GATE 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Who can apply, age criteria, qualifications, nationality, and attempts
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering 2026 ( GATE )
Result - 19 Mar '26
To apply for the GATE exam, candidates need to meet the GATE eligibility criteria 2026. The eligibility conditions are prescribed by the conducting IITs to streamline the GATE admission and application process. Meeting the GATE 2026 eligibility is the first and foremost important factor before filling out the GATE application form 2026. Read below to know more about the IIT Guwahati GATE eligibility.
- Why is knowing the GATE eligibility important?
- GATE 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Educational Qualification
- GATE 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Educational Qualifying Degree
- GATE Eligibility Criteria 2026 for International Candidates
- GATE 2026 Supporting Documents
Why is knowing the GATE eligibility important?
Knowing the GATE eligibility is important because it determines whether a candidate is eligible to appear for the GATE 2026 or not. Also, not meeting the criteria can lead to rejection of the application form.
NOTE:
GATE 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Educational Qualification
Candidates must possess a degree equivalent to or higher than a bachelor’s degree in engineering/ technology/ architecture/ science/ humanities. Candidates can check the list of acceptable degrees below:
- B.E/ B.Tech
- B. Arch
- B. Pharma
- B.Sc(Research)/ B.S
- B.Sc. (Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry)
- MSc/MA/MCA or equivalent
- M.B.B.S./B.D.S./B.V.Sc.
- Integrated ME/MTech
- Integrated MSc/Integrated BS-MS
- Integrated ME/MTech or Dual Degree (after Diploma or 10+2)
- Pharm. D.
- Professional Society Examination (equivalent to BE/BTech/BArch)
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GATE 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Authorised Professional Society
Candidates who possess certification from any of the professional societies must ensure that those examinations are approved by MoE/AICTE/UGC/UPSC as equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch./B.Plan. Some of the professional Societies or Institutions that conduct examinations in various fields of engineering are given below:
- The Institution of Engineers (India) (IE)
- The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
- The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE)
- The Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI)
- The Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, including the Polymer and Environmental Group (IIChE)
- The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM)
- The Indian Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIIE)
GATE 2026 Eligibility Criteria: Educational Qualifying Degree
Candidates can check the detailed eligibility criteria for GATE 2026 in the table below:
| Programme/Course |
Qualifying Degree/Examination |
Description of Eligible Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| BE/BTech/BPharm |
Bachelor’s degree in engineering or technology |
Currently in 3rd year or in final year or already completed |
| BArch |
Bachelor’s degree in architecture/ naval architecture/planning |
Currently in 3rd year or in final year, or have already passed |
| BSc (research)/B.S |
Bachelor’s degree in science |
Currently in 3rd year or in final year or have already passed |
| MSc/M.A/MCA or equivalent |
Master’s degree in any branch or equivalent |
Currently in the first year or higher or have already completed |
| Int M.E/M.Tech (Post BSc) |
Post BSc Integrated master’s degree programme in engineering/technology |
Currently in 1st/2nd/3rd/4th year or have already completed |
| Int. M.E/MTech/MPharm or Dual Degree (after diploma or 10+2) |
Integrated master’s degree programme or dual degree programme |
Currently in 3rd/4th/5th year or have already completed |
| BSc/B.Com/B.A |
Bachelor’s degree in any branch |
Currently in 3rd year or higher or have already completed |
| Int MSc/Int B.S/ M.S |
Integrated MSc or five-year integrated BS or MS |
Currently in 3rd year or higher or have completed |
| Professional Society Examinations (equivalent to B.E/B.Tech/B.Arch) |
B.E/BTech/B.Arch or equivalent examinations of professional societies recognised by MoE/UPSC/AICTE |
Completed Section “A” or equivalent of such professional courses |
| BSc (Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry) |
Must have done four-year programme |
Currently in 3rd or 4th year or have completed |
NOTE:
- Candidates must upload the required eligibility documents while filling out the GATE application form.
- Suppose a candidate is pursuing a higher degree or has already obtained a degree higher than that mentioned in the table above. In that case, the candidate will be allowed to appear in the GATE 2026 exam.
No, applicants cannot opt for any paper from the combination list. Candidates can only select from the options provided by the GATE authorities in the GATE 2026 paper combination list. For example, a CS student has the free will to choose from the following set of exam papers: DA, EC, GE, MA, PH, and ST.
