GATE 2026 cutoff for IIT M.Tech admission ranges from approximately 530 to 870 on the GATE Score scale (out of 1000) depending on the IIT, branch, and category — with OBC-NCL students typically needing about 90% of the General closing score and SC/ST students needing roughly 67%.
IIT M.Tech seats are filled through the Common Offer Acceptance Portal (COAP), where each IIT publishes programme-wise closing GATE Scores after every round. The GATE qualifying cutoff — the minimum marks out of 100 required to receive a valid GATE 2026 scorecard — is a separate and much lower threshold. Both figures vary by paper, branch, and category. The expected values below are based on GATE 2025 trends and will be updated once GATE 2026 and COAP 2026 official data are confirmed.
- GATE 2026 total marks: 100; GATE Score used for IIT M.Tech admission: out of 1000
- Expected GATE 2026 qualifying cutoff for General/EWS in CSE paper: ~32–34 marks
- OBC-NCL qualifying cutoff = 90% of General cutoff; SC/ST/PwD cutoff = 66.67% of General cutoff
- IIT COAP 2026 closing GATE Scores for top IITs in CSE (General): expected in the range of 740–870
- Category-wise seats at IITs: 27% OBC-NCL, 15% SC, 7.5% ST, 10% EWS
- GATE 2026 was conducted in February 2026; COAP 2026 rounds continue through July 2026
| Direct Link to GATE 2026 Official Portal (Active) — gate2026.iitg.ac.in |
GATE 2026 Qualifying Cutoff — Paper and Category-Wise
The GATE 2026 qualifying cutoff is the minimum marks out of 100 a student must score to receive a valid GATE scorecard. Scoring above this threshold makes you eligible to apply for IIT M.Tech programmes through COAP. The qualifying cutoff is set separately for each GATE paper and changes slightly every year based on exam difficulty and the number of students appearing. The table below shows expected cutoffs based on GATE 2025 trends.
| GATE Paper (Code) | General / EWS | OBC-NCL | SC / ST / PwD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science and IT (CS) | ~33 | ~30 | ~22 |
| Electronics and Communication (EC) | ~25 | ~23 | ~17 |
| Electrical Engineering (EE) | ~35 | ~31 | ~23 |
| Mechanical Engineering (ME) | ~33 | ~30 | ~22 |
| Civil Engineering (CE) | ~29 | ~26 | ~19 |
| Instrumentation Engineering (IN) | ~37 | ~33 | ~25 |
| Chemical Engineering (CH) | ~39 | ~35 | ~26 |
| Biotechnology (BT) | ~31 | ~28 | ~21 |
Expected values based on GATE 2025 trends. Official GATE 2026 qualifying cutoffs are published by IIT Guwahati on the official portal after result declaration.
IIT M.Tech COAP 2026 Closing GATE Score — Category-Wise
The GATE Score (out of 1000) is what IITs use for COAP-based M.Tech admissions — not raw marks. The closing GATE Score is the lowest score of the last admitted student in a programme in the final COAP round. Closing scores are higher at older, more sought-after IITs and in high-demand branches like CSE. The table below lists expected closing GATE Scores for M.Tech CSE programmes at top IITs, based on GATE 2025 COAP trends.
| IIT | Programme | General / EWS | OBC-NCL | SC | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IIT Bombay | M.Tech CSE | ~870 | ~820 | ~750 | ~680 |
| IIT Delhi | M.Tech CSE | ~855 | ~805 | ~730 | ~655 |
| IIT Madras | M.Tech CSE | ~835 | ~785 | ~705 | ~625 |
| IIT Kanpur | M.Tech CSE | ~820 | ~770 | ~690 | ~610 |
| IIT Kharagpur | M.Tech CSE | ~800 | ~750 | ~670 | ~590 |
| IIT Roorkee | M.Tech CSE | ~780 | ~730 | ~650 | ~570 |
| IIT Hyderabad | M.Tech CSE | ~760 | ~710 | ~630 | ~550 |
| IIT Guwahati | M.Tech CSE | ~740 | ~690 | ~610 | ~530 |
Expected GATE 2026 COAP closing GATE Scores (out of 1000) based on 2025 trends. Actual cutoffs are published after each COAP round and may vary.
