GATE 2026 Cutoff for CS: Expected Marks & Past Year Trends

In Computer Science, "qualifying" is just warm-up; the real game is "dominating". Whether students are eyeing a research role at IISc Bangalore or a high-paying IT career, understanding the shifting landscape of cutoff trends for Computer Science (CS) is important. Check here the GATE 2026 cut off CS and the target scores which students need to crack.

Expected Marks & Past Year Trends

GATE 2026 Cutoff for CS: This year, IIT Guwahati will be conducting the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026 on February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026. Prior to appearing in the GATE 2026, it is important for students to understand the GATE 2026 Cutoff for Computer Science (CS) for premium postgraduate programmes at IITs, NITs, and IIITs, as well as for securing roles in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

The cutoff for GATE 2026 is divided into two distinct types: qualifying cutoff, and admission cutoff. The qualifying cutoff of GATE determines if you have passed the exam, and the admission cutoff varies by institute based on competition and seat availability. 

Also read: What is GATE Login 2026

Key Insights for Aspirants appearing in GATE 2026:

• IISc demands the highest GATE scores. For the CS department, scores often stay above 892 for general category students and can reach high for top rankers.
• While the qualifying cutoff is usually around 27-32 marks, admission to old IITs like IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, or IIT Madras requires a raw score of 65+ to be competitive, especially for general category candidates.
• Top NITs like NIT Trichy, NIT Warangal, and NIT Surathkal (Tier-1) see closing scores above 700.
• Mid-to-lower tier NITs accept scores between 500 and 650.
• Students' marks are converted to a GATE score based on the official normalization formula, which is calculated based on difficulty level and average marks of the top 0.1% of candidates. 

Also read: GATE EE Syllabus 2026

Expected GATE 2026 CS Qualifying Cutoff

Based on previous trends, experts predict a similar range for 2026 as well. From the following table, candidates can check the GATE 2026 CS cut off (expected) -  

GATE 2026 Cut Off - Admission Cutoff Trends for Top Institutes

Qualifying the GATE exam is just the first step, to get top-tier colleges students must require to score high scores. If we talk about the Computer Science field precisely, candidates must be in the top 200-800 rank to secure seats in old IITs. 

Also read: GATE 2026 DA Syllabus

GATE Cut off 2026 - Factors Influencing 2026 Cutoff

The final marks will be released by IIT Guwahati on its official portal tentatively in March 2026. However, the key factors include while determining the : 

Also read: GATE 2026 EE Question Paper: Download, Dates OUT, Take Free Mock Test, Check Most Repeated Questions

Past year Cut off trends - GATE CS Official Qualifying Cutoff (2021–2025)

From the following table students can check the official cut off marks in each category out of 100. 

Analysis of past year GATE Cut off Trends

• In 2023, cutoff peaked at 32.5, indicating a relatively higher scoring paper compared to 2022, which saw the lowest.
• Despite fluctuating cutoffs, number of applicants has increased
• Since the CS paper is conducted in multiple sessions, the normalization formula is used to ensure fairness.

How much should be the qualifying marks to increase chances?

While 29 marks was the top mark in 2025, students must typically score around 65-75+ marks for old IITs and 80+ marks for top PSU recruitments like ONGC or IOCL. For top-tier Public Sector Undertakings, the target GATE Score (out of 1000) for general category candidates is usually 850+.

Also read: MTech Exams other than GATE