SAAT 2026 Round 2 Choice Filling: How to Select the Best Branch and Campus

SAAT 2026 Round 2 choice filling opens on June 26, 2026, giving students a critical window to lock their preferred branch and campus at SOA University — the order of your choices directly determines your seat allotment.

Whether you missed your top branch in Round 1 or are entering the SAAT 2026 counselling process for the first time in Round 2, a well-structured preference list can make the difference between getting CSE and settling for a lower-priority branch. The choice filling is done on the official SOA University admission portal, and once you lock your preferences, no changes are allowed.

• Round 2 choice filling opens on June 26, 2026 at admission.soa.ac.in.
• Students who received a seat in Round 1 can participate in Round 2 to upgrade to a higher preference — their Round 1 seat stays until a better one is confirmed.
• Lock your choices before the deadline — saved but unlocked preferences are not processed for allotment.
• Fill as many branch-campus combinations as possible to maximise your chances of getting at least one seat.
• Base your top choices on your SAAT 2026 rank compared to previous year closing rank trends for each branch.

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SAAT 2026 Round 2 Important Dates

Keep track of every Round 2 milestone. Missing the choice-locking deadline or fee payment window forfeits your allotted seat.

Check the official important dates page at admission.soa.ac.in/important-dates-1 for confirmed deadlines as they are published.

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What is SAAT Round 2 Choice Filling?

Choice filling is the step in SAAT 2026 counselling where you submit an ordered list of branch and campus combinations you want. The allotment engine matches your rank against seat availability in your stated order of preference — your first choice is tried first, then the second, and so on until a seat is found.

Round 2 is open to two groups of students:

• Students allotted a seat in Round 1 who want to upgrade to a higher-preference branch or campus if seats have opened up.
• Fresh participants who register for SAAT 2026 counselling for the first time in Round 2.

If you held a Round 1 seat and participate in Round 2, your existing seat is protected. If Round 2 gives you a better option, your seat upgrades automatically. If not, your Round 1 seat is retained. You do not lose your earlier allotment by participating in Round 2.

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How to Fill Choices in SAAT 2026 Round 2

Follow this step-by-step process on the official SOA University admission portal:

1. Go to admission.soa.ac.in and log in using your SAAT 2026 application number and date of birth.
2. Click on the "Round 2 Choice Filling" link from the counselling dashboard.
3. Browse the list of available branch and campus combinations displayed on the screen.
4. Add choices to your preference list and arrange them in strict order of priority — place your most desired branch at the top.
5. Review your full preference list carefully before saving.
6. Click "Lock Choices" to finalise your submission. The system does not process saved-but-unlocked preferences.
7. Save or screenshot the confirmation page for your records.

You can edit your preference list as many times as needed before the deadline. Once you lock, no changes are allowed. Do not lock until you are fully satisfied with the order.

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How to Select the Best Branch in SAAT 2026

Your branch strategy should balance career interest, your SAAT rank and realistic seat availability. Use this structured approach:

Step 1 — Anchor on interest first. Identify the branch or branches that match your career goals. Place these at the top of your list regardless of difficulty. Getting a seat in a branch you are not interested in is a poor trade-off for four years of study.

Step 2 — Check your rank against previous year closing ranks. Compare your SAAT 2026 rank with the indicative closing ranks for each branch (see the table in the next section). If your rank is well within the closing rank, the branch is a safe choice. If it is borderline, treat it as a stretch.

Step 3 — Build a three-tier preference list.

• Stretch choices (top of the list): Branches where your rank is slightly above the typical closing rank — fill 3 to 4 of these. You may get one if seats remain after Round 1.
• Safe choices (middle of the list): Branches where your rank comfortably falls within the previous year closing rank. These are your high-probability options.
• Certain choices (bottom of the list): Branches with high seat intake and broad availability. These ensure you receive at least one allotment even in the worst case.

Step 4 — Fill every available combination. There is no penalty for adding more choices. Filling all eligible branch-campus combinations gives the allotment engine the widest set of options to work with in your favour.

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Campus Preference Strategy for SAAT 2026

SAAT 2026 admissions are primarily for programmes offered at ITER (Institute of Technical Education and Research), the engineering college of SOA University in Bhubaneswar. Consider these factors when setting campus preferences:

In most cases, prioritise branch over campus. A strong branch with good placement prospects at any campus is a better choice than a weaker branch at your preferred campus.

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SAAT 2026 Branch-wise Closing Ranks (Based on Previous Year Trends)

The table below shows expected closing ranks for SAAT 2026 based on 2025 trends. Actual cutoffs will vary by round, seat availability and total applicants. Use these figures as a planning benchmark, not a guarantee.

All figures above are expected estimates based on 2025 counselling trends. Official 2026 closing ranks will be published after each round of allotment on admission.soa.ac.in.

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Key Tips for SAAT 2026 Round 2 Choice Filling

• Do not exit the portal without locking your choices — the allotment engine ignores unlocked preference lists.
• Compare your rank with expected closing ranks before deciding your top 5 choices.
• If you are upgrading from Round 1, keep your current allotted branch as a safe or certain choice somewhere in your list so you do not end up with nothing if the upgrade does not materialise.
• Add all available branch-campus combinations — there is no downside to a longer list.
• Prepare your documents — Class 10 and 12 marksheets, SAAT rank card, identity proof, category certificate and photographs — before allotment so you can report and pay fees quickly after Round 2 results.
• Rely only on the official portal (admission.soa.ac.in) for seat availability and schedule updates.