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GATE 2027
Entrance Exam

GATE 2027

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras (Organizing Institute) on behalf of the National Coordination Board (NCB-GATE), Ministry of Education, Government of India

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2027 is a national-level entrance examination for admission to M.Tech, M.E., Ph.D., and other postgraduate programs in Engineering, Technology, Science, Architecture, Humanities, and related fields. GATE scores are also used by several PSUs for recruitment

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Last updated: 26 Sept 2026

Cutoff

NIT Cutoff

Updated 28 September 2026Published 28 September 2026

GATE 2027 will be conducted by IIT Madras across six days in February 2027. The official notification is live at gate2027.iitm.ac.in. You need to know two types of cutoffs: the qualifying marks (minimum to receive a GATE scorecard) and the admission cutoff (GATE Score needed to enter IITs, NITs, and PSUs). IIT Madras will publish both the result and the official qualifying marks on 19 March 2027.

GATE 2027 registration opens on 27 August 2026 at gate2027.iitm.ac.in — the exam runs from 6 to 21 February 2027, and the qualifying cutoff will be declared along with the result on 19 March 2027.

Here are the key things to know about GATE 2027 cutoff:

  • The expected GATE 2027 CS qualifying marks for General category are 28 – 32, based on the 2022 – 2026 official data.

  • OBC-NCL/EWS qualifying marks are always 90% of the General cutoff; SC, ST, and PwD marks are always 66.67% of General — these ratios are fixed by IIT Madras.

  • To get M.Tech CSE at NIT Trichy via CCMT (General-AI quota), you need a GATE Score of at least 740 – 775 based on CCMT 2025 closing trends.

  • IIT Madras will release GATE 2027 qualifying marks along with the result on 19 March 2027.

  • A GATE Score above 750 is generally safe for top NITs; 800+ is needed for CSE at most IITs.

  • Around 8 – 10 lakh candidates appear for GATE each year across 30 subject papers.

  • GATE 2027 is a computer-based test with 100 marks total — 15 marks from General Aptitude and 85 from the core subject paper.

Key Summary

  • GATE 2027 qualifying marks will be declared on 19 March 2027 by IIT Madras along with the result at gate2027.iitm.ac.in.

  • Expected CS qualifying marks for 2027: General 28 – 32, OBC-NCL/EWS 25 – 29, SC/ST/PwD 19 – 21, based on the 2022 – 2026 trend.

  • CCMT 2025 closing GATE Score for M.Tech CSE: NIT Trichy 747, NIT Warangal 761 (General-AI quota).

  • GATE 2026 CS qualifying marks were 30 (General), 27 (OBC-NCL/EWS), 20 (SC/ST/PwD) — set by IIT Guwahati.

  • Qualifying marks give you a GATE scorecard; admission cutoffs at IITs and NITs are set separately by each institute and are far higher.

What is GATE Cutoff 2027?

The GATE cutoff is the minimum score a candidate must secure. It works at two levels. The first is the qualifying cutoff — the minimum marks out of 100 to receive a GATE 2027 scorecard. IIT Madras sets this. The second is the admission cutoff — the GATE Score out of 1000 that each institute uses to screen candidates for M.Tech, Ph.D, or PSU jobs.

IIT Madras conducts GATE 2027 on behalf of the National Coordination Board and the Ministry of Education. The qualifying marks it sets apply uniformly across India. Admission cutoffs vary by institute, programme, and category.

Your GATE Score (out of 1000) is a normalised value. It factors in the difficulty of your paper and the performance of other candidates. Qualifying marks are expressed in raw marks out of 100. You need both — qualifying marks to get your scorecard, and a high GATE Score to convert that scorecard into an admission.

GATE Qualifying Cutoff vs Admission Cutoff

Many students confuse these two. Here is a simple way to understand them.

  • Qualifying cutoff (marks out of 100): The minimum raw marks per subject paper and category to pass GATE. Set by IIT Madras. OBC-NCL/EWS cutoff is 90% of General. SC/ST/PwD cutoff is 66.67% of General. This determines who gets a GATE scorecard.

  • Admission cutoff (GATE Score out of 1000): The minimum GATE Score to secure a seat at a specific institute. NITs and GFTIs use CCMT round-wise closing scores. IITs run their own admissions through interviews and written tests with separate shortlisting scores.

