Guide · GATE cutoff for IIT M.Tech · 2026 data
The clearest official GATE cutoff for an IIT M.Tech is IIT Madras's: in 2026 its CSE programme (with teaching assistantship) closed at a GATE score of 900 for General candidates, up from 881 in 2025. Most other IITs publish only a minimum score you need to be considered, such as 600 for CSE at IIT Bombay in 2026-27, or a shortlisting floor, such as 800 for CSE at IIT Delhi in 2025. This guide puts every number we could source from an IIT's own PDF in one place, and explains GATE score versus marks, how COAP rounds work, and the routes that do not depend on a top score.
What GATE score do you need for an IIT M.Tech?
It depends on the IIT, the programme and your category, and the number moves every year. Two kinds of number get published, and confusing them is the most common mistake.
- Cut-off score: roughly where offers stopped in a finished admission cycle. IIT Madras is the only IIT we found that publishes this for every programme and category.
- Minimum or shortlisting score: the score below which your application is not considered. IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IIT Guwahati publish these. Clearing one gets you into the pool, not into the programme.
IIT Bombay says this plainly in its admission FAQ: "Minimum qualifying cut-off displayed on the website is a merely cut-off and is not a guarantee for a call letter/offer letter" (IIT Bombay M.Tech FAQ). The rough picture from IIT Madras's 2026 data: CSE, data science and chip-design seats closed between 860 and 901 for General candidates, while its civil, mechanical and chemical programmes closed between 572 and 797.
IIT Madras M.Tech cutoff 2026, by branch
These are IIT Madras's published GATE cut-off scores for 2026 admissions to M.Tech seats with Half-Time Teaching Assistantship (programme codes ending in Y), for candidates without a disability. The last column is the General cut-off for the same seat in 2025. Sources: IIT Madras 2026 cut-off PDF and 2025 PDF.
| Programme (code) | GATE paper | GEN 2026 | EWS | OBC-NCL | SC | ST | GEN 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science and Engineering (CS1Y) | CS | 900 | 808 | 796 | 625 | 589 | 881 |
| Data Science and AI (DA1Y) | DA | 860 | 836 | 787 | 679 | 600 | 866 |
| EE: Microelectronics and VLSI (EE3Y) | EC | 871 | 808 | 808 | 682 | 540 | 881 |
| EE: Integrated Circuits and Systems (EE6Y) | EC, EE, IN | 901 | 844 | 852 | 779 | 726 | 944 |
| EE: Communications and Signal Processing (EE1Y) | EC | 735 | 690 | 714 | 516 | 495 | 690 |
| EE: Power Systems and Power Electronics (EE2Y) | EE | 730 | 622 | 661 | 507 | 495 | 657 |
| ME: Thermal Engineering (ME1Y), AE/CH/ME graduates | see PDF | 674 | 579 | 614 | 499 | 378 | 741 |
| ME: Mechanical Design (ME2Y), AE/AU/ME graduates | see PDF | 797 | 677 | 695 | 522 | 441 | 808 |
| ME: Manufacturing (ME3Y) | see PDF | 622 | 553 | 531 | 403 | 389 | 632 |
| Civil: Structural (CE5Y), CE graduates | CE | 709 | 642 | 665 | 562 | 429 | 704 |
| Civil: Building Tech and Construction Mgmt (CE1Y), CE graduates | CE | 760 | 706 | 718 | 541 | 429 | 775 |
| Civil: Geotechnical (CE3Y), CE graduates | CE | 595 | 555 | 562 | 466 | 326 | 610 |
| Chemical Engineering (CH1Y) | CH | 572 | 463 | 492 | 367 | 306 | 618 |
Rows marked "see PDF" accept several GATE papers and the PDF's paper column for them is merged across rows, so check the original. Several programmes have separate, often higher, cut-offs for candidates from non-core disciplines. HTTA pays ₹12,400 a month for up to 22 months, and Y codes carry it while N codes carry no financial assistance (IIT Madras M.Tech brochure 2026).
Three things stand out. CSE rose 19 points year on year, to 900. All three mechanical streams fell (Thermal Engineering dropped from 741 to 674), while civil was mixed. And category gaps are not fixed: the CSE OBC-NCL cut-off (796) was slightly below EWS (808) in 2026, while in 2025 OBC-NCL (802) was above EWS (770).
IIT Bombay GATE cutoff and M.Tech admission 2026
IIT Bombay does not publish closing scores for recent years. It publishes a minimum GATE score per programme and GATE paper, and a list of which programmes admit straight off the GATE score and which call candidates for a written test or interview. All numbers below are for 2026-27, from the IIT Bombay minimum cut-off PDF and the TA shortlisting PDF. The OBC-NC figure is 0.9 of General and SC/ST is 0.6666 of General.
