DRDO Recruitment through GATE 2026: Check Eligibility, Steps to Apply, and Fees for Scientist

DRDO Recruitment Through GATE 2026: The Government of India, Ministry of Defence, Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) has announced the recruitment notification for Scientist "B" in DRDO for the year 2026. The organisation will accept the GATE 2025 scores for the selection process. Read the article below to learn about the application form, dates, eligibility, and selection procedure for DRDO Recruitment through GATE 2025.

DRDO Recruitment through GATE 2026: The Defence Research and Development Organisation will soon start recruiting for the Scientist "B" position in DRDO. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) recruits scientists mostly at entry level (Scientist 'B') through GATE every year. The direct recruitment to the scientist post "B" wil be done based on GATE scores, writtent test or interview for vacancies in the disciplines under GATE. 

Candidates will be selected based on their valid GATE 2026 scores, followed by a written test/interview for vacancies in the disciplines for which GATE 2026 is conducted. The Scientist "B" position will accept the test papers including, those under Life Sciences and under Humanities/Social Sciences. Candidates applying for recruitment in PSUs can refer to this article for detailed information related to DRDO recruitment through GATE 2026. The detailed notification will be available soon on the official website. Registrations are expected to begin in June/July 2026.  

GATE 2026 will be conducted on February 7, 8, 14, and 15 in two shifts. The exam conducting authorities will release the GATE 2026 result on March 19, 2026 for all the candidates who appeared in the exam.

About DRDO

DRDO is one of the nation’s leading military research and development organisations under the Government of India. It recruits competent and skilled scientists in technical service known as the Defence Research & Development Service (DRDS). DRDO offers exhilarating and demanding career prospects in an extensive range of R&D at its more than 50 laboratories nationwide. A candidate can visit the official DRDO website for more information.

DRDO Recruitment through GATE: Number of Vacancies

It is expected that there will be around 160 vacancies. Candidates can check the details of vacancies (tentative) to be filled under DRDO recruitment through GATE 2026 below:

DRDO Recruitment through GATE 2026: Eligibility Criteria

• The nationality of the candidate must be Indian. 
• Candidates must have scored at least 60% aggregate marks in the qualifying exam (graduation). In the case of CGPA/CPI (If the conversion formula is unavailable), 6.75 will be considered equivalent to 60%, per AICTE guidelines.
• Candidates aspiring to DRDO recruitment through GATE should know German, French, Russian, Japanese, or Chinese (desirable, but not mandatory).
• Aspirants should be no older than 28 years as of the date specified in the notification. Age Relaxation will be as per Government directions.
• Final-year students are also eligible to apply. The details regarding the eligibility will be published later. 

Candidates can check the branch-wise eligibility criteria for DRDO recruitment through 2026 below:

DRDO Recruitment through GATE 2026: Age Limit

The maximum age limit for candidates to be recruited as Scientist ‘B’ is 28 years as of the closing date. Age Relaxation for candidates belonging to the reserved category is as per the Government guidelines. Maximum relaxation in the upper age limit will be as under

• For SC/ST Category Candidates: Up to 5 years
• For OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) Category Candidates: Up to 3 years
• For PWD Candidates: Up to 10 years
• For PWD (OBC) Candidates: Up to 13 years
• For PWD (SC/ST) Candidates: Up to 15 years
• Serving Central Civilian Government employees: Up to 05 years

DRDO Recruitment through GATE 2026: Important Dates

Candidates can check all the important dates related to DRDO recruitment through GATE 2026 below:

DRDO Recruitment through GATE 2026: Steps to fill the application form

• Registration - Candidates must register first before filling out the application form. They will have to enter their details, such as name, email, mobile number, etc. Once the registration is complete, candidates have to create a unique password of 8 to 15 digits - comprising special characters, one number, one uppercase alphabet, and one lowercase alphabet. 
• Fill details - After successful registration, login using credentials and fill out the details, such as personal, academic qualification, and contact details. Candidates who have opted for the written test have to entre two exam centres from the cities listed.
• Uploading documents - After entering all details, upload documents as per the specifications mentioned below. Final year students must upload their provisional and degree certificate. 

Fee Payment – Candidates belonging to the General/OBC category will need to pay Rs 100 online. SC/ST, PWD, and women candidates are exempted from fee payment.

Note: After successful submission of application form DRDO recruitment through GATE 2026, candidates will be informed about it through mail and SMS on their registered e-mail id and mobile numbers.

DRDO Recruitment through GATE 2026: Selection Process

The short-listed applicants on the basis of their GATE score and other criteria have to appear for a written test and a personal interview (PI). PI will be conducted at Delhi/ Bangalore/ Hyderabad/ Pune or any other place as decided by RAC/ DRDO. Personal Interviews may start in July 2026. Visit the official RAC website to download your interview call letter along with the date/location of PI and other

DRDO Recruitment through GATE 2026: Payscale

A candidate will get a salary of around Rs 15600 - 39100 with a Grade Pay of Rs 5400. Total Emoluments at the time of joining will be roughly Rs 60,000 per month.