribed time. Registering on the portal without paying the enrolment fee will not complete the application. Similarly, students must save and lock their institute and programme preferences before the choice-filling window closes.

Candidates who do not lock their choices manually will have their last saved preferences automatically locked by the system at the deadline.

How to Improve Seat-Allotment Chances

Students should review the official vacancy matrix before finalising their preferences. Choices must be checked according to programme, category, quota and seat pool rather than only the total vacancies available at an institute.

Candidates should arrange options in their genuine order of preference. A broad list containing acceptable institutes and branches can improve the probability of allotment, but students should include only those options they would seriously consider joining.

What Happens After Round 1 Allotment?

The first seat-allotment result will be declared on August 6 at 5:00 p.m. Candidates must then select the relevant willingness option—such as Freeze, Slide, Float, Surrender, Withdraw or Exit—according to their allotment and the applicable rules.

CSAB candidates allotted a seat may also need to pay the Institute Admission Fee-II, upload documents and respond to verification queries between August 6 and August 10.

Final Advice for Candidates

With 15,423 tentative vacancies, CSAB Special Counselling 2026 provides a significant opportunity for JEE Main-qualified students who are still seeking admission to an NIT, IIIT or GFTI.

Candidates should complete registration and payment before August 3 at 10:00 a.m., review the mock allocation, study the category-wise vacancy matrix and finalise their choices by August 5 at 2:00 p.m. Waiting until the final hours may create difficulties in payment, document upload or choice locking.