Crossing the qualifying cutoff is just the first step. Most top institutes require GATE Scores of 700 – 850+. Clearing the qualifying marks with 30 out of 100 gives you a scorecard but a GATE Score near 350. That score is too low for any IIT or top NIT programme.

Previous Year Official GATE Cutoff

The table below shows the official qualifying marks for five key GATE papers from 2022 to 2026. The conducting IITs released these along with each year’s result. All values are in marks out of 100.

GATE Paper

Category

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

CS (Computer Science)

General

25.0

32.5

27.6

29.2

30.0

CS

OBC-NCL/EWS

22.5

29.2

24.8

26.3

27.0

CS

SC/ST/PwD

16.7

21.6

18.4

19.5

20.0

ME (Mechanical)

General

28.1

28.4

28.6

35.8

25.2

ME

OBC-NCL/EWS

25.3

25.6

25.7

32.2

22.7

ME

SC/ST/PwD

18.7

18.9

19.1

23.9

16.8

EE (Electrical Engineering)

General

30.7

24.9

25.0

25.0

27.7

EE

OBC-NCL/EWS

27.6

22.4

22.5

22.5

24.9

EE

SC/ST/PwD

20.5

16.6

16.7

16.7

18.5

EC (Electronics and Communication)

General

25.0

29.8

25.0

25.0

26.4

EC

OBC-NCL/EWS

22.5

26.8

22.5

22.5

23.8

EC

SC/ST/PwD

16.7

19.9

16.7

16.7

17.6

CE (Civil Engineering)

General

30.4

26.6

28.3

29.2

28.7

CE

OBC-NCL/EWS

27.4

23.9

25.5

26.3

25.8

CE

SC/ST/PwD

20.3

17.7

18.9

19.5

19.1

Source: GATE 2026 Official Website – IIT Guwahati

The CS qualifying marks for General category moved from 25.0 in 2022 to 32.5 in 2023 — a rise of 7.5 marks. They fell by 4.9 marks in 2024, then climbed again to settle at 30.0 in 2026. The ME paper spiked sharply in 2025 (up by 7.2 marks from 2024) before falling back by 10.6 marks in 2026. CE and EE have been more stable, staying between 24 and 31 across five years.

GATE Cutoff 2027: Important Dates

IIT Madras released the GATE 2027 notification on 20 July 2026. All key dates for registration, exam, result, and counselling are listed below. Dates marked "expected" follow the pattern set by GATE 2025 and 2026.

Event

Date / Window

Status

GATE 2027 Notification Released

20 July 2026

Done

Online Registration Opens

27 August 2026

Upcoming

Regular Registration Closes

27 September 2026

Upcoming

Extended Registration Deadline

5 October 2026

Upcoming

Application Form Correction Window

To be announced by IIT Madras

Upcoming

Mock Test Availability

November – December 2026 (expected)

Upcoming

Admit Card Download

3rd week of January 2027 (expected)

Upcoming

GATE 2027 Exam Dates

6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 February 2027

Upcoming

GATE 2027 Result and Qualifying Marks

19 March 2027

Upcoming

GATE Score Card Download

Late March 2027 (expected)

Upcoming

IIT M.Tech Admission Process

April – June 2027 (expected)

Upcoming

CCMT 2027 Counselling (NITs/IIITs/GFTIs)

May – July 2027 (expected)

Upcoming

Source: GATE 2027 Official Website – IIT Madras

Factors Affecting GATE 2027 Cutoff

The GATE qualifying cutoff is not fixed. IIT Madras sets it after the exam, based on how candidates performed. Here are the main factors that decide where the 2027 cutoff lands.

  • Paper difficulty: A tougher paper brings average marks down. The cutoff drops to match. An easier paper raises the average, so the cutoff rises. The ME cutoff jumped from 28.6 in 2024 to 35.8 in 2025 — a rise of 7.2 marks — after a relatively easier paper that year.

  • Number of candidates who appeared: Around 8 – 10 lakh students appear across all GATE papers each year. A sharp rise in a paper’s candidate pool can move the cutoff by 1 – 3 marks.

  • Multi-session normalisation: GATE 2027 runs across six days in two sessions each day. IIT Madras normalises marks across sessions so no group is at a disadvantage. This normalisation can affect where the threshold falls.

  • Mean marks of top 0.1% candidates: The GATE Score formula uses this mean as the reference for top performance. A shift in this mean changes the scoring scale and can influence the qualifying threshold.

