CUET PG Vs GATE: Major Difference, Participating Institutes Name, Counselling Process
Central University Entrance Test Postgraduate 2026 ( CUET-PG )
Admit Card - 26 Feb '26 - 27 Mar '26
Admission to the postgraduate degree in India is based on an entrance test or merit. Admission to the institutes or universities offering PG programs is based on CUET PG or GATE. Here, we will about the universities or colleges that offer admission based on CUET PG or M.Tech. Detailed information on CUET PG and GATE is also mentioned here.
Common University Entrance Test (CUET) PG and Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) are two national-level entrance tests. Both exams are conducted for admission to the postgraduate course in universities in India. CUET PG exam is a gateway to Central, State, Government Institutions / Fully funded, Deemed Universities / Private Universities. GATE provide you access to the top engineering colleges in India for M.Tech admission. Many PSUs accept the GATE score for recruitment.
- CUET PG Vs GATE: Major Difference
- CUET PG Vs GATE: Mode of Exam
- College Accepting CUET PG
- College Accepting GATE
- CUET PG Vs GATE: Counselling Process
CUET PG Vs GATE: Major Difference
Let us know about these two exams in detail.
What is CUET PG?
Common University Entrance Test PG is a national-level entrance examination. The National Testing Agency conducts the CUET PG exam once a year. Students who wish to get admission to the PG degree courses need to appear for the test. Admission to science, M.Tech, Language, Humanities, Common, and Acharya domains are based on CUET PG. Students who qualify the entrance test are eligible for admission to the Central, State, Government Institutions / Fully funded, Deemed Universities / Private Universities.
What is GATE?
The Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is national level exam. GATE is conducted by IISc and all IITs on behalf of the National Coordination Board, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education (MoE), Government of India. Students who qualify the entrance exam get admission to IITs, NITs, IIEST Shibpur, IIITs and CFTIs.
Yes, any candidate who meets the GATE 2026 eligibility will be able to appear for the exam. The criteria include the following -
- Any undergraduate student in 3rd year or higher years of any government approved programme in any of the following disciplines, such as engineering/technology/architecture/science/commerce/arts/humanities are eligible for the GATE.
- Apart from that, the candidate must hold Indian citizenship.
- There is no age-limit or pass percentage to appear for the examination.
- Candidates from Nepal, Bangladesh, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates can apply for GATE 2026.
Candidates can check GATE 2026 exam pattern below -
| Mode | Computer-based test |
| Language of question paper | English |
| Time duration | 3 hours |
| Total number of branches | 30 |
| Sections | General Aptitude and Selected Subject |
| Total marks | 100 |
| Negative marking | Applicable only for MCQs |
CUET PG Vs GATE: Mode of Exam
CUET PG and GATE are conducted as computer based test across various test cities in India. The exam duration of CUET PG is 90 minutes, and for GATE it is 3 hours. Both of them are conducted in multiple phases.
College Accepting CUET PG
Students can check the name of the CUET PG participating institutes on the website, exams.nta.nic.in/cuet-pg/. Here we have mentioned the top 10 university names.
- Assam Down Town University
- Assam Women's University
- Baba Gulam Shah Badshah University
- Barkatullah University
- Centre for Development Studies
- Cluster University of Jammu
- Cluster University of Srinagar
- Delhi Teachers University
- Delhi Technological University
- Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya
Also Read: CUET PG 2026 Participating Institutes
CUET UG 2026 notification was released on January 03. National Testing Agency released the CUET detailed official notification at official website- cuet.nta.nic.in. Candidates preparing for the exam can check the following details on CUET notification PDF:
- Exam dates
- eligibility criteria
- steps to apply for exam
- syllabus
- pattern
- CUET subjects
- score calculation
- normalisation process
- exam centres
- number of univeristies participating
CUET PG application form 2026 was released on December 14, 2025, to provide admissions to postgraduate degree programs like MA, MSc, MCom, MTech, MFA, and other professional degrees like MBA, BEd, LLB, and LLM courses. The last date was January 23, 2026.
Only one application had to be submitted by a candidate. Under no circumstances will candidates be allowed to fill more than one Application Form.
Below is the list of documents that are required by the participating universities from the CUET PG 2026 selected candidates to bring for the CUET PG 2026 Counselling process.
- CUET PG 2026 Admission Form
- Class 10 mark sheet
- Class 12 mark sheet
- Bachelor's degree mark sheet and pass certificate
- CUET 2026 scorecard
- CUET 2026 admit card
- Category certificate if applicable
Explore colleges based on CUET-PG
Want better recommendations?
