GATE applications run only through the organising institute's GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS); IIT Madras is the organising institute for the current cycle. Before you open the portal you need three answers: whether your degree and year make you eligible, what you will pay for one or two papers, and which documents and DigiLocker steps the form expects. This page sets those out as the official GATE website and information brochure published them when we last checked, and flags the few places where the two sources do not match. Once the form is in, the Myndaq GATE CS course covers preparation.
Who can apply for GATE
You are eligible if you are in the third or higher year of any undergraduate programme, or have completed a government-approved degree in Engineering, Technology, Architecture, Science, Commerce, Arts or Humanities. The FAQs add that there is no age limit and no limit on attempts. Candidates pursuing or holding a degree higher than those below are also allowed.
Year of study by degree
- B.E. / B.Tech. / B.Pharm. (4 years after 10+2, or 3 after B.Sc. or diploma) - third year or higher, or completed
- B.Arch. (5-year) and Naval Architecture or Planning (4-year) - third year or higher, or completed
- B.Sc. (Research) / B.S. (post-diploma or 4 years after 10+2) - third year or higher, or completed
- B.Sc. / B.A. / B.Com. / BCA (3-year) - currently in the third year, or completed
- B.Sc. (Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry) (4-year) - third or fourth year, or completed
- Pharm.D. (6 years after 10+2) - third to sixth year, or completed
- M.B.B.S., B.D.S., B.V.Sc., B.S.M.S., B.A.M.S., B.U.M.S., B.H.M.S., B.N.Y.S. - fifth semester or higher, or completed
- M.Sc. / M.A. / MCA or equivalent - first year or higher, or completed
- Integrated M.E. / M.Tech. (post-B.Sc., 4-year) - first to fourth year, or completed
- Integrated M.E. / M.Tech. / M.Pharm. or dual degree (5-year) - third to fifth year, or completed
- Integrated M.Sc. / 5-year B.S.-M.S. - third year or higher, or completed
- Professional society examinations equivalent to B.E. / B.Tech. / B.Arch. (for example AMIE or AMICE) - Section A or equivalent completed
The FAQ confirms that a lateral-entry diploma holder now in the third year of B.E. is eligible. Professional-society certification counts only if MoE, AICTE, UGC or UPSC has approved it as equivalent to the degree. Being eligible to sit is not being eligible for admission: each admitting institute applies its own criteria, so check the programme or recruitment notice before choosing a paper.
Foreign degrees and foreign nationals
With a degree from outside India, you must be in the third or higher year, or have completed a bachelor's degree of at least three years, in one of the same fields.
The current brochure lists no centres outside India. Foreign nationals and Indian citizens living abroad can apply, but must choose exam cities in India, arrange their own travel and pay the full fee. The fee is published only in rupees. Foreign nationals must show a valid passport, government-issued ID or driving licence.
GATE application fee
As published on the official fees page on 16 September 2026:
- Female, SC, ST and PwD candidates, regular period - ₹1,000 for one paper, ₹2,000 for two papers
- Female, SC, ST and PwD candidates, extended period - ₹1,500 for one paper, ₹2,500 for two papers
- All other candidates including foreign nationals, regular period - ₹2,000 for one paper, ₹4,000 for two papers
- All other candidates including foreign nationals, extended period - ₹2,500 for one paper, ₹4,500 for two papers
One mismatch: the brochure says the two-paper fee is twice the single-paper fee, which in the extended period would mean ₹3,000 and ₹5,000, not the fees page's ₹2,500 and ₹4,500. For two papers in the extended period, go by the amount GOAPS shows.
Rules around these numbers:
- PwD concession needs benchmark disability (40 per cent and higher) under the RPwD Act 2016; SC, ST and PwD candidates must upload a valid certificate to get the concession.
- OBC-NCL and EWS are not in the concession row; the FAQ confirms EWS pays the General fee. Neither uploads a category certificate.
- Bank and service charges are extra and paid by the candidate.
- Payment is by net banking, card, UPI or wallet; enable e-commerce transactions on your card first.
Refunds, failed payments and withdrawal
The fee is neither transferable nor refundable, except that the second-paper fee is refunded if a two-paper combination is removed. Withdrawal brings no refund, and neither does rejection for a non-compliant photo. If money is debited but GOAPS shows no payment, or you pay twice, the amount is credited back to the same account within 15 working days, per the brochure; near a deadline, start a fresh payment rather than wait.
