School Of Advanced Engineering, UPES, Dehradun
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GATE Statistical Report- Candidates preparing for GATE 2027 should check the GATE 2026 statistical report, an official document released by the conducting authority once the exam process is complete. It gives key details such as the total number of registered and appeared candidates, the GATE cutoffs, branch-wise (paper-wise) data, and other GATE exam analysis that helps aspirants understand the competition level. According to the GATE 2026 statistical report, 10,11,719 candidates registered for the exam, of which 7,97,434 candidates appeared. You can also find the GATE statistical report for the last 6 years (2021 to 2026) for the GATE exam in this article, which is useful for comparing GATE previous year statistics and trends. The GATE exam is conducted every year by the IITs and IISc on a rotational basis.
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Candidates who clear the GATE 2026 exam can apply for admission to MTech courses at top institutes in India. Apart from applying for MTech/PhD, they can also apply for jobs at top Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). This will help candidates assess the level of competition and understand where they stand among other aspirants. It also enables them to make informed decisions regarding college preferences, target ranks, and admission strategy.
Candidates can check the following data in this article.
Registered & appeared candidates (2021–2026)
Participation rate of the candidates
Qualified candidates & Qualification percentage
Paper-wise qualifying cut-offs (General category)
Branch-wise participation trends
GATE 2026 papers that are mostly commonly chosen.
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Candidates can check the total number of students who have registered and appeared in the GATE exam over the past 6 years in the table below. This helps aspirants determine the growing competition in the GATE exam.
| Year | Registered Candidates | Appeared Candidates | Participation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
2021 | 882,684 | 711,542 | 80.6% |
2022 | 907,000 | 730,000 | 80.5% |
2023 | 850,000 | 680,000 | 80.0% |
2024 | 870,000 | 690,000 | 79.3% |
2025 | 860,000 | 690,000 | 80.2% |
| 2026 | 10,11,719 | 7,97,434 | 78.2% |
While the number of students who appear for the GATE exam is high, the number of students that qualify in the exam remains very selective. This is indicative of the high standards in the GATE exam. The percentage of students who qualify for the GATE exam remains below 20%.
| Year | Qualified Candidates | Qualification Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|
2021 | 126,813 | 17.8% |
2022 | 132,000 | 18.1% |
2023 | 120,000 | 17.6% |
2024 | 135,000 | 19.6% |
2025 | 127,000 | 18.4% |
| 2026 | 7,97,434 | 19.60% |
Candidates can check the GATE qualifying marks in the table below. To clear the exam and be eligible for the GATE counselling, candidates need to score above the GATE Qualifying marks. Data for the last 5 years for the GATE Qualifying marks is given below.
Paper Code | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
AE | 26.3 | 28.1 | 29.8 | 33.3 | 28.9 | 25.0 |
AG | 25.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 |
AR | 40.9 | 37.3 | 41.0 | 41.5 | 40.0 | 40.0 |
BM | 25.0 | 25.0 | 29.4 | 25.0 | 29.2 | 25.0 |
BT | 30.0 | 35.5 | 31.6 | 38.9 | 28.0 | 25.8 |
CE | 29.2 | 30.4 | 28.3 | 28.3 | 29.2 | 28.7 |
CH | 35.1 | 25.3 | 32.1 | 25.0 | 27.7 | 25 |
CS | 26.1 | 25.0 | 28.3 | 27.6 | 29.2 | 30 |
CY | 36.2 | 27.5 | 26.5 | 25.2 | 25.0 | 25 |
DA | – | – | – | 37.1 | 29.0 | 26.4 |
EC | 25.0 | 25.0 | 29.9 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 26.4 |
EE | 30.3 | 30.7 | 25.0 | 25.7 | 25.0 | 27.7 |
ES | 39.6 | 26.9 | 27.3 | 37.9 | 26.1 | 30 |
EY | 35.7 | 33.4 | 35.9 | 35.8 | 39.5 | 40 |
GE | – | 40.4 | 38.4 | 41.1 | 25.7 | 25 |
GG Geology | 38.9 | 35.9 | 42.5 | 42.0 | 38.4* | 39.3 |
GG Geophysics | 44.8 | 47.7 | 48.7 | 49.0 | 40.0* | 37.1 |
IN | 36.0 | 31.4 | 32.2 | 32.7 | 25.6 | 39.8 |
MA | 29.0 | 27.3 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 34.7 |
ME | 33.0 | 28.1 | 28.4 | 28.6 | 35.8 | 25.2 |
MN | 31.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 30.6 | 29.5 |
MT | 48.5 | 46.2 | 47.5 | 41.0 | 40.0 | 40 |
NM | – | 25.0 | 25.0 | 25.1 | 25.1 | 33.7 |
PE | 51.4 | 34.4 | 37.8 | 42.6 | 31.1 | 40 |
PH | 32.8 | 26.5 | 31.1 | 32.0 | 26.8 | 25.5 |
PI | 35.7 | 31.3 | 30.5 | 30.5 | 35.6 | 36 |
ST | 25.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 26.6 | 30.2 | 30.4 |
TF | 41.8 | 25.0 | 28.7 | 28.1 | 34.7 | 31.5 |
XE | 37.0 | – | – | 35.4 | 35.4 | 31.5 |
XH-All | 29.4–48.5 | – | – | 40.0 | 40.0 | 35.7 to 40 |
XL | 36.0 | 29.9 | 31.8 | 29.3 | 31.3 | 36.3 |
Data regarding the GATE 2026 papers that were mostly chosen by candidates over the last 5 years can be found in this table. While papers like CS and EC remain the most popular, papers such as DA seem to be gaining popularity in recent years.