There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
- Chat with our counselor
- Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
College Accepting GATE
GATE score is accepted by IITs, NITs, IISc, GFTIs and many government and private universities.
| List of IITs Accepting GATE Scores |
List of NITs Accepting GATE Scores |
List of IIITs Accepting GATE Scores |
| National Institute of Technology Tiruchirapalli | IIIT Hyderabad | |
| National Institute of Technology Rourkela | IIIT Bangalore | |
| National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Suratkal | IIIT Delhi | |
| Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur | National Institute of Technology Calicut | IIIT Allahabad |
| Indian Institutes of Technology Kharagpur | National Institute of Technology Warangal | |
| National Institute of Technology Durgapur | ||
| National Institute of Technology Silchar | ||
| National Institute of Technology Delhi | ||
| National Institute of Technology Agartala | ||
| IIT ISM Dhanbad | National Institute of Technology Hamirpur |
Also Read: GATE 2026 Participating Institutes
Explore more Science exams with upcoming dates
18 Mar '26
11 Apr '26
14 May '26 - 4 Jun '26
1 Aug '26
14 Mar '26
CUET PG Vs GATE: Counselling Process
The counselling of CUET PG and GATE takes place in May / June. It is conducted online. Students who qualify in the examination can participate in the online counselling process for admission to the participating institutes. Students are allotted courses and colleges based on their rank in the respective exam. Students have to confirm their admission by paying the seat acceptance fees after the allotment.
M.Tech admission counselling for IITs is done through the COAP portal, and for NITs, IIEST Shibpur and some IIITs, GFTIS M.Tech / M.Arch / M.Plan program admission is done through CCMT. There is no centralised counselling portal for admission to the colleges accepting CUET PG score. Check the exam website for detailed information.
Also Read:
News & Updates
Explore Other Exams
Mar '26 | OUAT Entrance Exam 2026 Form A... |
Apr '26 | OUAT Entrance Exam 2026 Form A... |
5 Mar '26 - 13 Apr '26 | IISER Aptitude Test 2026 Regis... |
13 Apr '26 - 15 Apr '26 | IISER Aptitude Test 2026 Corre... |
Jul '22 | DAVV CET 2022 Registration |
Dec '24 | TISSNET 2024 Mock Test |
Jun '24 | TISS Online Assessment 2024 |
15 Dec '25 - 16 Mar '26 | BITSAT 2026 Application Form S... |
18 Mar '26 - 20 Mar '26 | BITSAT 2026 Form Correction Se... |
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered a week ago
There is only one section A for CUET PG exam. Section B which comprises general awarenessa and knowledge has been removed as per exam pattern. Students need to prepare section A which is subject specific to get through. They should cover each and every topic of respective syllabus in order to get go
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
CUET PG 2026 admit card date has not been released yet. Admit card is usually released a week before exam. As per official notification by NTA, CUET PG 2026 city intimation slip will be released 10 days before exam. As exam is scheduled from March 6, city intimation slip will be released by February
K
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
Though it is difficult to clear CUET PG in two months, but not impossible. With proper plan and strategies in place, students can clear CUET PG in two months. In very first month, students need to complete syllabys and second month should be dedicated to practicing mock exam and solving previous yea
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
CUET PG 2026 application form process has been concluded. Last date to submit application form was January 23, 2026. Correction window was active till January 30, 2026. Exam is scheduled to be held from March 6 till March 27, 2026 for various courses. No extension has been provided by NTA.
N
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
Students need to follow proces given below to download CUET PG admit card:
- Visit official website of CUET PG 2026
- Click on the tab indicating CUET PG 2026 admit card download or Sign In tab
- Enter CUET PG 2026 application number and date of birth or password along with the Security Pin
- Select the checkb
P
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
NTA has reduced number of centres from 312 to 292 in CUET PG 2026. In addition, students can choose 4 city choices. Earlier they were provided only 2 options. This time, students will have to answer only A section which is domain specific.
A
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
Registration fee for CUET PG 2026 varies for each category. For General students, registration fee is INR 1400 while for OBC, fee is 1200. SC/ST category students ahve to pay INR 1100 as application fee. This fee is for choosing maximum two test papers.
K
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
Yes. CUET PG application process has already been completed. NTA had released CUET PG 2026 application form online on December 14, 2026. Last date to submit application form for CUET PG 2026 was January 23, 2026.
B
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
Those who have bachelor's or equivalent degree from recognised institute or college can appear for CUET PG 2026. Final year students are also elligible for CUET PG exam. There is no capping on age in CUET PG exam.
N
Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
NTA has released the CUET PG city intimation slip on its official website. The candidates can login with their credentials and check their city of examination. In official notification, NTA has said city intimation slip will be uploaded 10 days before exam. As CUET PG is scheduled from March 6 to 27
M
Contributor-Level 10
The GATE 2026 exam will be held on February 7,8, 14, and 15 in two shifts. The GATE 2026 official website is launched - gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The information brochure is available on the website. The GATE MTech entrance exam 2026 will be held on different dates in two shifts- forenoon and afternoon. Registrations for GATE 2026 started on August 28.