The Odisha government has officially announced the complete schedule for the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) for the 2026-27 academic session. The crucial computer-based tests for admissions to various professional courses will be conducted over a week in May next year.
Key Dates for OJEE 2026 Applicants
The examination process will kick off with the application window opening on January 27, 2026. Aspiring students will have a two-month period to submit their forms, with the deadline set for March 26, 2026. The main OJEE examination is scheduled to be held from May 11 to May 17, 2026.
Results for this entrance test are expected to be declared by May 31, 2026. Following the results, the counselling process for most courses will begin in the second week of June 2026. The entire admission process through OJEE is planned to be wrapped up by the end of July, allowing colleges to start their academic sessions on time.
Special Exams and Proposed Changes for Nursing
In addition to the main exam, a special OJEE for courses like BTech, BPharm, and lateral entry to BTech, MBA, and MCA is tentatively planned from June 25 to June 30, 2026. Applications for these special exams will be accepted in the first two weeks of June.
A significant proposed change concerns admissions to nursing courses. The OJEE policy planning body, led by Commissioner-cum-Secretary Bhupendra Singh Poonia, has decided to recommend that the complete control of nursing admissions be handed over to OJEE. Currently, while OJEE conducts the nursing entrance exam, the merit list is prepared by the Directorate of Medical Education and Training (DMET).
The proposal suggests that OJEE should both prepare the merit list and conduct counselling for nursing seats. It also recommends that only the entrance test score be used for ranking, with career marks serving merely as a qualifying criterion.
Streamlining Technical Education Admissions
The technical education department is also focusing on optimizing admissions to government institutes. The planning body has decided to review and improve the different programmes offered by technical universities and engineering colleges. This optimization will be based on a detailed analysis of admission and placement data from the last five years.
The final OJEE counselling is slated to conclude by July 31, 2026. Subsequently, college-level admissions will take place from August 1 to August 15, 2026, ensuring a smooth transition for students into the new academic year.
