The IITs have had to halve the prescribed cut-offs for appearing in counselling for admission to BTech courses for the second year running.

Although the aggregate cut-offs mentioned in the brochure of the Joint Entrance Examination (Advanced) had been 35 per cent for common rank list (CRL) or general category students, 31.5 per cent for the Other Backward Class (OBC) and non-creamy layer (NCL) category, 31.5 per cent for the economically weaker sections (EWS) among general category students, and 17.5 per cent for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, they have been reduced by half across all groups in the results published on Friday.

The cut-offs have had to be lowered since 2018 to create a pool big enough to call 2.5 to 3 times more students than the number to be admitted to the IITs following counselling, or the last leg of selection.

For the 2021 session, 41,862 candidates have cleared the JEE Advanced and have been called for counselling to fill up 16,000 BTech seats in the 23 IITs. Among them are 6,452 girls.

According to a media release of the IITs, 1,41,699 students appeared in the JEE Advanced this year. Those who have qualified include 17,057 general category students, 9,150 OBC-NCL candidates, 5,144 EWS students, 7,747 SCs and 2,764 STs.

Mridul Agarwal from the IIT Delhi zone topped JEE Advanced by scoring 348 marks out of 360. Among girls, Kavya Chopra of the Delhi zone came first with 286 marks, ranking 98 on the CRL.

The brochure had said the minimum marks required in individual subjects and the cut-off can be lowered, if required.

The minimum marks in individual subjects have also been halved. General candidates need to get at least 10 per cent each in mathematics, physics and chemistry. This individual subject cut-off is 9 per cent for OBCs and EWS students and 4 per cent for SCs and STs. These cut-offs have also been slashed by half.

“The cut-offs were lowered to get the required number of candidates for IIT admission. The education ministry has allowed lowering of cut-offs since 2018,” an IIT teacher said.

This year, IIT Kharagpur was the organising institute for JEE Advanced, a responsibility shouldered by IIT

Delhi last year. Last year, too, the cut-offs had been slashed by half.

Last year, the IITs had declared 43,204 candidates as having qualified in the JEE Advanced.