JEE Main 2026: City slip likely expected to be out by next week as January session draws closer

With the countdown to JEE Main 2026 now underway, lakhs of engineering aspirants are waiting for the next critical update, the release of the city intimation slip for the January session. The slip will determine where candidates will take the exam, helping them plan travel and logistics ahead of the high-stakes test.

The National Testing Agency is expected to activate the city intimation slip link in the first week of January 2026. Once released, candidates will be able to access it on the official JEE Main website, jeemain.nta.nic.in.

JEE Main 2026 Session 1 schedule

The Joint Entrance Examination (Main) 2026, Session 1, will be conducted from January 21 to January 31, 2026. The exam will be held in multiple shifts across centres in India and abroad for:

• Paper 1: BE/BTech

• Paper 2A: BArch

• Paper 2B: BPlanning

What does the city intimation slip mean

The city intimation slip only informs candidates about the city in which their examination centre will be located. It is not the admit card and does not include the exam date, shift timing, or centre address. The JEE Main 2026 admit cards are expected to be released three to four days before the examination.

How cities are allotted

During the application process, candidates were allowed to choose up to four preferred exam cities based on their current and permanent address. According to NTA:

• Cities are allotted as per candidate's preference wherever possible

• A different city may be assigned due to administrative or logistical reasons

• If candidate numbers are low, two or more cities may be merged

• NTA’s decision on city or centre allotment is final

The same allotment policy applies to candidates appearing from abroad.

Result timeline

The result for the JEE Main 2026 January session is scheduled to be declared on February 12, 2026. Session 1 scores will be used for rankings, eligibility for JEE Advanced, and admissions to NITs, IIITs, and other centrally funded technical institutions.

As the exam draws closer, candidates are advised to check the city slip as soon as it is released, avoid confusing it with the admit card, and use the remaining days for focused revision and mock tests. Regular monitoring of the official website will be key in the final run-up to the exam.