The home state quota is a reservation policy used by National Institutes of Technology (NITs) to allocate seats to candidates from the state where the institute is located. Generally, 50% of the seats in each NIT are reserved for candidates who have passed their Class 12 examination from the same state as the NIT. The remaining 50% of seats are filled through the All India quota based on JEE Main ranks. This system ensures that students from the host state get representation in their local NIT while still maintaining nationwide competition for the remaining seats.