GATE 2026 application submission will take place from 25 August to 25 September 2025 at ‘https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/’ Registration can be done during this time frame with no late fee.
This is one of the most well-known exams in India, lot of students appear for this test with a motive to study postgraduation in engineering, technology, science, architecture, and humanities in IITs.
Even certain Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) consider the scores in GATE exam while recruiting people for certain posts, the application submission will start soon.
GATE 2026 Schedule
GATE 2026 application submission will take place from 25 August 2025 to 25 September 2025 with no late fee, as per GATE 2026 schedule. Candidates can submit GATE 2026 application from 25 September to 6 October 2025 with payment of late fee.
GATE 2026 exam will be conducted on 7,8,14 and 15 February 2026. These dates are liable to change due to various reasons, those willing to take up GATE 2026 application submission, can visit the official website to have updates on the schedule. GATE 2026 schedule is being provided below for the sake of the students:
*All dates are liable to change
About the exam
The full name of the exam is Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, its popularly known to all as GATE. It is a national level exam conducted once a year.
GATE 2026 Exam is meant to be conducted for the year 2026. The GATE score obtained by the candidates will remain valid for a period of three years from the date of announcement of results.
GATE score is also used by some colleges and institutions for admission to postgraduate programs. Several Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have also been using GATE score for recruitment.
The exam is conducted by IITs and IISc Bangalore on behalf of National Coordination Board – GATE, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education of Government of India.
GATE 2026 Application Submission Eligibility
Candidates who have completed graduation in the relevant discipline from a recognized educational institution can submit GATE 2026 application.
The bachelors degree can be from the field of Engineering, Technology, Science, Architecture/and Humanities.
Even those who have appeared for their qualifying degree exam and are waiting for the results or are about to appear for the final exams can also take up GATE 2026 application submission.
However, these people have to pass the exam and provide a proof for it by the time the admission process begins. More details are provided below:
| Before filing an application, candidates are advised to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria for GATE 2026.
Candidates who are currently studying in the 3rd or higher years of any undergraduate degree program or who have completed any government approved degree program in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Science/Commerce/Arts/Humanities are eligible to appear for GATE 2026.
Some Professional Societies*/Institutions, which conduct examination in various fields of engineering, are given below.
- The Institution of Engineers (India) (IE)
- The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
- The Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (IETE)
- The Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI)
- The Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, including Polymer and Environmental Group (IIChE)
- The Indian Institute of Metals (IIM)
- The Indian Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIIE)
Candidates who possess certification from any such professional societies must ensure that those examinations are approved by MoE/AICTE/UGC/ UPSC as being equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch./B.Planning, etc.
Candidates who have obtained/are pursuing their qualifying degree from countries other than India: Candidates must be currently in the 3rd or higher years or must have completed their Bachelor’s degree (of at least three years duration) in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Science/Commerce/ Arts/Humanities.
Any candidate fulfilling the above-mentioned criteria is eligible to appear for GATE 2026.
More details of eligibility criteria are given below.
NOTE
- Candidates pursuing any higher degree or in possession of a degree higher than that mentioned in the table below, will be allowed to appear for GATE 2026.
- Candidates with B.Sc./B.A./B.Com. degrees (3-year program) desirous of seeking admission to Master’s programs in IITs and IISc.
