IIT Madras is the organising institute of GATE 2027, the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering that IISc and the IITs hold in turn for the National Coordination Board of the Ministry of Education. The exam is on 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 February 2027, over three weekends instead of the usual two, and the result is scheduled for 19 March 2027. This cycle brings the first full revision of the syllabus in five years and a new paper on Robotics and Automation. Registration closed in October, and the paid correction window was open from 10 to 14 November.
GATE 2027: the schedule
| Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration opened on GOAPS | 2 September 2026 |
| Registration without late fee closed | 5 October 2026 (first set for 27 September) |
| Registration with late fee closed | 12 October 2026, with a special window on 15 and 16 October |
| Rectification of defects flagged by scrutiny (no fee) | 14 October to 30 November 2026 |
| Data correction window (with fee) | 10 to 14 November 2026 |
| Exam city allotment | 4 January 2027 |
| Admit card | To be announced on the GATE website |
| Exam | 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 February 2027 |
| Result | 19 March 2027 |
IIT Madras notes that the dates can change. The paper-wise timetable, which tells which paper falls on which day and session, is published on the GATE 2027 website.
What is new this year
- Robotics and Automation (RA): a new paper, for students of robotics, mechatronics, automation and the branches close to them.
- Revised syllabus: the syllabus of the papers has been revised for the first time in five years. Download the 2027 syllabus of your paper from the website instead of using an old one.
- Textile Engineering and Fibre Science: it is now a section of the Engineering Sciences (XE) paper and is no longer a paper of its own. The section codes of XE, XH and XL have changed.
- Three weekends: the exam is spread over six days in February.
With RA, there are 30 papers. A candidate can take one paper, or two from the combinations IIT Madras allows. All papers are in English only.
NAAC A++
NIRF #2 (2025)Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1969View details
NAAC A++
NIRF #4 (2025)Jamia Millia IslamiaNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1920 · 239 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #5 (2025)University of DelhiNew Delhi, DelhiAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, JEE MainEst. 1922View details
NAAC A
NIRF #6 (2025)Banaras Hindu UniversityVaranasi, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1916 · 1300 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #10 (2025)Aligarh Muslim UniversityAligarh, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, NET/JRF, NEET UGEst. 1920View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #18 (2025)University of HyderabadHyderabad, TelanganaAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1974 · 2000 acresView details
NAAC A++
NIRF #37 (2025)Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar UniversityLucknow, Uttar PradeshAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1996View details
NAAC A+
NIRF #77 (2025)Central University of PunjabBathinda, PunjabAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2009 · 500 acresView details
NAAC A+
NIRF #79 (2025)Tezpur UniversityTezpur, AssamAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 1994 · 262 acresView details
NAAC A
NIRF #82 (2025)Mizoram UniversityAizawl, MizoramAdmission: CUET UG, CUET PG, NET/JRFEst. 2000View detailsWho can take GATE 2027
- Students in the third year or a higher year of an undergraduate degree.
- Anyone who has completed a degree approved by the Government in engineering, technology, architecture, science, commerce, arts or the humanities.
- There is no age limit and no minimum mark for appearing. Institutes that admit on GATE set their own marks rules for admission.
The test
GATE is a computer based test of three hours. Every paper has a General Aptitude part that is the same for everyone, and the rest of the paper is on the subject. Questions are of three kinds: multiple choice with one right answer, multiple select with one or more right answers, and numerical answers typed in. Only the multiple choice questions carry negative marking.
Why GATE matters at Central Universities
A valid GATE score is the main route into M.Tech. and M.E. programmes at the IITs, the NITs and many Central Universities, and it counts for direct PhD admission too: JNU, for one, interviews GATE candidates as a separate category in its PhD admission. M.Tech. seats of many institutes are filled through the CCMT counselling on the GATE score. A score stays valid for three years from the result, so a final-year student who sits GATE 2027 can use it in the admissions of 2027, 2028 and 2029. The GATE page of this site collects the steps of the exam and the M.Tech. and PhD admission notices of Central Universities that take it.
What comes next
- Till 30 November: candidates whose application was flagged for a defect fix it in GOAPS, at no fee.
- 4 January 2027: exam city allotment.
- Before the exam: the admit card, on the date IIT Madras announces.
- February 2027: the exam, then the answer key with a challenge window, and the result on 19 March.
How the registration ran, with the fee per paper, is in GATE 2027 registration, and what could be changed in November is in the GATE 2027 correction window.
