The GATE 2026 official qualifying marks will be made available by IIT Guwahati on its official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The qualifying marks for different subjects like CS, EC, ME, EE will be different. Cutoff for the general category is usually higher than other reserved categories.
- The GATE cutoff is of two types: qualifying cutoff that is the minimum score for clearing the exam and admission cutoff which is the minimum marks to take admission in top IITs, NITs, and GFTIs.
- The expected qualifying marks for general category for CS can range between 30–33, for EC 29–32, ME 37–40, and EE 26–29.
- This value has been increased in comparison to 2025 because of the increasing competition.
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In this article, we will discuss the expected qualifying marks for general category for different subjects, compare it with the previous year and do analysis of both.
| GATE Cutoff 2025 for IIT Bombay |
| GATE Cutoff 2025 for IISc Bangalore |
| GATE Cutoff 2025 for IIT Ropar |
| GATE Cutoff 2025 for IIT Dhanbad |
Key Summary
- On the basis of previous year cutoff trends and coaching analysis, the expected GATE 2026 can be CS: 30–34, EC: 29–32, ME: 37–40, and EE: 26–29.
- Mechanical Engineering cutoff is expected to be higher is expected due to its scoring nature and large number of candidates.
- Electrical Engineering cutoff can have lower qualifying marks because of tougher numerical and analytical questions.
- The question paper difficulty directly impacts the GATE cutoff 2026 while there are various other factors also that affect it.
GATE Cutoff 2026 Expected: For Different Branches
GATE Cutoff 2026 are different for different branches because the difficulty level, competition, and score distribution of each paper are different. The expected cutoffs 2026 are analyzed on the basis of the previous year qualifying marks for General category for different branches.
- Mechanical Engineering (ME) has the highest qualifying marks because it is the high-scoring paper with a large number of candidates.
- Electronics & Communication (EC) has a slightly less qualifying marks because of the technical depth and difficulty of the paper.
- Electrical Engineering (EE) has the lowest cutoff because of the tough and low average questions.
| Branch | GATE 2026 General Qualifying Marks (Expected) |
|---|---|
| Computer Science (CS) | 30–34 |
| Electronics & Comm. (EC) | 29–32 |
| Mechanical Engineering (ME) | 37–40 |
| Electrical Engineering (EE) | 26–29 |
| Civil Engineering (CE) | 30–33 |
Ques. What is the cut off score for GATE 2026?
Ans. The GATE expected cutoff 2026 can be 25 to 36 but this number may change when the official cutoff will be released.
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Check out this YouTube video by @GATE Wallah to get a complete explanantion on the safe marks, expected cutoffs, and ranks required for admission into top institutes like IIT / NIT / IISC / PSUs Recruitment.
GATE Previous Year Cutoff for General: Branch Wise
GATE previous year cutoffs for the General category has variation in every branch. It shows a change in the difficulty of paper and performance by candidates every year. By analysing cutoff trends from 2021 to 2025, here is the expected cutoff for GATE 2026 provided for branches such as CS, EC, ME, EE, and CE.
- The Computer Science (CS) branch cutoff is different each year. According to the previous years trends’ it is expected to rise 30–34 in 2026.
- Electronics & Communication (EC) has almost remained stable but there is some increase in the difficulty level so the cutoff can be higher this year.
- Mechanical Engineering (ME) has an increase in 2025 due to a scoring paper, that’s why it may increase in 2026.
- Electrical Engineering (EE) has a lower cutoff marks in past few years due to the tougher numerical and analytical questions. So it may remain lower this year also.
- Civil Engineering (CE) is in the mid-range, with little so it can be balanced this year too.
| Branch | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (Expected) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science (CS) | 26.1 | 25 | 32.5 | 27.6 | 29.2 | 30–34 |
| Electronics & Comm. (EC) | 25.0 | 25 | 29.9 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 29–32 |
| Mechanical Engineering (ME) | 33.0 | 28.1 | 28.4 | 28.6 | 35.8 | 37–40 |
| Electrical Engineering (EE) | 30.3 | 30.7 | 25.0 | 25.7 | 25.0 | 26–29 |
| Civil Engineering (CE) | 29.2 | 30.4 | 26.6 | 28.3 | 29.2 | 30–33 |
Check: What is the rank of 40 marks in GATE?
Impact of Difficulty on Cutoff
The difficulty level of the GATE question paper plays an important role to decide the cutoff role for every branch. When the question paper difficulty level is high, the cutoff will be lower and if the paper difficulty is low then the cutoff will be higher. The cutoff value changes every year.
| Exam Difficulty Level | Expected Effect on Cutoff | Example Case |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to Moderate | Cutoff increases | GATE 2023 EE cutoff increased due to easier paper sections |
| Moderate | Very small variation | GATE 2024 overall trend is mostly stable |
| Tough | The cutoff significantly drops | GATE 2022 ME & CE cutoffs dropped due to tricky questions and a lengthy paper |
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Ques. How many attempts for GATE 2026?
Ans. There is no limit on the number of attempts for GATE 2026.
GATE Cutoff Marks for IIT & NIT Admissions
GATE cutoff marks for IIT and NIT admissions are usually very high in comparison to the qualifying cutoff decided officially. The cutoff for different IITs, NITs are not the same. Here is the expected cutoff for various top IITs and IITs for different branches.
| Institute Type / Target Branch | Top IITs (IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur) | New/Lower IITs | Top NITs (Trichy, Warangal, Surathkal) | Other NITs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSE / IT | 65–75 | 55–62 | 58–68 | 45–55 |
| Mechanical (ME) | 60–70 | 50–58 | 52–60 | 40 – 48 |
| Electrical (EE) | 55–65 | 48–55 | 50–58 | 38–45 |
| Electronics (EC) | 58–68 | 48–56 | 50–60 | 40 – 48 |
| Civil (CE) | 50–58 | 42–50 | 45–55 | 35–42 |
Reddit Discussion
Users on Reddit are discussing the lowest GATE CS cutoff for 2026. A user from general category who want to qualify for top NITs and IIITs in CS want to know the lowest cutoff. Various other users replied in the comment section with their thoughts on the topic. A user replied
- 1-500: top-7 IITs
- 500-1000: top-3 NITs + Tier 2 IITs (Indore, BHU, Patna) ofcourse IITs will be in the higher bracket of 500-1000
- 1000-2000: IIIT Blr
Ques. What is the difference between marks and score in GATE?
Ans. GATE score is calculated out of 1000; whereas GATE marks are calculated out of 100.
Ques. What is a good rank in GATE 2026?
Ans. GATE rank of below 200 is considered to be good. Such candidates can take admission top IITs and PSU Bangalore.
Ques. How many members applied for GATE 2026?
Ans. Over 1 million candidates have applied for GATE 2026 which is highest number in comparison to the previous years.
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