Dear Candidate ,
With a JEE Main 2025 ST category rank of 16,000 , you have a good chance of getting a free seat in several NITs and IIITs through JoSAA counseling. Many NITs like NIT Patna and NIT Jamshedpur have previously admitted ST students with ranks well above 16,000 in branches like Mechanical, Civil , or even ECE . While top branches like CSE in premier NITs may be competitive , you still stand a strong chance in newer or mid - tier NITs and IIITs , especially if  you are flexible with the branch .