Major High-Volume Papers – Appeared Candidates (Approximate Trends)
Year | CS | EC | CE | EE | ME | DA |
2021 | ~165,000 | ~85,000 | ~78,000 | ~70,000 | ~65,000 | – |
2022 | ~172,000 | ~88,000 | ~82,000 | ~72,000 | ~68,000 | – |
2023 | ~160,000 | ~83,000 | ~79,000 | ~69,000 | ~64,000 | – |
2024 | ~168,000 | ~82,000 | ~77,000 | ~67,000 | ~62,000 | ~55,000 |
2025 | ~170,000+ | ~81,000+ | ~79,000+ | ~68,000+ | ~62,000+ | ~57,000+ |
Candidates can also refer to the table below to determine the highly competitive GATE 2026 papers.
Rank | Paper | Average Appeared (2021–2025) | Competition Intensity |
1 | Computer Science (CS) | ~165,000 | Extremely High |
2 | Electronics & Communication (EC) | ~85,000 | Very High |
3 | Civil Engineering (CE) | ~79,000 | Very High |
There is a considerable difference between the number of students who qualify in the GATE exam and the total number of MTech seats available for admission. The number of GATE-qualified students will be considerably higher than the number of seats available for admission. Hence, candidates can check the GATE- qualified students vs the available seats data from the table below.
Year | Approx. Total IIT MTech Seats | Qualified Candidates | Seats-to-Qualified Ratio |
2021 | ~11,800 | 126,813 | 1: 10.7 |
2022 | ~12,000 | 132,000 | 1: 11 |
2023 | ~12,200 | 120,000 | 1: 9.8 |
2024 | ~12,500 | 135,000 | 1: 10.8 |
2025 | ~12,700 | 127,000 | 1 10 |
A five-year statistical review of GATE (2021–2025) mentions the GATE exam participation trends, qualification ratios, and stable cut-off patterns across major engineering disciplines. Candidates can refer to the data above to determine how the GATE exam trends have shifted over the years and the competition for the exam.
From 2021 to 2026, GATE has shown high registration numbers indicating the same amount of popularity for the GATE exam.
The participation rate has also remained consistent, at approximately 80% each year.
The qualification percentage remains below 20%, which means that the GATE exam has been highly competitive over the years.
Core engineering branches such as CS, EC, CE, EE, and ME have remained popular over the years. However, newer branches like AI & DA are also being chosen by candidates.
Qualifying cut-offs (General category) across most major papers typically fall within the mid-20 to low-30 mark range.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The GATE Statistical Report mentions data about various topics like total registrations, candidates appeared, participation rate, qualified candidates, qualification percentage, and paper-wise qualifying cut-offs (General category).
Participation in the GATE exam from 2021 to 2025 has remained consistent at around 80%.
Core papers such as Computer Science (CS), Electronics and Communication (EC), Civil Engineering (CE), Electrical Engineering (EE), and Mechanical Engineering (ME) recorded the highest candidate participation across the years.
Yes, GATE Cut-offs vary every year due to a variety of factors such as exam difficulty level, normalisation, candidate's performance and overall competition in the GATE exam.
On Question asked by student community
Hello Students,
Yes, subject-wise GATE mock tests are available. You can refer to the article given below to access the available mock tests and practise for GATE 2027.
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-mock-test
Hello, yes, some PSUs accept GATE CSE scores for software/IT-related roles. IHMCL is one example. In its 2026 System Engineer (ITS) recruitment, B.Tech/B.E. graduates in ECE, CSE, IT, Data Science or AI could apply using GATE CS, EC or DA scores. Other PSUs may have different eligibility rules, so the
Hello, you can use the GATE College Predictor to check colleges based on your GATE score, rank, category and preferred branch: https://engineering.careers360.com/gate-college-predictor
Hello Student,
You can check the relevant resources provided below.
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-question-papers
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/gate-practice-paper-2027
Hope it helps!
Hello Student, your CSE background and 4 years of automotive experience can be useful for an Embedded Systems specialization. However, for an M.Tech , I would be cautious about choosing a fully online/distance programme, as recognition and mode of delivery depend on the university and applicable regulatory rules. I can
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