| Programme | GATE paper | GN/EWS min | OBC-NC | SC/ST | How seats are filled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science and Engineering (CS) | CS | 600 | 540 | 400 | GATE score (direct) |
| Electrical (EE1, EE2, EE5, EE6, EE7) | EE/EC/IN/CS (varies) | 510 | 459 | 340 | GATE score (direct) |
| Electrical: Power Electronics and Power Systems (EE3) | IN, EE, EC | 510 | 459 | 340 | Test/interview; top 900 GN applicants called |
| Mechanical: Thermal and Fluids (ME1) | All GATE papers | 600 | 540 | 400 | Test/interview; 320 called |
| Mechanical: Design (ME2) | All GATE papers | 600 | 540 | 400 | Test/interview; 195 called |
| Civil: Transportation (CE1) | CE | 650 | 585 | 433 | GATE score (direct) |
| Civil: Structural (CE4) | CE | 675 | 608 | 450 | GATE score (direct) |
| Civil: Geotechnical (CE2) | CE | 540 | 486 | 360 | GATE score (direct) |
| Chemical Engineering (CH) | CH | 500 | 450 | 333 | GATE score (direct) |
For test-and-interview programmes, the score is only a gate into the pool. "Usually, candidates are called for written test/interview 8-10 times sanctioned intake", the FAQ says, picked from the top of the applicant list. For the direct-admission programmes, offers go out on COAP in GATE-score order. The 2026 application window closed on 10 April without a late fee (IIT Bombay M.Tech admissions page).
What the other IITs publish
We went through the M.Tech admission pages of the other large IITs for any official 2025 or 2026 score. Here is everything we found, including where an IIT publishes nothing.
| IIT and programme | Published score (GEN / OBC / SC-ST) | What the number means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| IIT Delhi, CSE (2025) | 800 (Gen/EWS), 720 (OBC), 550 (SC/ST/PH) | Shortlisting floor; admission then by CS GATE score | IIT Delhi CSE criteria |
| IIT Delhi, CSE High-Value Assistantship (2025) | 700 / 630 / 500 | Shortlist for in-person interview/test | same PDF |
| IIT Guwahati, CSE (2025, quoted on 2026 page) | 650 (Gen/EWS), 585 (OBC), 433 (SC/ST/PwD) | Shortlisting cut-off; ranked by GATE score | IIT Guwahati CSE admissions |
| IIT Kanpur, CSE | Not published | "The merit list ... is currently prepared based only on GATE scores" | IIT Kanpur CSE M.Tech page |
| IIT Kharagpur, all departments | Not published | "GATE Score" or "GATE Score + Interview", by programme; CS has 76 seats | IIT Kharagpur eligibility 2026 |
| IIT Hyderabad, EE | Not published | Through COAP, "typically based upon GATE score" | IIT Hyderabad EE brochure |
| IIT Roorkee, all departments | Not published | Merit list on normalised GATE marks, not GATE score | IIT Roorkee brochure 2026 |
| IIT Patna, all departments | Not published | Through COAP on GATE performance; CSE has 25 regular seats | IIT Patna advertisement 2026-27 |
Where an IIT does not publish, any "cutoff" you see for it on an aggregator site did not come from that IIT. Treat it as a rumour with a number attached.
IIT Patna M.Tech cutoff, including CSE
IIT Patna does not publish an M.Tech GATE cut-off, for CSE or any other branch. Its 2026-27 advertisement says "Selection is based on performance in GATE for Regular and Full-time category this year through COAP" (IIT Patna M.Tech advertisement 2026-27). What it does publish is the seat matrix: 25 regular CSE seats in 2026-27 (9 Open, 7 OBC, 4 SC, 1 ST, 1 EWS, plus PwD seats) and 2 more for sponsored, full-time, project staff and part-time candidates (IIT Patna seat matrix 2026). With 25 seats, a handful of acceptances or rejections can swing the closing score a long way from one year to the next.
How to check this yourself: open the M.Tech admissions page of each IIT you are targeting and look for "cut-off", "minimum qualifying" or "shortlisting criteria", usually as a PDF. IIT Madras keeps three years of cut-off PDFs on its admissions portal, and IIT Bombay keeps its minimum cut-offs on its academic office page. For departments that shortlist, check the department's own admissions page, which is where IIT Delhi CSE and IIT Guwahati CSE post their numbers. When a figure has no PDF behind it, do not plan around it.
GATE score vs GATE marks vs rank
Your scorecard shows three numbers. Marks are out of 100 (normalised across sessions for multi-session papers). Score is out of 1,000 and is what most IITs rank you on. Rank is your all-India position in that paper. The GATE 2027 brochure gives the score formula: the General qualifying mark maps to a score of 350, and the mean mark of the top 0.1% (or top 10, whichever is larger) maps to 900 (GATE 2027 information brochure). A score above 900 means you beat that top-group average.
Qualifying is a much lower bar than admission. In GATE 2026, the General qualifying mark in CS was 30 out of 100, and 211,020 candidates appeared in that paper (GATE 2026 cut-off marks). One exception to "rank on score": IIT Roorkee builds its merit list on its own normalised marks, your marks divided by the paper's top mark that year, times 100 (IIT Roorkee brochure).
How COAP works: rounds, freeze, retain and reject
COAP, the Common Offer Acceptance Portal, is where most IITs show you their M.Tech offers. It is not where you apply: "COAP is not an Application Portal for M. Tech. admission in any participating institute" (COAP 2026 brochure). You apply to each IIT separately, give your COAP registration number on each form, then accept or decline on COAP. In 2026, 24 institutes took part: IISc and 23 IITs.