Changing paper, city or category later
After Submit and Proceed to Payment, the form is locked. The FAQ says paper, city and category changes are taken only after the application deadline, for an additional payment; the required-documents page says date of birth is fetched from DigiLocker and cannot be changed during the application process. Per-change charges were not published on the fees page as of 16 September 2026. To add a second allowed paper after paying, use the same enrolment ID; do not register again.
The two-paper rule and allowed combinations
You may write one or two papers on a single form. With two, one is primary and the second must come from the official two-paper combination list; no other pairing is allowed in the regular and extended windows. Combinations may be added or removed later, and the second paper's centre may differ but will be in the same city. The brochure calls its copy tentative. For six common papers:
- CS - DA, EC, GE, MA, ME, PH, RA, ST
- DA - CS, EC, EE, MA, ME, PH, RA, ST, XE
- EC - CS, DA, EE, IN, PH, RA
- EE - DA, EC, IN, PH, RA
- ME - AE, CS, DA, IN, NM, PI, RA, XE
- CE - AE, AG, AR, ES, GE, NM, XE
CS with EE, and CE with ME, appear in neither direction, and Mining Engineering (MN) allows no second paper. The new Robotics and Automation (RA) paper pairs with CS, DA, EC, EE, IN and ME. Torn between CS and DA? See the CS versus DA decision guide.
Registering on GOAPS step by step
- Get a verified DigiLocker account. The website says DigiLocker registration is mandatory for Indian nationals (the brochure says recommended; plan for mandatory). A verified account shows a blue checkmark; if you have two unverified accounts, verify one on DigiLocker first.
- Register and give consent. Name, date of birth, mobile, email, address and verified ID number are fetched from DigiLocker, and the scorecard uses that name. One email address allows one application. Foreign nationals register with name, email, mobile and a password.
- Capture a live photo with a webcam or a phone with at least a 5 MP front camera, in good light.
- Fill in the form: parent or guardian's name and mobile, degree details, college with PIN code, paper choice and exam cities. The exam-cities page asks for six cities from one zone, while the brochure says three; follow the portal. Your first city sets your zone.
- Upload photograph and signature to the specifications below.
- Add certificates in DigiLocker. SC and ST candidates create the folder the portal names (the cycle name with no space) and upload CATEGORY.pdf. PwD candidates upload the UDID card as UDID_CERT.pdf (preferred) or the PwD certificate as PWD_CERT.pdf; if Appendix B1, Appendix B2 or a dyslexia certificate applies, combine it with the PwD certificate into PWD_CERT.pdf. Others upload nothing, and no marksheets are needed.
- Check, submit and pay. Use Save and View Application, then Submit and Proceed to Payment, and keep the PDF of your form.
- Track scrutiny. If your application is marked defective, you are told by email or SMS/WhatsApp and must fix it within the stated time.
Photograph, signature and photo ID
- Photograph - colour, passport size (3.5 cm by 4.5 cm), white background, face covering 60 to 70 per cent after cropping; JPEG or JPG, aspect ratio 0.66 to 0.89, 200 x 260 to 530 x 690 pixels, 5 kB to 600 kB. No glare on spectacles, no caps or sunglasses. The brochure wants a photo under three months old; it appears on your admit card and scorecard.
- Signature - JPEG or JPG, height-to-width ratio 1 : R with R from 2.75 to 3.75, covering 70 to 80 per cent of the image, black or dark blue ink, 250 x 80 to 580 x 180 pixels, 3 kB to 300 kB. A mismatch at the exam can lead to disqualification.
- Photo ID - the brochure accepts Aadhaar (marked preferable), Aadhaar Virtual ID, passport, PAN, voter ID, driving licence or any valid photo ID issued by the central or a state government, and the required-documents page says the same ID verified through DigiLocker must be shown in original at the centre. If Aadhaar has a name or birth-date error, the FAQ says you can pick another verified DigiLocker document, such as PAN or APAAR ID.
Once submitted, turn to the GATE preparation guide for the study plan.
Quick answers
Is there an age limit for GATE?
No, and the FAQ sets no limit on attempts either.
What is the GATE fee for two papers?
₹2,000 (female, SC, ST, PwD) or ₹4,000 (others) in the regular period. For the extended period the fees page shows ₹2,500 and ₹4,500, but the brochure's rule implies more, so pay what GOAPS displays.
Is the GATE application fee refundable?
No, except the second-paper fee when a combination is removed. Duplicate or failed payments are credited back.
Can I take GATE at a centre outside India?
No. The current brochure lists centres only in India; candidates abroad travel to their allotted Indian city and pay the full fee.
