All India Rank (AIR) Understanding the GATE Cutoff 2026 helps you in setting realistic preparation goals and targets. The cutoff will tell you if you have qualified for the exam, been admitted into the master's getting a job in PSU. While qualifying marks show the minimum eligibility to clear the exam, admission cutoffs for IITs, NITs, and PSUs are significantly higher. So, try focusing on the GATE preparation strategy and planning to get the marks above the GATE cutoff.
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The GATE 2026 is one of the most important national exams for engineering graduates looking for postgraduate admissions or PSU recruitment. To get a seat, you must score above the GATE cutoff marks, which vary by branch, category, and institute. There are two main cutoff levels:
- Qualifying Cutoff: Declared by the GATE organizing IIT; determines if a candidate passes the exam.
- Admission Cutoff: Declared by each institute (IITs/NITs/IIITs) for specific programs and specializations.
This article will provide you with a detailed breakdown of the GATE Exam Cutoff 2026, including expected cutoffs, previous year trends, college-wise cutoffs, and factors affecting them.
What are the different types of GATE Cutoff?
The GATE Cutoff is divided into 3 types of cutoffs, i.e., qualifying cutoff, Admission cutoff, and PSU cutoff. The detailed version of all trees has been added in the table below:
|
Type |
Declared By |
Purpose |
Basis |
|
Qualifying Cutoff |
Conducting IIT (e.g., IIT Roorkee for 2026) |
To determine if a candidate has qualified for GATE |
Depends on exam difficulty and normalization |
|
Admission Cutoff |
IITs, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs |
For admission to postgraduate courses |
Depends on seats, applications, and branch demand |
|
PSU Cutoff |
Individual PSUs (like ONGC, NTPC, BHEL) |
For shortlisting candidates for interviews |
Based on the job role and the number of applicants |
Relevant articles related to GATE
GATE (Expected) Cutoff 2026 Category-wise
The GATE 2026 cutoff will be released after the release of the GATE result. The GATE 2026 expected cutoff has been added below for your reference as per the previous year’s trends.
|
Paper |
General |
OBC-NCL/EWS |
SC/ST/PwD |
|
Computer Science (CS) |
27–30 |
24–27 |
18–21 |
|
Mechanical (ME) |
29–32 |
26–29 |
19–22 |
|
Electrical (EE) |
25–28 |
22–25 |
17–20 |
|
Civil (CE) |
26–29 |
23–26 |
18–21 |
|
Electronics (EC) |
28–31 |
25–28 |
19–22 |
|
Chemical (CH) |
31–34 |
28–31 |
21–24 |
|
Instrumentation (IN) |
32–35 |
29–32 |
22–25 |
|
Physics (PH) |
33–36 |
30–33 |
23–26 |
|
Mathematics (MA) |
26–29 |
23–26 |
18–21 |
|
Life Sciences (XL) |
35–38 |
31–34 |
25–28 |
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| GATE Exam Day Guidelines 2026 | |
| GATE Exam Dress Code 2026 | GATE Eligibility Criteria |
| GATE Syllabus 2026 | GATE Mock Test |
Previous Years GATE Cutoff (2025, 2024, 2023)
The Previous year's GATE cutoff has been added below. This will help you in analyzing and figuring out the graph of the cutoff during the previous years and the expected cutoff.
|
Paper |
Year |
General Cutoff |
Reserved Category Cutoff (OBC-NCL/EWS/SC/ST/PwD) |
|
CS |
2025 |
28.4 |
25.5 – 19.0 |
|
ME |
2025 |
29.1 |
26.2 – 19.5 |
|
EE |
2024 |
26.0 |
23.4 – 17.3 |
|
CE |
2024 |
27.2 |
24.3 – 18.1 |
|
EC |
2023 |
25.0 |
22.5 – 16.6 |
|
IN |
2023 |
31.0 |
28.0 – 21.0 |
|
CH |
2023 |
32.1 |
29.0 – 22.0 |
GATE Cutoff for Top Institutes (IITs & NITs)
The expected GATE Cutoff for Top Institutes is as follows:
-
IITs Admission Cutoff (Expected)
|
Institute |
Branch |
Cutoff (GATE Score) |
|
IIT Bombay |
Computer Science |
780–850 |
|
IIT Delhi |
Mechanical Engineering |
750–810 |
|
IIT Madras |
Electrical Engineering |
720–780 |
|
IIT Kharagpur |
Civil Engineering |
680–740 |
|
IIT Kanpur |
Chemical Engineering |
700–760 |
|
IIT Roorkee |
Electronics & Communication |
710–770 |
NITs Admission Cutoff (Expected)
|
NIT |
Branch |
Cutoff (GATE Score) |
|
NIT Trichy |
Computer Science |
660–720 |
|
NIT Surathkal |
Mechanical Engineering |
620–690 |
|
NIT Warangal |
Electrical Engineering |
630–700 |
|
NIT Calicut |
Civil Engineering |
600–670 |
|
NIT Rourkela |
Electronics Engineering |
610–680 |
GATE PSU Cutoff Scores (Expected)
The PSU Cutoff scores will be released along with the results. The expected PSU cutoff is as follows:
|
PSU |
Branch |
General Cutoff (GATE Score) |
|
ONGC |
Mechanical |
830–860 |
|
NTPC |
Electrical |
780–820 |
|
IOCL |
Chemical |
700–750 |
|
HPCL |
Civil |
720–760 |
|
BHEL |
Electrical |
760–810 |
|
PowerGrid |
Electronics |
780–820 |
How to Check GATE 2026 Cutoff?
Once the GATE 2026 result is released, you can check their cutoff:
- Visit https://gate.iit.ac.in.
- Log in using Enrollment ID and Password.
- View your GATE Scorecard, which shows:
- Marks out of 100
- GATE Score (normalized)
- Qualifying Marks for your category
- All India Rank (AIR)
Understanding the GATE Cutoff 2026 helps you in setting realistic preparation goals and targets. The cutoff will tell you if you have qualified for the exam, been admitted into the master's getting a job in PSU. While qualifying marks show the minimum eligibility to clear the exam, admission cutoffs for IITs, NITs, and PSUs are significantly higher. So, try focusing on the GATE preparation strategy and planning to get the marks above the GATE cutoff. Try aiming well above the cutoff to keep every opportunity open from top IIT admissions to PSU roles.
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