Can a B.Sc. student give the GATE Exam 2026? - Know Rules and Eligibility Criteria

Can a B.Sc. student give the GATE Exam 2026? - Know Rules and Eligibility Criteria

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Team Careers360Updated on 11 Nov 2025, 05:19 PM IST

Can a B.Sc. student give the GATE Exam 2026? - Yes, a B.Sc student can give the GATE exam 2026. They just have to meet the specific requirements set by the conducting body. To be eligible for the GATE 2026, candidates should hold a bachelor's degree in B.E./B. Tech, M.Sc., B.Arch, B.Sc., and others. GATE does not have any minimum marks to be held, but candidates are advised to score between 60-65% to get admission into top colleges like IITs, NITs, and others. GATE 2026 is scheduled for February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026.

Can a B.Sc. student give the GATE Exam 2026? - Know Rules and Eligibility Criteria
Can a B.Sc. student give the GATE Exam

Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering is a national-level examination in India conducted by IIT Guwahati for admissions in postgraduate engineering and science programmes. In this article, Careers360 discusses the GATE 2026 eligibility, dates, qualifying marks, and others.

GATE Exam Eligibility for B.Sc. Students

Either a B.Sc. student or any degree holder should check the eligibility criteria before applying for the exam. Candidates in their 3rd year or 4th year can also apply for the GATE. Below is a detailed description for the GATE eligibility criteria:

GATE Qualifying Requirements 2026

Degree

Qualifying Requirements

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)

B. Arch.

Bachelor’s degree of Architecture (5-year course)/Naval Architecture (4-year course)/Planning (4-year course)

B.Sc. (Research)/B.S.

Bachelor’s degree in Science (Post-Diploma/4 years after 10+2)

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

M.B.B.S./B.D.S./B.V.Sc.

Professional Medical degree programs - M.B.B.S./B.D.S./B.V.Sc.

M.Sc./M.A./MCA or equivalent

Master’s degree in any branch of Arts/Science/Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent

Int. M.E./M.Tech. (Post-B.Sc.)

Post-B.Sc. Integrated Master’s degree programs in Engineering/Technology (4-year program)

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)

B.Sc./B.A./B.Com.

Bachelor’s degree in any branch of Science/Arts/Commerce (3-year program)

Int. M.Sc./Int. B.S./M.S.

Integrated M.Sc. or 5-year integrated B.S. - M.S. program

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 the Institution of Engineers-India, AMICE by the Institute of Civil Engineers-India and so on)

B.Sc. (Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry)

4-year program

Benefits of Taking the GATE Exam for B.Sc. Students

B.Sc. graduates can take the GATE exam to get admission into PhD and M.Sc. courses. The GATE 2026 allows B.Sc. students to get admission into top colleges like IITs, IISc, and NITs. Some B.Sc. students holding an integrated degree (in technology) are also eligible for M.Tech courses. A good score in GATE can also help students to get jobs in Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). Overall, a B.Sc. students can either take admission into courses like PhD, M.Sc., and M.Tech. or can take a government job in the PSUs from the GATE exam.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How many attempts are allowed for GATE?
A:

There is no restriction on the number of attempts for GATE.

Q: Is there any age limit for B.Sc students appearing for GATE 2026?
A:

No, there is no age limit to appear for the GATE Exam.

Q: Can a B.Sc. students appear for the GATE Exam 2026?
A:

Yes, B.Sc students in their 3rd year or higher, or those who have completed their B.Sc degree, are eligible to appear for GATE 2026.

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Questions related to GATE

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to GATE ?

Hello

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-da-data-science-and-artificial-intelligence-question-papers

Just visit the link I am attaching below, so that it will help you to download and practice the papers, so that you can practice well and score well.

Hope it will help you!!!

Hello dear candidate,

You will not receive another rectification mail unless and until there is still an error in your reuploaded signature. if everything is okay your status will change to accepted on the GATE portal.

My advice is that you should keep checking your application status on the official website of GATE 2026.

Thank you.

Hello,

Visit the below website to download the previous 15 years question paper of GATE exam.

https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/last-15-years-gate-papers-solutions

You'll also get the solutions from it. These question papers will help you a lot in your preparation.

All the best.

This is likely a temporary portal or validation issue, not something you did wrong. When candidates try to change category from GEN to OBC-NCL during the GATE correction window, the system checks required fields and sometimes a supporting certificate or fee is needed. If any required data or document is missing, or the server is busy, the portal can show Something went wrong, please try again. Explain to them that first they should log into the GATE portal, open the Correction tab and confirm which fields are editable and whether a payment or document upload is required for category change. Tell them to clear browser cache or try a different browser/device and retry. If the error persists, advise contacting GATE support or the zonal office with a screenshot and timing of the error so officials can check server logs.

Hello,

The GATE 2026 Agricultural Engineering (AG) paper will have a total of 100 marks. Out of this, 15 marks are for General Aptitude and 85 marks are for core Agricultural Engineering subjects.

The marks are generally distributed among major topics like Engineering Mathematics (12–13 marks), Farm Machinery (10–11), Farm Power (14–15), Soil & Water Conservation (12–13), Irrigation & Drainage (10–12), Agricultural Process Engineering (10–12), and Dairy & Food Engineering (9–10 marks).

The official qualifying marks for GATE 2026 are not yet released. However, based on previous years, the cutoff for the Agricultural Engineering paper is expected to be around 25 marks for General, 22.5 for OBC/EWS, and 16.6 for SC/ST/PwD candidates.

Hope it helps !