CUSAT CAT 2026 Round 1 vs Round 2 vs Final Round Cutoff: Branch-Wise Closing Score Drop

CUSAT CAT 2026 round-wise cutoffs show that Naval Architecture and Ship Building, Civil Engineering, and Safety and Fire Engineering saw the steepest closing score drops across rounds, with students ranked nearly 2,700 positions lower securing seats in the Final Round compared to Round 1.

As CUSAT CAT 2026 counselling progresses through its allotment rounds, the minimum score needed to secure a branch falls with each successive round. A rising closing rank signals a falling minimum score — so tracking this shift tells waitlisted students which branches offer a realistic second or third chance. The analysis below is based on CUSAT CAT 2025 trends and reflects expected 2026 patterns. Official round-wise closing ranks will be published on the admissions portal after each round.

• CUSAT CAT 2026 counselling runs across Round 1, Round 2, and the Final (Mop-up) Round — seats unfilled in each round carry forward to the next.
• Based on 2025 data, Naval Architecture closing rank rose by approximately 2,724 positions from Round 1 to Final Round — the largest shift across all branches.
• Civil Engineering and Safety and Fire Engineering both showed closing rank rises above 2,200 positions, placing them in the very high score-drop category.
• CSE showed the smallest score drop across rounds, with a rank shift of only around 392 positions — making Round 1 critical for students targeting this branch.
• Reserved-category students (OBC, SC, ST) see considerably higher closing rank numbers in every round, translating to a lower minimum score requirement than General category.

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How CUSAT CAT 2026 Round-wise Cutoffs Work

CUSAT CAT 2026 seat allotment happens in multiple rounds. In each round, Cochin University allots available seats to students based on their rank, branch preference, and category. Seats left vacant after Round 1 carry into Round 2, and remaining vacancies move to the Final Round.

The closing rank is the highest (numerically largest) rank that received a seat in a given branch and round. When the closing rank rises between Round 1 and Round 2, lower-scoring students have received admission — meaning the minimum score needed to secure that branch has fallen. The bigger the rank jump from Round 1 to Final Round, the bigger the score drop. Branches like Civil Engineering and Naval Architecture carry the most vacant seats into later rounds, which is why their cutoffs relax the most. High-demand branches like CSE rarely have leftovers, keeping their score drop small across all three rounds.

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CUSAT CAT 2026 Round 1 vs Round 2 vs Final Round Cutoff Table

The table below lists expected closing ranks for CUSAT CAT 2026 General category students, based on 2025 trends. Official 2026 figures will be released at admissions.cusat.ac.in after each allotment round is completed.

All figures are expected based on CUSAT CAT 2025 trends. Official 2026 closing ranks will be published at admissions.cusat.ac.in after each round.

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Branches with the Biggest Closing Score Drop Across Rounds

Naval Architecture and Ship Building recorded the largest closing rank rise of approximately 2,724 positions from Round 1 to the Final Round in 2025. The estimated score drop corresponding to this rank shift is around 45 to 55 marks. Students ranked as low as 5,851 secured seats in the Final Round, compared to rank 3,127 in Round 1 — a dramatic relaxation that makes this branch a strong target for students who missed the first round.

Safety and Fire Engineering followed with a rank rise of about 2,480 positions and an estimated score drop of 40 to 50 marks. Civil Engineering saw a rise of over 2,200 positions. These three branches consistently carry surplus seats into the mop-up round. Mechanical Engineering also showed a significant drop, with ranks rising by about 1,774 positions and an estimated score relaxation of 28 to 38 marks.

At the opposite end, CSE recorded a rank rise of only 392 positions — the smallest movement of any branch. Its estimated score drop of 8 to 12 marks across rounds is negligible. Students targeting CSE must secure a seat in Round 1; waiting for later rounds carries high risk with minimal reward.

Score drop estimates are derived from 2025 CUSAT CAT rank-to-score trends and are expected figures for 2026.

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Category-wise Cutoff Variation Across Rounds

Reserved-category students see higher closing rank numbers in every round, which means a lower minimum score is required. For SC and ST students, closing ranks in the Final Round for Naval Architecture and Civil Engineering can cross 10,000 to 15,000, meaning scores in the lower range are sufficient for admission in these branches.

Category-wise data is expected based on 2025 patterns. Official 2026 round-wise cutoffs will be released at admissions.cusat.ac.in.

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What Waitlisted Students Should Know

The round-wise data points to a clear strategy for students who did not receive their preferred branch in Round 1. Students targeting Civil Engineering, Naval Architecture, Safety and Fire Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering should actively participate in Round 2 and the Final Round — these branches show the steepest cutoff relaxation and regularly have seats available even in the mop-up stage.

For CSE and ECE, the score drop is minimal across rounds. Students allotted these branches in Round 1 should accept and not decline in hopes of a better outcome later — the Final Round cutoff for CSE is only marginally lower and the risk of losing the seat outweighs any potential benefit.

Before Round 2 begins, CUSAT publishes a vacancy list on the admissions portal. Branches with more than 10 percent of seats still vacant after Round 1 almost always show a meaningful score drop in Round 2. Checking this vacancy list is the most reliable way to gauge how much the cutoff might shift for your target branch.