What are the qualifying marks for AP EAPCET?

Candidates need 25% of the maximum marks, which is 40 out of 160, to get a rank. No minimum qualifying mark is prescribed for SC and ST candidates.

Is qualifying AP EAPCET enough to get a seat?

No. Qualifying only gives you a rank and makes you eligible for counselling. Seats are allotted by rank, category, local area and the options you fill, so you need a rank better than the closing rank of your preferred college and branch.

How many candidates qualified AP EAPCET 2026?

In 2026, 1,82,317 candidates qualified in the Engineering stream (70.52 percent of those who appeared) and 63,546 qualified in the Agriculture and Pharmacy stream (89.59 percent).

Where can I find official AP EAPCET closing ranks?

The admissions convener releases college-wise and branch-wise closing ranks after each counselling phase. Always check those official statements, since figures on third-party sites are indicative and vary by phase, category and local area.

Engineering Entrance

AP EAPCET Cut Off: Qualifying Marks and Closing Ranks

The AP EAPCET cut off works at two levels. The first is the qualifying mark you need to get a rank at all. The second is the closing rank at which each college and branch fills its last seat during counselling, which is what decides admission. This page explains both, using the official AP EAPCET 2026 rules, the 2026 result statistics and indicative closing ranks from recent counselling.

AP EAPCET Qualifying Marks

Category	Qualifying marks (out of 160)
OC, BC and other categories	25%, that is 40 marks
SC and ST	No minimum prescribed; admission limited to seats reserved for these categories

Qualifying gives you a rank and a place in counselling, nothing more. Your rank itself is built from 75% normalised EAPCET marks and 25% Intermediate group-subject marks.

AP EAPCET 2026 Result Statistics

Stream	Registered	Appeared	Qualified	Pass percentage
Engineering	2,76,572	2,58,545	1,82,317	70.52%
Agriculture and Pharmacy	79,231	70,929	63,546	89.59%

With over 1.8 lakh qualified candidates in the Engineering stream alone, clearing 40 marks is rarely the real challenge. The competition is for a rank good enough for your preferred college and branch.

Indicative Closing Ranks (2025 Counselling)

Closing ranks are released by the admissions convener after each counselling phase, separately for every college, branch, category, gender and local area. The figures below are Phase 1 open-category (OC) closing ranks for AU-area local candidates at JNTU College of Engineering, Kakinada, as reported from the 2025 allotment.

Branch (JNTUCE Kakinada)	2025 Phase 1 closing rank, OC, AU local (indicative)
Computer Science and Engineering	About 1,063
Electronics and Communication Engineering	About 1,428
Electrical and Electronics Engineering	About 4,351
Mechanical Engineering	About 8,668

These are not official figures, and they shift across phases, categories and local areas. Reserved categories, later phases and private colleges usually close at much higher ranks. Use the college-wise last rank statements released at counselling for exact numbers.

What Affects the Cut Off

Seats and demand: Branches such as CSE fill fastest, so their closing ranks are the lowest.
Category, gender and local area: Each combination has its own closing rank, and 85% of seats are reserved for local candidates.
Paper difficulty and normalisation: These shape the marks-to-rank relationship each year.
Intermediate marks: The 25% board weightage can move your rank noticeably at the same EAPCET score.

How to Set Your Target

Cut-offs change every year, so treat last year's closing ranks as a benchmark only. Pick your target college and branch, note its recent closing rank for your category and local area, and aim for a clear margin better than it. Keep your Intermediate group-subject marks high, since they carry a quarter of the rank.

For the official rules and results, refer to the official AP EAPCET portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to practice? Explore AP EAPCET mock tests from top educators.

Browse AP EAPCET Mock Tests