| Degree/Program |
Qualifying Degree/Examination |
Description of Eligible Candidates |
| B.E./B.Tech./B. Pharm. |
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Technology (4 years after 10+2 or 3 years after B.Sc./Diploma in Engineering/Technology) |
Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed |
| B. Arch. |
Bachelor’s degree of Architecture (5-year course)/Naval Architecture (4-year course)/Planning (4-year course) |
Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed |
| B.Sc. (Research)/B.S. |
Bachelor’s degree in Science (Post-Diploma/4 years after 10+2) |
Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed |
| Pharm. D. (after 10+2) |
A Professional Pharmacy doctoral program of 6 years duration after 10+2 which includes 1 year of internship or residency |
Currently in the 3rd/4th/5th/6th year or already completed |
| M.B.B.S./B.D.S./B.V.Sc. |
Professional Medical degree programs – M.B.B.S./B.D.S./B.V.Sc. |
5th/6th/7th or higher semester or already completed |
| M.Sc./M.A./MCA or equivalent |
Master’s degree in any branch of Arts/Science/Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent |
Currently in the 1st year or higher or already completed |
| Int. M.E./M.Tech. (Post-B.Sc.) |
Post-B.Sc. Integrated Master’s degree programs in Engineering/Technology (4-year program) |
Currently in the 1st/2nd/3rd/4th year or already completed |
| Int. M.E./M.Tech./M.Pharm. or Dual Degree (after Diploma or 10+2) |
Integrated Master’s degree program or Dual Degree program in Engineering/Technology (5-year program) |
Currently in the 3rd/4th/5th year or already completed |
| B.Sc./B.A./B.Com. |
Bachelor’s degree in any branch of Science/Arts/Commerce (3-year program) |
Currently in the 3rd year or already completed |
| Int. M.Sc./Int. B.S./M.S. |
Integrated M.Sc. or 5-year integrated B.S. – M.S. program |
Currently in the 3rd year or higher or already completed |
| Professional Society* Examinations (equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch.) |
B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch. equivalent examinations of Professional Societies, recognized by MoE/UPSC/AICTE (e.g. AMIE by Institution of Engineers-India, AMICE by the Institute of Civil Engineers-India and so on) |
Completed Section A or equivalent of such professional courses |
| B.Sc. (Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry) |
4-year program |
Currently in the 3rd/4th year or already completed |
*Students enrolled with the professional bodies and institutions as per MHRD OM (No. 11-15/2011-AR (TS.II)) with permanent recognition upto May 31, 2013, stand recognized. Please see circular No. 13/56/PC/ODL-Mode/AICTE/2020, Dated November 23, 2020 for more details.
|
GATE 2026 application submission process
GATE 2026 application submission can be done at the official website which is accessible with the URL ‘https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/’
- The URL mentioned above must be typed into the browser and submitted to allow the webpage to download.
- Once the webpage is ready, candidates can click the information brochure to know about the exam.
- After knowing about the exam, candidates can click the the button APPLICATION PORTAL, this button is located at the right side top corner, below the URL bar. This button is also positioned at the bottom end of the webpage, just scroll down to access it.
- Clicking either one of the above buttons will open another webpage with another URL
- When the webpage with another URL opens, candidates can click the link for registration and register to create an account with username and password.
- Post account creation, candidates can login and start taking up GATE 2026 application submission (filling the application form).
- The registration fee has to be paid, documents have to be uploaded and the form can be submitted.
Documents
Candidates have to attach these documents while submitting GATE 2026 application and their details are mentioned below:
$ High quality image of candidate’s photograph conforming to the requirements specified
$ High quality image of candidate’s signature conforming to the requirements specified
$ Scanned copy of Category (SC/ST) certificate in pdf format
$ Scanned copy of PwD Certificate in pdf format
$ Scanned copy of Certificate of Dyslexia (if applicable) in pdf format
$ Scanned copy of any of the valid photo Identity document: Aadhar-UID (preferable), Passport, PAN Card, Voter ID and
$ Driving License (should have Name, Date of birth of the candidate and unique Photo ID number. This must be carried in original to the examination hall for verification).
GATE 2026 Application Submission Fee
This is about the fee to be paid while taking up GATE 2026 application submission, candidates from Female/SC/ST/PwD* candidates (per test paper) have to pay Rs 1000 from August 25 to September 25, 2025, the same for these people will be Rs 1500 if paying from September 26 to October 06, 2025.
All other candidates including foreign nationals (per test paper) have to pay Rs 2000 if paying between August 25 to September 25, 2025, the same is Rs 2500 if paying between September 26 to October 06, 2025. More details about GATE 2026 application submission fee is mentioned in the table below for the sake of the students:
*PwD means Persons with Benchmark Disability.
