The expected safe score for General category students in IISER Pune is estimated to be around 160+ marks out of 240 in the IAT (IISER Aptitude Test) 2026.
- The expected cutoff rank for IISER Pune general category is estimated to be around 165-200.
- IISER Pune usually has the highest cutoff marks amongst all the IISERs.
- Since IISER Pune requires a significant top rank, a score above 130-160 marks can make the student eligible to fall within top 600-700 rank.
Related Links:
- IISER Pune Courses & Fees 2026
- IISER Pune: Admission 2026, Fees, Courses, Cutoff, Ranking, Placement
- List of Top Colleges in India Accepting IISER Based on 2026 Ranking

Key Summary
- For a general category student, a score around 160+ marks out of 240 is expected to be a safe score to secure admission in IISER Pune.
- With this score, a student can within a rank range of 600-700, which is eligible to get into IISER Pune.
- To secure an admission in IISER Pune, the expected cutoff mark for general category is approximated to be around 165-200.
- The cutoff score is higher in comparison to other IISERs as the competition is higher and the student pool is competitive.
IISER Pune 2026 General Category Cutoff
The key pointers for IISER Pune 2026 General Category Cutoff is listed below:
- The expected cutoff rank range for general category to secure 2026 admissions in IISER Pune is approximated to be around 600-700.
- The expected cutoff marks is estimated to be 165-200 out of 240, while the safe score is expected to be any score above 170 marks.
| Expected Cutoff Rank Range | Within 600 - 700 |
|---|---|
| Expected Cutoff Marks | 165 - 200 |
| Expected Safe Score | 160+ |

Ques. What are the minimum marks to get into IISER Pune?
Ans. IISER Pune has the highest cutoffs amongst all the other IISERs. Hence, a score above 10 marks is the minimum required to secure admission in IISER Pune. Since the lowest cutoff score was 159 last year (in 2025), the expected minimum score is approximated to be above 160 marks, and the rank range is given between 600-700, which is eligible for admission in IISER Pune.
Ques. Is IISER Pune a tier 1 college?
Ans. Yes. IISER Pune is widely considered a tier 1 college in India. It is a prestigious institution that takes in only a limited number of competitive students every year based on IAT exam results.
IISER Pune 2025 Cutoff (Category-wise)
The cutoff marks for IISER Pune 2025 is given below based on the student’s category.
- For a general student, the cutoff mark range in 2025 was 159-206 out of 240 marks.
- Hence, we can infer that the lowest cutoff score for the general category was 159 marks.
- Likewise, the highest cutoff score was 206 marks, which is above 200 marks, which is the expected highest 2026 cutoff score.
| Category | Cutoff Marks Range (2025) |
|---|---|
| General | 159 - 206 |
| OBC - NCL | 139 - 182 |
| EWS | 146 - 179 |
| SC | 114 - 159 |
| ST | 99 - 132 |

Source: Vivek NISER
IISER Pune 2026 Expected Cutoff (Category-wise)
The expected cutoff marks for IISER Pune 2026 can be estimated based on the previous year trends and the student’s category.
- For a general student, the expected cutoff mark range is considered as 165-200 out of 240 marks.
- Hence, we can infer that the lowest cutoff score for the general category is estimated to be 165, which is higher than the previous year score of 159 marks.
- On the other hand, the highest expected cutoff score is 200 marks which is lower than 200 marks, which was the highest 2025 cutoff score.
| Category | Expected Cutoff Marks Range (2026) |
|---|---|
| General | 165 - 200 |
| OBC - NCL | 140 - 160 |
| EWS | 130 - 150 |
| SC | 115 - 135 |
| ST | 110 - 130 |

Source: Vivek NISER
Ques. Is 140 a good score in IISER?
Ans. Yes. 140 is considered to be a competitive score for IISER. For a general category student, a score of 140 marks is rare to secure a seat in IISER Pune. However, the student can try for other IISERs and 140 marks is considered to be a good score for other reserved category students as it can secure admission even at IISER Pune.
Ques. Can I get IISER with 120 marks in IAT?
Ans. Yes. With a score of 120 marks in IAT, you can get admission in IISER. General category students are unlikely to get admission in IISER Pune with 120 marks, however, other reserved category students have an average chance of getting admission in IISER Pune. Admission in other IISERs like IISER Bhopal, Kolkata, etc. is possible for all category students with 120 marks in IAT.
Ques. Can I get any IISER with 80 marks?
Ans. Yes. With a score of 80 marks in IAT, you have a fairly good chance to get admission in newer IISERs like IISER Berhampur, Tirupati, etc.However, securing admission in IISER Pune with 80 marks is unlikely.
Reason for High Cutoff Marks (Expected)
There are four major reasons that contribute to the high cutoff marks of IISER Pune.
- High Prestige: IISER Pune is considered as the flagship institute that takes in the top scoring students as compared to the newer IISERs.
- High-Scoring Pool: Since IISER Pune takes in the best scoring students, the competition is generally between a pool of high scoring students.
- Intense Competition: For general category students, the competition is intense as there is a high number of students enrolling for the exam and there are only 7 IISERs.
- Difficulty Level: The difficulty level of the IAT exam is expected to be higher than or similar to the previous year exams.

Reddit Discussions
The discussions in Reddit among the previous year students and the current students helps us understand what can be expected as the cutoff marks and estimate the safe score.


Source: Reddit








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