IIT M.Tech Expected Cutoff by Branch
CSE programmes consistently command the highest GATE Score cutoffs across all IITs. Electrical Engineering, Electronics, and Mechanical Engineering follow. Civil and Chemical Engineering programmes tend to have comparatively lower but still competitive cutoffs. The table below shows expected General/EWS category closing GATE Scores by branch at major IITs for GATE 2026 based on 2025 data.
| Branch / Specialisation | IIT Bombay | IIT Delhi | IIT Madras | IIT Roorkee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSE / Information Technology | ~870 | ~855 | ~835 | ~780 |
| Electrical / Power Systems | ~830 | ~810 | ~800 | ~750 |
| Electronics / VLSI Design | ~820 | ~800 | ~790 | ~740 |
| Mechanical Engineering | ~800 | ~780 | ~770 | ~720 |
| Civil Engineering | ~750 | ~730 | ~720 | ~680 |
| Chemical Engineering | ~720 | ~700 | ~690 | ~650 |
General/EWS category expected closing GATE Scores (out of 1000). OBC-NCL scores are approximately 45–55 points lower; SC scores are approximately 110–130 points lower; ST scores are approximately 180–200 points lower than the General closing score.
Factors Affecting GATE 2026 IIT M.Tech Cutoff
The GATE 2026 IIT M.Tech closing score is not fixed — several variables push it higher or lower each cycle.
- Number of GATE qualifiers: A larger qualifying pool increases competition for IIT M.Tech seats and drives cutoffs upward.
- Exam difficulty: A harder GATE paper reduces raw marks across the board, but the GATE Score normalization formula partially offsets this effect.
- Seat intake at each IIT: When an IIT increases M.Tech seats in a specific branch, the closing score for that programme typically dips slightly.
- Category-wise reservation: 27% of seats are reserved for OBC-NCL, 15% for SC, 7.5% for ST, and 10% for EWS at all central institutions, giving reserved-category students a lower effective threshold.
- Number of COAP rounds: Closing scores tend to fall in later rounds as top-scoring students lock in higher-preference offers.
- Teaching Assistantship stipend: IIT programmes offering a TA stipend (currently around Rs 12,400 per month for M.Tech students) attract more applicants, which can push cutoffs up for those specific programmes.
- Student preferences across COAP rounds: Students holding multiple offers upgrading to better choices can open seats at higher-ranked IITs late in the process, causing late-round cutoffs to fluctuate.
GATE 2026 IIT M.Tech Cutoff FAQs
Ques. What is the GATE 2026 qualifying cutoff for OBC-NCL students in the CSE paper?
Ans. Based on 2025 trends, the expected GATE 2026 qualifying cutoff for OBC-NCL students in the CS paper is approximately 30 marks out of 100. This is set at 90% of the General category qualifying cutoff. Official cutoffs are published by IIT Guwahati on gate2026.iitg.ac.in after the result is declared.
Ques. Is the GATE qualifying cutoff the same as the IIT M.Tech COAP admission cutoff?
Ans. No, these are two different thresholds. The qualifying cutoff (out of 100 marks) determines whether you receive a valid GATE scorecard. The COAP admission cutoff is the closing GATE Score (out of 1000) set by each IIT, and it is significantly higher than the qualifying cutoff.
Ques. What GATE score do SC students need for IIT Bombay M.Tech CSE?
Ans. Based on 2025 COAP trends, SC students are expected to need a GATE Score of approximately 750 out of 1000 to secure admission to IIT Bombay M.Tech in CSE. Actual cutoffs are released after each COAP round on the COAP official portal.
Ques. How is GATE Score calculated from GATE marks?
Ans. GATE Score (out of 1000) is calculated using a normalization formula that accounts for a student’s raw marks, the average marks of the top 0.1% of students in that paper, and the qualifying cutoff marks. Two students with the same raw marks in different sessions may receive different GATE Scores.
Ques. Do EWS students get the same cutoff as General category students in GATE 2026?
Ans. For the GATE 2026 qualifying cutoff, the EWS threshold is the same as the General category. However, at the IIT COAP admission stage, EWS students compete within a separate 10% quota. The EWS closing GATE Score may be slightly lower than the General category closing score depending on how many EWS applicants apply to that specific programme.
Ques. When will the final GATE 2026 IIT M.Tech cutoffs be published?
Ans. COAP 2026 runs across multiple rounds from May to July 2026. Final programme-wise closing GATE Scores are published after the last COAP round closes, typically by the end of July 2026, on the official COAP portal and each IIT’s admission portal.
Comments