  • Reservation category formula: OBC-NCL/EWS cutoff is 90% of General; SC/ST/PwD cutoff is 66.67% of General. These ratios are fixed and do not change with difficulty or candidate count.

  • Syllabus changes for 2027: IIT Madras announced syllabus revisions with the GATE 2027 notification. New topics in any paper can shift the difficulty, which in turn affects the cutoff.

  • Seat matrix at institutes: The number of M.Tech seats at IITs, NITs, and GFTIs affects admission cutoffs but not the qualifying cutoff — however, both matter for planning your target marks.

GATE 2027 Expected Category-Wise Qualifying Cutoff

IIT Madras will publish the official qualifying marks on 19 March 2027. Until then, use the 2022 – 2026 trend to set your preparation target. The values below are expected ranges derived from five years of official qualifying marks.

GATE Paper

General (Expected)

OBC-NCL/EWS (Expected)

SC/ST/PwD (Expected)

CS – Computer Science and IT

28 – 32

25 – 29

19 – 21

ME – Mechanical Engineering

25 – 31

22 – 28

17 – 21

EE – Electrical Engineering

25 – 30

22 – 27

16 – 20

EC – Electronics and Communication

25 – 30

22 – 27

16 – 20

CE – Civil Engineering

27 – 31

24 – 28

18 – 21

CH – Chemical Engineering

24 – 29

21 – 26

16 – 19

DA – Data Science and AI

24 – 28

21 – 25

16 – 19

IN – Instrumentation Engineering

25 – 30

22 – 27

16 – 20

These are expected ranges. The actual cutoff is set by IIT Madras after reviewing GATE 2027 performance. If you score 35+ marks in any of these papers (General category), you are comfortably above the qualifying threshold based on all five years from 2022 to 2026.

Clearing the qualifying marks with 30 – 32 marks gives you a GATE Score near 400 – 450. That score is far below what most IITs and top NITs require. Target 60 – 70 marks to build a competitive GATE Score of 700 – 800+.

GATE 2027 Qualifying Cutoff vs Admission Cutoff

This distinction matters more for GATE than for almost any other national exam. Passing GATE is not the same as getting into a college. The table below spells out the difference clearly.

Feature

Qualifying Cutoff

Admission Cutoff

Set by

IIT Madras (conducting IIT)

Each institute individually

Scale

Marks out of 100

GATE Score out of 1000

What it gives you

GATE scorecard (valid for 3 years)

Seat at IIT / NIT / IIIT / PSU

Category rule

OBC/EWS = 90%; SC/ST/PwD = 66.67% of General

Each institute sets its own category cutoffs

Typical CS range

28 – 32 marks (expected 2027)

700 – 850 GATE Score for top NITs and IITs

Released when

19 March 2027 (with result)

During counselling (May – July 2027)

PSU recruitment

Must qualify first

Each PSU sets its own GATE Score cutoff

For PSU recruitment, companies like ONGC, BHEL, NTPC, GAIL, and IOCL set their own GATE Score cutoffs. These are usually announced months after the GATE result. General category cutoffs at top PSUs for CS and EE typically range between 600 and 800, depending on the company and openings that year.

GATE 2027 Expected Cutoff for Top IITs

IITs do not use CCMT. Each IIT runs its own M.Tech and Ph.D admission separately. They use GATE Scores to shortlist candidates for a written test or interview. The table below shows approximate shortlisting GATE Scores for M.Tech CSE at top IITs, based on 2024 – 2026 trends.

Institute

Programme

Expected Shortlisting Score (General)

Selection Process

IIT Bombay

M.Tech Computer Science

820 – 850+

GATE Score + Written Test

IIT Delhi

M.Tech Computer Technology

810 – 845+

GATE Score + Interview

IIT Madras

M.Tech Computer Science

800 – 835+

GATE Score + Written Test

IIT Kharagpur

M.Tech Computer Science

790 – 825+

GATE Score + Interview

IIT Kanpur

M.Tech Computer Science

780 – 820+

GATE Score + Written Test

IIT Roorkee

M.Tech Computer Science

770 – 810+

GATE Score + Written Test

IIT Hyderabad

M.Tech Computer Science

750 – 800+

GATE Score + Interview

IIT Guwahati

M.Tech Computer Science

740 – 790+

GATE Score + Interview

IIT BHU (Varanasi)

M.Tech Computer Science

720 – 770+

GATE Score + Interview

These are shortlisting thresholds — not final closing scores. Final admission at IITs depends on your written test or interview performance too. IIT Madras will announce its own 2027 M.Tech admission schedule after releasing the GATE result in March 2027.