- The above Application fees are for a single test paper. Candidates opting for two papers would have to pay twice the above mentioned fees.
How to download the admit card?
The process to download admit card for GATE 2026 exam is online. Candidates have to visit the official website to download the hall ticket with the help of URL ‘https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/’
- The URL mentioned above has to be typed into the browser and submitted to allow the website to download.
- Once the website is ready, candidates have to click the link to download the hall ticket.
- After clicking the link, they can enter their roll number/application number and other required details and submit them to obtain the hall ticket.
Point to remember
Candidates who have successfully completed their GATE 2026 application submission will alone be able to download the admit card. The link to download hall ticket will be made active at the appropriate time, a few days before the commencement of the exam.
Exam Pattern
GATE 2026 exam will be conducted in online mode and the questions have to answered on a computer screen at the test centre.
Those who have completed their GATE 2026 application submission can focus on exam preparation, they can know the exam pattern.
The duration of the exam will be 3 hours and number of subject papers are 30.
The questions will be asked in two sections, while one section has questions related to General Aptitude which may be common to all candidates.
Next section has questions from the subject chosen by candidates while taking up GATE 2026 registration. More details are present below:
| Mode of Examination |
Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Language of examination |
English |
| Duration |
3 Hours* |
| Number of papers (Subjects) |
30 test papers |
| Sections |
General Aptitude (GA) + Candidate’s Selected Subject(s) |
| Type of Questions |
(a) Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)
(b) Multiple Select Question (MSQ)
(c) Numerical Answer Type (NAT) |
| Testing of abilities |
(a) Recall
(b) Comprehension
(c) Application
(d) Analysis & Synthesis |
| Distribution of Marks in all Papers EXCEPT papers AR, CY, DA, EY, GE, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH, and XL |
General Aptitude: 15 marks
Engineering Mathematics**: 13 marks
Subject Questions: 72 marks
Total: 100 marks
(**XE includes Engineering Mathematics section XE-A of 15 marks) |
| Distribution of Marks in papers AR, CY, DA, EY, GE, GG, MA, PH, ST, XH, and XL |
General Aptitude: 15 marks
Subject Questions: 85 marks
Total: 100 marks |
| Marking Scheme |
Questions carry either 1 mark or 2 marks |
| Negative Marking |
For a wrong answer chosen in an MCQ, there will be negative marking.
For a 1-mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.
For a 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer.
There is no negative marking for wrong answer(s) to MSQ or NAT questions.
There is no partial marking in MSQ. |
Exam Centers
The test centres will be located across the country. Candidates have to choose the centres for writing the exam while taking up GATE 2026 application submission.
Candidates have to choose exam centres carefully, as chances to alter them at a later stage may not be provided.
Applicants must make sure they have completed their GATE 2026 application submission and download the hall ticket and keep it ready by the time the exam day arrives.
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The list of test centers for GATE 2026 would be informed in the due course, on the official website of the exam. Candidates can visit the website regularly to know more information.
Point to remember
GATE 2026 application submission is just one part of the whole effort to gain admission into postgraduate courses. There is a lot of things that happen after GATE 2026 exam registration.
Applicants have to pass the exam with the required qualifying marks which are also known as cutoff marks, these are the minimum marks the candidates have to score in the exam to be eligible for the next phase of admission.
Score of the candidates, have to either greater than cutoff or equal to it to be eligible for the next stage of the process. Also, students must ensure there is no room left for errors while taking up GATE 2026 application submission.
Committing mistakes while taking up GATE 2026 application submission may later on lead to rejections, so the applicants have to exert caution while filling the application forms.
They should also have the required documents with them when they attend admission process, the documents that have been uploaded while taking up GATE 2026 application submission must be carried along with them when the admission process is on.
Point to remember 2
The details provided above in connection with GATE 2026 exam may change as the time moves ahead due to various reasons. Candidates can visit the official website of the exam mentioned above regularly for updates.
