GATE 2027 Eligibility: Who Can Apply, Degree by Degree
GATE 2027 eligibility turns on your degree and your year of study, and nothing else. For an undergraduate degree the floor is the third year, or a completed government approved degree. That floor is an undergraduate rule only: M.Sc., M.A. and M.C.A. students, and post-B.Sc. integrated M.E./M.Tech. students, are eligible from the first year. There is no age limit.
Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, Table 2 (printed page 10). Each statement on this page names the brochure page it comes from.
Updated 16 September 2026
| 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 third 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 third 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 third 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 third/fourth/fifth/sixth 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. | Currently in fifth/sixth/seventh or higher semester or already completed |
| M.Sc./M.A./M.C.A. or equivalent | Master's degree in any branch of Arts/Science/Mathematics/Statistics/Computer Applications or equivalent | Currently in the first 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 first/second/third/fourth 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 third/fourth/fifth year or already completed |
| B.Sc./B.A./B.Com./BCA or equivalent | Bachelor's degree in any branch of Science/Arts/Commerce (3-year program) | Currently in the third 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 third 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 third/fourth year or already completed |
Source: Table 2, “Eligibility Criteria for GATE 2027”, printed page 10 of the official GATE 2027 Information Brochure (143 pages, marked “Revised version, Date: 27th August 2026”), as on 16 September 2026. All twelve rows are copied from the brochure, with three exceptions: line-break hyphenation and spacing are tidied; the asterisk on the Professional Society row is carried as a footnote in the notes above rather than in the cell; and the B.E./B.Tech./B.Pharm. row, which the brochure prints as “3 years after of B.Sc./ Diploma in Engineering/Technology”, is set here as “3 years after B.Sc./Diploma in Engineering/Technology”, the stray word being a typing slip in the source. Nothing else in any cell is changed. The general rule and the professional-society, higher-degree and foreign-degree qualifiers are section 6.1, printed pages 9 and 10.
About this resource
Table 2 of the official GATE 2027 Information Brochure, “Eligibility Criteria for GATE 2027”, printed page 10, is reproduced here in full, all twelve rows, in the brochure's own wording, including the degrees IAE does not teach. A Pharm.D., B.V.Sc., integrated M.Sc. or professional-society candidate can find their own row.
Eligibility for GATE 2027 is set by two things only: the degree you hold or are studying for, and how far into it you are. Section 6.1, printed page 9, states the general rule, a candidate currently studying in the third or higher years of any undergraduate degree program, or who has already completed any government approved degree program in Engineering/Technology/Architecture/Science/Commerce/Arts/Humanities, is eligible to appear for GATE 2027. The Highlights on printed page 2 write the same rule as “3rd or higher years” and “any UGC/AICTE approved degree program”. The two official wordings differ a little. This page follows section 6.1.
Two qualifiers travel with the table and are easy to lose. Section 6.1 continues onto printed page 10 to state that if a candidate is pursuing any higher degree, or has already obtained a degree higher than that mentioned in Table 2, the candidate will be eligible for GATE 2027, so a postgraduate or doctoral student is not excluded by the absence of a matching row. And the asterisk on the Professional Society row points to a footnote on the same page: enrolments with professional bodies and institutions as per MHRD OM (No. 11-15/2011-AR (TS.II)) with permanent recognition up to May 31, 2013 stand recognized. Section 6.1 adds, on printed page 9, that candidates holding such a certification must ensure the examination is approved by MoE/AICTE/UGC/UPSC as equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch./B.Planning.
Candidates who studied outside India are covered by section 6.1, printed page 9, rather than by a row of their own: those pursuing their qualifying degree, or holding a degree from countries other than India, must be currently in the third or higher years, or must have completed their Bachelor's degree of at least three years' duration in Engineering/Technology/Science/Commerce/Arts/Architecture/Humanities.
What's included
- ✓All twelve rows of the official eligibility table, reproduced in full, degree or programme, qualifying degree, and the description of eligible candidates
- ✓The undergraduate floor, and why it is an undergraduate rule only
- ✓The routes that open in the first year: M.Sc./M.A./M.C.A. or equivalent, and post-B.Sc. integrated M.E./M.Tech.