GATE 2027 Expected Cutoff for Top NITs via CCMT

NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs admit M.Tech students through CCMT. It runs multiple rounds of seat allotment based on GATE Scores. The table below shows expected GATE Score cutoffs for M.Tech CSE at top NITs in the General-AI (All India) quota, based on CCMT 2025 closing scores.

Institute

Programme

CCMT 2025 Closing Score (Gen-AI)

Expected CCMT 2027 Range

NIT Warangal

M.Tech CSE

761

755 – 785

NIT Trichy

M.Tech CSE

747

740 – 775

NIT Surathkal

M.Tech CSE

~730

720 – 760

NIT Calicut

M.Tech CSE

~700

690 – 740

NIT Rourkela

M.Tech CSE

~680

670 – 720

MNIT Jaipur

M.Tech CSE

~660

650 – 700

MNNIT Allahabad

M.Tech CSE

~640

630 – 680

MANIT Bhopal

M.Tech CSE

~610

600 – 650

NIT Durgapur

M.Tech CSE

~580

570 – 620

NIT Silchar

M.Tech CSE

~550

540 – 590

Actual CCMT 2027 closing scores will be published after the GATE result in March 2027. CCMT counselling is expected to begin in May 2027. The closing scores can shift by 10 – 30 points based on GATE 2027 difficulty and the number of qualifying candidates. OBC-NCL closing scores at top NITs typically fall 50 – 70 points below the General-AI closing. SC and ST category scores are lower still, often in the 500 – 600 range for top NITs.

GATE Previous Year Cutoff Trends (2022 – 2026)

Five years of official qualifying marks show clear patterns for each paper. This analysis helps you understand which papers are stable and which are volatile — useful for setting a realistic target for GATE 2027.

CS Paper – General Category Trend:

Year

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

Qualifying Marks (General)

25.0

32.5

27.6

29.2

30.0

Year-on-Year Change

–

+7.5

–4.9

+1.6

+0.8

The CS qualifying marks rose sharply from 25.0 in 2022 to 32.5 in 2023 — a jump of 7.5 marks. They fell by 4.9 marks in 2024. From 2024 to 2026, the marks have been relatively stable, rising by only 2.4 marks over two years. For 2027, a range of 28 – 32 is realistic for General category candidates.

ME Paper – General Category Trend:

Year

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

Qualifying Marks (General)

28.1

28.4

28.6

35.8

25.2

Year-on-Year Change

–

+0.3

+0.2

+7.2

–10.6

ME was extremely stable from 2022 to 2024, shifting by just 0.5 marks over three years. The 2025 spike of 7.2 marks (to 35.8) was the sharpest single-year rise in the dataset. It reversed by 10.6 marks in 2026 — the largest single-year drop across all five papers. ME candidates face the most unpredictable qualifying marks. Target 40+ marks for GATE 2027 ME to stay safely above the qualifying threshold in all scenarios.

EE, EC, and CE Trends (General Category):

Paper

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

5-Year Span

EE (Electrical)

30.7

24.9

25.0

25.0

27.7

5.8 marks

EC (Electronics)

25.0

29.8

25.0

25.0

26.4

4.8 marks

CE (Civil)

30.4

26.6

28.3

29.2

28.7

3.8 marks

CE has been the most stable — its entire five-year spread is just 3.8 marks (from 26.6 to 30.4). EE dropped sharply by 5.8 marks from 2022 to 2023, then held near 25 for three years before rising to 27.7 in 2026. EC shows a similar pattern: a spike in 2023 (to 29.8), then a return to 25.0 for two years, then a rise to 26.4 in 2026. For 2027, all three papers are expected to stay within their historical bands.

Ques. Which GATE paper has the most stable qualifying marks?

GATE 2027 Tie-Breaking Rules

When two or more candidates score the same GATE Score, IIT Madras uses a tie-breaking order to assign the final rank. These rules appear on the GATE 2027 rank card and matter when institutes or PSUs shortlist candidates with identical scores.

  • Step 1 – Subject section marks: The candidate with higher marks in the core subject section (85 marks total) ranks higher.

