BArch admissions 2018: How to get into IITs, NITs

It is common knowledge for all engineering aspirants that the JEE Main examination is divided into two papers -- Paper 1 for BTech/BE admissions and Paper 2 for BArch. While the spotlight is often given to Paper 1, there are ample number of students who opt for the JEE Main Paper 2 and focus on the BArch admissions offered by the various National Institute of Technology (NITs), School of Planning and Architecture (SPAs) and Centrally Funded Technical Institutes (CFTIs). 

Bachelor in Architecture Engineering is a thriving programme and the number of registrations for this course is on a constant rise each year. JEE Main Paper 2 is conducted in offline mode. Since the exam is designed to test the applicants' drawing skills, the exam will be held offline.

Unlike Paper 1, the students were not be able to choose their slots since JEE Main Paper 2 will be conducted for only one day i.e., April 8 (2 PM to 5 PM). CBSE will announce the result for JEE Main Paper 2 on May 31.

Eligibility

Students who have qualified (or will be qualifying) their Std 12 examinations will be eligible for JEE Main Paper 2. To fulfill the age criteria, the students should have been born on or after October 1, 1993 (5 years relaxation is provided to reserved categories).

Application process

The application form of JEE Main 2018 was available in online mode for all interested applicants. Valid information regarding the applicant had to be submitted in the application form and the required fee had to be paid. Only the registered applicants will be allowed to attempt the exam.

Admit Card

Registered applicants will be able to access the JEE Main admit card from the second week of March 2018. To download the document, the applicants will have to submit their JEE Main application number and password.

Results

Candidates will be able to access their scores and qualifying status through the JEE Main result, which will be announced on May 31, 2018. For the results, the candidates will have to submit their JEE Main roll number and date of birth. The Joint Seat Allocation Authority is responsible for the counselling process of the JEE Main Paper 2 qualified candidates.

Nine NITs, three SPAs and three CFTIs currently offer admission into BArch courses through JEE Main Paper 2. Those candidates who meet the set cutoff range and eligibility criteria will be highly considered for allotment. During the counselling process, the preferences selected while filling the JoSAA application form will also be taken into consideration. The rank list will be declared according to the categories of the candidates.

There is one important information that raises a lot of confusion and has to be cleared beforehand -- 'Qualifying the JEE Main Paper 2 does not make you eligible for JEE Advanced'.

For admissions into the BArch courses offered by Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), the candidates will have to qualify the JEE Main Paper 1 and JEE Advanced and then attempt the JEE Advanced AAT examination (which is open only for JEE Advanced qualified candidates). However, currently only IIT-Kharagpur and IIT-Roorkee are offering BArch courses for admission.