You can apply for two GATE papers (maximum). While filling out the GATE application form, you need to select the primary and secondary paper. The GATE secondary paper must be from the subject list prescribed by the GATE authorities. Before adding the paper, go through the subject combination list and GATE paper codes.
Candidates opting for two GATE papers will have to pay double the fees mentioned -
For example,
- If a general category candidate is applying for two GATE papers, then he/she has to pay a fee of INR 4000 (during the regular timeline) and INR 5000 (during the extended period).
- The same applies to the female, SC, ST, and PwD category candidates, INR 2000 (during the regular time period) and INR 3000 (during the extended period).
GATE Eligibility Criteria 2026 for International Candidates
Candidates who have obtained or are pursuing their qualifying degree from countries other than India have to meet the following eligibility criteria to appear for GATE 2026:
- Must have completed or in the final year or in pre-final year of their bachelor’s degree in engineering and technology or;
- Must have completed or in the final year or in the pre-final year of their Post Graduate degree in any relevant science subjects
It may be noted that if any candidate has obtained a degree higher than the mentioned degree in the above eligibility table, he/she should select the minimum required degree while filling the GATE registration form.
After submission of application form, students can check their status at GATE login 2026.
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GATE 2026 Supporting Documents
Candidates must submit the degree certificate/provisional certificate/ course completion certificate/ professional certificate/ membership certificate issued by the institute or society they are enrolled in for the degree programme.
- Bachelor's degree holders in Engineering/Technology/Architecture (4 years or 3 years after 10+2/Post-BSc/Post-Diploma). Final-year candidates can also apply.
- Master's degree holders in any branch of Science/Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent. Final and pre-final year candidates can also apply.
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Upasana Pradhan is an Mtech graduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering from DTU who specialises in curating postgraduate and undergraduate engineering entrance exam content, such as GATE, TS PGECET, KCET,
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 9 hours ago
In GATE, normalisation process generally makes a gap of 4 to 7 marks (approximately) between actual and normalised scores. However, if difficulty level of paper was high then the marks might increase. On other hand, for easier paper, marks may reduce offering fairness across sessions.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 18 hours ago
No, the GATE 2026 exam has already been concluded at this point for Jerusalem College of Engineering ME admissions. The entrance exam was conducted in the month of February and the result is expected to be revealed soon in the upcoming month of March.
Candidates who failed to appear for GATE can stil
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 20 hours ago
There is no confirmation whether GATE is a compulsory entrance exam for Jerusalem College of Engineering ME course admissions. Several unofficial sources state that Jerusalem College of Engineering accepts GATE scores for ME admissions.
However, the website of Jerusalem College of Engineering has not
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
No, to get admission into IIT Madras MTech course, students have to appear for the GATE exam. This is a part of minimum eligibility criteria for M.Tech course admissions. After clearing the GATE exam, the students are selected on the basis of merit list. The students have to obtain a minimum of 60%
C
Contributor-Level 10
Answered Yesterday
No, there is no subject-wise cutoff mark for GATE exam. The scores along with minimum-qualifying cutoff will be released (category-wise) along with normalised score.
- GATE Marks out of 100
- GATE Scores out of 1000
P
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
A GATE score of 550 in mechanical engineering will fetch you a rank range of 1500 - 3000. Students with this GATE score range can opt for M.Tech at NIT Calicut, NIT Trichy, etc.
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered Yesterday
Based on the question paper difficulty level of GATE CS 1 and CS2, it is expected that the normalisation will not be more than +-4 to 5 marks. GATE CSE paper was moderate to tough. The result will be declared on March 19. Candidates can check their qualifying status at GOAPS portal using their enrol
S
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, with 50 marks in the GATE exam candidates can get admission to few IITs and NITs as well.
A
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
For top NITs, the safe score in GATE will be roughly around 650 - 750 scores. However, it also depends on other factors, such as category, past year trends, etc.
B
Contributor-Level 7
Answered 2 days ago
Here are some colleges that offer M.Tech admission in CSE round -
- Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur
- Central University of Rajasthan
- Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology
- Central Institute of Technology, Kokrajhar
- Central University of Rajasthan
- Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur
U
Contributor-Level 10
Yes, candidates having qualifying degree in B.Com can apply for GATE exam to get admission to the master's programmes in IITs and IISc. Candidates must go through the GATE information brochure carefully before applying. Also, students in 3rd year or final year in commerce are also eligible for GATE.