The basics
Every NIT reserves part of its seats for candidates from the state where the institute is located. This is called the Home State (HS) quota. The remaining seats form the Other State (OS) quota and are open to candidates from every other state. In JoSAA opening and closing rank tables you will see these as HS and OS next to every branch.
Why HS and OS cutoffs differ
The two quotas have their own seats and their own rank cutoffs. At NIT Warangal, Round 5 closing ranks for OPEN CSE seats were CRL 3,426 for Home State and CRL 2,238 for Other State. At NIT Surathkal, Round 5 closing ranks for OPEN CSE seats were CRL 3,331 for Home State and CRL 1,954 for Other State. Always compare your rank with the quota you are actually eligible for.
Which quota applies to you
- If your home state is the state of the NIT, you compete for that NIT's HS seats.
- At every NIT outside your home state, you compete for OS seats.
- NIT Goa also lists a Goa quota (GO), and NIT Srinagar lists Jammu & Kashmir (JK) and Ladakh (LA) quotas.
The official eligibility rules, including how home state is decided, are defined by JoSAA. Check them on the JoSAA website before you register.
How College Predictor uses this
When you pick your home state, the predictor automatically shows HS seats only at the NIT in your state and OS seats at all the others. See how the predictor works for the full rules, and browse cutoffs by NIT to see HS and OS ranks side by side.