Aerospace Engineering GATE Cutoff 2026: Branch-Wise Qualifying Marks & Counselling Schedule

Aerospace Engineering GATE Cutoff 2026: General category qualifying marks settled at 29.8, OBC-NCL/EWS at 26.8, and SC/ST/PwD at 19.8. The Aerospace Engineering GATE cutoff is the minimum score required to qualify for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), a national-level examination conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on behalf of the Ministry of Education. These 2026 qualifying marks, officially released by IIT Guwahati on March 28, 2026, are crucial for M.Tech admissions and PSU recruitment, showing a minor increase from the 2025 General category cutoff of 28.9.

GATE 2026 Qualifying Marks for Aerospace Engineering

The table below presents the official qualifying cutoff marks for Aerospace Engineering (AE) in GATE 2026 across different categories, as released by IIT Guwahati.

Key Dates for GATE 2026 Examination

Candidates preparing for or having appeared in GATE 2026 should note the following important dates for the examination and application process.

GATE 2026 COAP and CCMT Counselling Timeline

The counselling process for M.Tech admissions through GATE 2026 involves both COAP (Common Offer Acceptance Portal) for IITs and CCMT (Centralised Counselling for M.Tech/M.Arch/M.Plan) for NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs.

Aerospace Engineering GATE Cutoff: Three-Year Trends

Analyzing the GATE Aerospace Engineering cutoff over the past three years provides insight into the fluctuating minimum marks required for qualification across various categories.

FAQs

Q: What is considered a good GATE score for Aerospace Engineering?

A: For admission to top IITs, a GATE score of 700+ is generally considered safe for most papers. For NIT admissions, a score of 600+ is typically safe for competitive branches like Aerospace Engineering. Consistently scoring 35+ marks in mock tests usually places a candidate well above the qualifying cutoff.

Q: How is the GATE Aerospace Engineering cutoff determined?

A: The GATE Aerospace Engineering cutoff is influenced by several factors, including the overall difficulty level of the exam paper, the total number of candidates who appeared for the exam, the number of available seats in participating institutes, and the previous year’s cutoff trends. These factors collectively determine the minimum qualifying marks.

Q: What is the difference between GATE qualifying cutoff and admission cutoff?

A: The GATE qualifying cutoff is the minimum score required to simply pass the GATE exam and become eligible for counselling and PSU applications. The GATE admission cutoff, on the other hand, is the minimum score required by individual institutes (like IITs or NITs) for admission to their specific M.Tech programs, which is often higher than the qualifying cutoff.

Q: Can I get into an IIT with a low GATE Aerospace Engineering score?

A: While challenging, admission to IITs with a lower GATE score (e.g., 500-600) might be possible in newer IITs (like IIT Hyderabad, IIT Indore) or top NITs (like NIT Trichy, NIT Warangal), depending on the candidate’s category and specific program availability. Scores below 500 generally lead to options in other NITs, IIEST Shibpur, or state universities.

Q: Who is the organizing institute for GATE 2026?

A: The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) is the organizing institute for GATE 2026. The GATE examination is administered jointly by IISc Bangalore and the seven older IITs on a rotational basis.

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms. He was instrumental in building Collegedunia from the ground up, shaping its product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection, content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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