  • Step 2 – General Aptitude marks: If the subject marks are also equal, the candidate with higher GA marks (out of 15) ranks higher.

  • Step 3 – Correct to incorrect ratio: If both the above are equal, the candidate with fewer incorrect answers ranks higher.

  • Step 4 – Age: If all three are equal, the older candidate (based on date of birth) ranks higher.

These rules apply to GATE rank assignment only. Individual IITs may apply their own tie-breaking at the admission stage.

GATE 2027 Marks vs GATE Score

Your GATE Score is not the same as your marks. It is a normalised value. IIT Madras uses a formula that converts your raw marks into a score on a 1000-point scale. This makes scores comparable across sessions and papers of varying difficulty.

The GATE Score formula is: GATE Score = Sq + (St – Sq) x (M – Mq) / (Mt – Mq)

  • Sq = 350 (score assigned at qualifying marks)

  • St = 900 (maximum GATE Score)

  • M = your marks out of 100

  • Mq = qualifying marks for your category

  • Mt = mean marks of the top 0.1% candidates in your paper

The table below shows approximate GATE Scores for different marks in the CS paper (General category), using GATE 2026 parameters (Mq = 30, Mt approximately 75).

Marks (out of 100)

Approximate GATE Score (CS)

Indicative Admission Prospect

30 (qualifying threshold)

350

Scorecard only — too low for top NIT or IIT

40

~472

Newer NITs and state universities

50

~594

Mid-tier NITs (MANIT Bhopal, NIT Durgapur)

55

~656

MNIT Jaipur, MNNIT Allahabad

60

~717

NIT Calicut, NIT Rourkela (CSE)

65

~778

NIT Trichy, NIT Warangal (CSE); IIT shortlisting range

70

~839

IIT shortlisting range for most branches

75+

~900

Top IITs (Bombay, Delhi, Madras) for CSE

These scores are approximate for GATE CS 2026 parameters. The actual conversion for 2027 depends on the paper difficulty and the Mt value. IIT Madras will publish the exact parameters along with the March 2027 result.

GATE 2027 Counselling Process

GATE 2027 admission happens through two separate routes. Which route applies to you depends on the institute you are targeting.

Route 1 – CCMT (Centralised Counselling for M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan):

  • CCMT 2027 is expected to open in May 2027 after the GATE result in March.

  • Register on the CCMT portal using your GATE 2027 Score and scorecard.

  • Fill choices from around 90 participating institutes (NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs).

  • CCMT runs multiple rounds of seat allotment. Closing scores usually drop slightly in later rounds.

  • After each round, you accept, reject, freeze, or upgrade your seat.

  • Seat acceptance requires online payment and document verification through CCMT.

Route 2 – Individual IIT Admissions:

  • Each IIT publishes its own M.Tech/Ph.D admission schedule on its website.

  • Apply directly to each IIT using your GATE Score.

  • Most IITs shortlist candidates based on GATE Score, then call them for a written test or interview.

  • Final selection depends on GATE Score plus performance in the test or interview.

  • IIT Madras will release its own M.Tech admission schedule separately from its role as the GATE 2027 organising IIT.

GATE Score validity: Your GATE 2027 scorecard is valid for three years from the result date. It stays valid through March 2030. You can apply for CCMT and IIT admissions in 2027, 2028, or 2029 using the same scorecard.

How to Check GATE 2027 Cutoff

Once IIT Madras declares the GATE 2027 result on 19 March 2027, follow these steps to find the official qualifying marks.

  • Step 1: Go to gate2027.iitm.ac.in — the official GATE 2027 portal.

  • Step 2: Look for the "Result" or "Cut Off Marks" link on the home page.

  • Step 3: Click the qualifying marks link. A PDF opens with paper-wise and category-wise cutoffs.

  • Step 4: Find your subject paper (for example, CS for Computer Science) and your category (General, OBC-NCL, EWS, SC, ST, PwD).

  • Step 5: Compare your GATE 2027 marks with the qualifying marks for your category.

  • Step 6: Log in to the GOAPS portal to download your GATE 2027 scorecard if you have qualified.

The CCMT 2027 cutoffs will be separate and available on the CCMT official portal during counselling rounds in May – July 2027. IIT-specific cutoffs will appear on each IIT’s own admissions page. Both are available only after March 2027.


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