- Accept and Freeze: you take the seat and leave the process. Then you pay on that IIT's own portal by its deadline.
- Retain and Wait: you hold one offer while waiting for a higher preference. "You can choose “Retain and Wait” for the same offer (same institute and same program) only twice."
- Reject and Wait: you decline the current offers and stay in line for better ones. A rejected offer does not come back.
The rule that costs people seats: "If you do not access COAP or do not make a decision in a particular round, any offers in that round are automatically considered “Rejected.”" One candidate who forgot to press Submit in Round 1 of 2026 was told this by others on r/GATEtard:
"wait for the further rounds. U might get a better offer. Also this time don't forget to submit after clicking on accept/retain. U will also get an email confirmation after successful submission. Check that as a final step." (r/GATEtard)
The 2026 schedule, from the COAP 2026 important dates page (some later dates moved from the brochure version):
| Round | 2026 window | Accept and Freeze | Retain and Wait | Reject |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 11 to 13 May | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Round 2 | 17 to 20 May | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rounds 3 and 4 | 24 May to 3 June | Yes | Only if not already used twice on that offer | Yes |
| Round 5 (decisive) | 5 to 10 June | Yes | No | Reject |
| Rounds 6 to 9 (each decisive) | 13 June to 6 July | Yes | No | Reject |
| Round 10 (only IITs that opt in) | 9 to 10 July | Yes | No | Reject |
"If an offer appears on your coap, it means it is for direct admission. Any institute will only provide offer after clearing any interview or any other prerequisites if they have any." (r/GATEtard)
COAP 2027 timeline: what is known
GATE 2027 is organised by IIT Madras. The exam is on 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 February 2027, and results are due on 19 March 2027 (GATE 2027 website). Registration has been extended: the regular window now closes on 5 October 2026, and the late-fee window on 12 October (GATE 2027 brochure, revised 27 September 2026). A GATE 2027 score stays valid for three years.
No COAP 2027 dates have been announced. What we know is the rule for who runs it: "Every year, the GATE organizing institute of the preceding year acts as the coordinating institute for COAP" (COAP 2026 brochure). GATE 2026 was run by IIT Guwahati, so on that rule IIT Guwahati would coordinate COAP 2027. If 2027 follows 2026, IIT applications would open in late March, close in April, and Round 1 would run in mid-May. That is a pattern, not an announcement. IIT Madras's 2026 portal, for example, was open from 28 March to 28 April (IIT Madras M.Tech admissions).
CCMT vs COAP: CCMT is not for IITs
CCMT, the Centralized Counselling for M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan, gets far more searches than COAP, but it does not fill IIT seats. In its own words it is "a common platform for candidates to apply for M. Tech. / M. Arch. / M. Plan. programmes, based on their GATE score of years 2024, 2025 and 2026, in NITs, IIEST Shibpur, and some IIITs and CFTIs" (CCMT 2026). The difference matters in practice: CCMT is a single application with a choice list and allotment rounds, while COAP only shows offers from IITs you applied to yourself. Nothing stops you registering for both in the same year.
Self-sponsored, sponsored and interview routes
- IIT B.Tech graduates: at IIT Madras, B.Tech graduates of an IIT with CGPA 8.0 or above "can apply without GATE Score" (IIT Madras brochure). IIT Delhi CSE interviews them instead (IIT Delhi CSE criteria).
- Sponsored: usually two years of work experience and your employer's backing. IIT Madras requires sponsorship with leave on full salary for 24 months (brochure). At IIT Bombay, sponsored candidates with two years' relevant experience are exempt from GATE, except in CSE (IIT Bombay FAQ). Selection is by test and interview, with no assistantship.
- Self-sponsored: IIT Hyderabad EE runs a two-year self-sponsored M.Tech: "Admission is on the basis of a written test and interview. GATE is not mandatory for application", with a B.Tech CGPA of 7 or above (IIT Hyderabad EE brochure). IIT Patna's self-financed seats are in its AI programme, run through its Technology Innovation Hub (IIT Patna advertisement).
- RA and TA by interview at IIT Bombay: Research Assistantship and several TA programmes select by written test and/or interview after a GATE shortlist (IIT Bombay admissions page). Leftover seats go to on-the-spot admission.
None of these routes is easier. They swap a GATE score for a test, an interview or an employer's letter, and most pay no stipend.
Related reading. Before you apply: our GATE 2027 DigiLocker verification guide and the GATE 2027 syllabus changes and the new robotics and automation paper. After an offer: what an M.Tech costs in IIT M.Tech fees, what it pays in the M.Tech and PhD stipend guide, and where it leads in IIT M.Tech placements.
Got your COAP offer? Campus hoodies for every IIT: Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Hyderabad, and the rest of the 23.
By Arun Raghav S · Co-founder, IITian Vibes · Facts retrieved 1 October 2026 from the linked official pages and documents. Corrections to hello@iitianvibes.com.