BITSAT 2026 Iteration 2 vs Iteration 1 Cutoff: Programmes with the Biggest Score Drop

B.Pharm at BITS Hyderabad saw the single largest BITSAT cutoff drop of 48 marks between Iteration 1 and Iteration 2 in 2025 — falling from 206 to just 158 — while most B.E. engineering programmes dropped by 3 to 8 marks and M.Sc. programmes held nearly steady at 1 to 4 marks lower.

BITS Pilani fills seats across its Pilani, Goa and Hyderabad campuses through two rounds of score-based allotment. Each iteration publishes a closing cutoff — the minimum BITSAT score at which a seat was offered and accepted in that round. Iteration 2 cutoffs are almost always lower than Iteration 1 because unaccepted seats and upgrade-freed seats re-enter the pool. The key question for students waiting on Iteration 2 is how much lower the cutoff will fall. The answer varies sharply by programme as the 2025 data below shows.

• BITSAT 2026 has a maximum score of 390 marks (130 questions at 3 marks each).
• B.Pharm at BITS Hyderabad dropped the most in 2025 — a 48-mark fall from 206 in Iteration 1 to 158 in Iteration 2.
• B.E. Computer Science at BITS Pilani dropped 8 marks (320 to 312) — the steepest fall among Pilani B.E. programmes.
• Most M.Sc. programmes across all three campuses dropped by only 1 to 4 marks between iterations.
• BITSAT 2026 Iteration 2 cutoffs are expected on the official website around July 6, 2026.

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What Are BITSAT Iterations?

BITS Pilani releases seat allotments in two rounds. In Iteration 1 all available seats are offered to students in merit order. Students who accept their Iteration 1 seat can still participate in Iteration 2 to upgrade to a better programme or campus. When they upgrade their original seat goes back into the pool, adding to seats left over from students who declined Iteration 1 outright. The result is a second pool that is smaller but still contested, which is why Iteration 2 cutoffs are lower — by amounts that vary sharply from programme to programme.

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BITS Pilani — Iteration 2 vs Iteration 1 Cutoffs (2025)

The table below shows closing BITSAT scores for BITS Pilani campus in both iterations for 2025. All figures are out of 390.

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BITS Goa — Iteration 2 vs Iteration 1 Cutoffs (2025)

BITS Goa cutoffs sit 10 to 30 marks below BITS Pilani across equivalent programmes. The inter-iteration drop pattern is similar but generally smaller in magnitude.

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BITS Hyderabad — Iteration 2 vs Iteration 1 Cutoffs (2025)

BITS Hyderabad generally has the lowest cutoffs of the three campuses. The B.Pharm drop here was the largest of any programme across all campuses in 2025.

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Programmes with the Biggest Score Drop in Iteration 2 (Based on 2025 Data)

The table below ranks programmes by absolute score drop between BITSAT 2025 Iteration 1 and Iteration 2 closing cutoffs, across all three campuses.

B.Pharm at both BITS Pilani and BITS Hyderabad stands out as the clear outlier — with drops of 46 and 48 marks respectively, far ahead of any B.E. or M.Sc. programme. Students specifically targeting B.Pharm who narrowly missed Iteration 1 should note that the Iteration 2 seat pool for this programme opens up far more than any engineering branch.

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Why Some Programmes Drop More Than Others

The size of the Iteration 2 cutoff drop depends on a few key variables:

• Programme desirability as a first choice: B.Pharm is rarely a first-preference for BITSAT applicants. Many students allotted B.Pharm in Iteration 1 decline the seat or upgrade to an engineering programme, creating a large vacancy pool in Iteration 2.
• Seat count relative to demand: Programmes with more seats relative to competing students see bigger drops. B.E. CS has intense demand and limited seats so even freed upgrade seats are absorbed quickly.
• Upgrade behaviour: Students in lower-preference branches like Civil or Chemical Engineering are more likely to upgrade in Iteration 2 than CS students, which frees more seats in those branches and pulls cutoffs down further.
• Campus preference: BITS Pilani is the most sought-after campus so its cutoffs are more stable between iterations. At BITS Hyderabad M.Sc. Mathematics held at exactly 229 in both iterations in 2025 — zero movement.