- ✓The one route counted in semesters rather than years
- ✓The professional-society route (AMIE, AMICE and equivalents) and the recognition footnote that governs it
- ✓What section 6.1 adds about a higher degree, and about a degree obtained outside India
- ✓Whether there is an age limit, and what the brochure does and does not say about the number of attempts
- ✓Answers to common eligibility questions, each traceable to a row of the table
How to use this resource
Find the row that names your degree, then read across it. The middle column tells you whether the brochure means your programme; the right-hand column tells you which year or semester you must have reached.
Read the right-hand column word for word. “Currently in the third year or higher” and “Currently in the third year” are different rows: a three-year B.Sc./B.A./B.Com. is listed as the third year with no “or higher”, and M.B.B.S./B.D.S./B.V.Sc. are counted in semesters rather than years.
If no row names your degree, read section 6.1 before assuming you are excluded, a degree higher than any in the table is eligible, a degree from outside India is covered by its own sentence, and a professional-society certification must be approved by MoE/AICTE/UGC/UPSC as equivalent to B.E./B.Tech./B.Arch./B.Planning.
Once eligibility is settled, go to the GATE 2027 application checklist at /resources/gate-2027-application-checklist for the application dates, the fee by category, the rectification window and score validity. This page carries none of them, so that one stays the single place they are kept up to date.
Frequently asked questions
Can a second-year B.Tech. student apply for GATE 2027?+
No. The B.E./B.Tech./B.Pharm. row of the official table reads “Currently in the third year or higher or already completed”, so a first- or second-year undergraduate is not eligible on that route. Read the floor narrowly: it is an undergraduate rule, not the floor for every programme in the table, and M.Sc., M.A. and M.C.A. students are eligible from the first year.
Can a first-year M.Sc. student apply for GATE 2027?+
Yes. The M.Sc./M.A./M.C.A. or equivalent row reads “Currently in the first year or higher or already completed”. Post-B.Sc. integrated M.E./M.Tech. students are also eligible from the first year, their row reading “Currently in the first/second/third/fourth year or already completed”. Both are first-year routes, and the third-year undergraduate floor does not apply to either.
Is there an age limit for GATE 2027, or a limit on the number of attempts?+
There is no age limit. The Highlights on printed page 2 of the Information Brochure state “There is NO age limit to appear for GATE 2027.” On attempts the brochure is silent, a full-text search of all 143 pages returns no occurrence of the word. The official GATE 2027 FAQ page states there is no cap on the number of attempts. The two halves have two different sources, and this page cites them separately rather than attributing both to the brochure.
I am in the third year of a three-year B.Sc. Is that enough for GATE 2027?+
Yes. The B.Sc./B.A./B.Com./BCA or equivalent row covers a bachelor's degree in any branch of Science/Arts/Commerce (3-year program) and reads “Currently in the third year or already completed”. Read that row word for word: unlike the four-year undergraduate rows it says “third year” without “or higher”, because the programme ends there.
When does an M.B.B.S. student become eligible for GATE 2027?+
From the fifth semester. The M.B.B.S./B.D.S./B.V.Sc. row reads “Currently in fifth/sixth/seventh or higher semester or already completed”, the only row in the table counted in semesters rather than years. Pharm.D. after 10+2 is counted in years instead, reading “Currently in the third/fourth/fifth/sixth year or already completed”.
My degree is not listed in the eligibility table. Am I excluded from GATE 2027?+
Not necessarily. Section 6.1 runs from printed page 9 onto printed page 10 to state that if a candidate is pursuing any higher degree, or has already obtained a degree higher than that mentioned in Table 2, the candidate will be eligible for GATE 2027. Candidates who studied outside India are covered by section 6.1 on printed page 9: they must be currently in the third or higher years, or must have completed a bachelor's degree of at least three years' duration in Engineering/Technology/Science/Commerce/Arts/Architecture/Humanities.
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