GATE score to PSU jobs and IIT M.Tech admission: how GATE 2027 scores are used, COAP, CCMT and cut-offs

Which PSUs recruit through GATE?

The GATE 2027 opportunities page lists 25 PSUs that "have been using" GATE scores, including AAI, BHEL, Coal India, GAIL, IOCL, NTPC, NPCIL, ONGC and POWERGRID. IIT Madras calls the list "not exhaustive". It is not a list of current openings. Each PSU decides every year whether to use GATE.

We read each PSU's own latest advertisement. Four had a GATE-based drive we could confirm:

Notes from the advertisements:

• NTPC advertised 515 Engineering Executive Trainee posts (Electrical 165, Mechanical 210, Electronics/Instrumentation 125, CS/IT 15), with 65% in B.E./B.Tech. and an upper age of 27.
• POWERGRID needs 60% and qualification in the matching GATE paper. Its GATE 2027 notice puts the CTC at about ₹11 lakh a year in training and ₹22.5 lakh after.
• GAIL advertised 70 posts in Chemical, Instrumentation, Electrical and Mechanical. The interview pass mark was 60% for UR, OBC and EWS.
• NPCIL gave the GATE score no weight in the final list. The interview pass mark was 70% for UR and 60% for reserved categories. It advertised 330 posts across six disciplines.

Two big names that moved to their own tests

• ONGC hired Engineers and Geologists at E1 in 2026 through its own computer-based test (Advt. No. 2/2026), weighted 85% CBT and 15% interview, at ₹60,000 to ₹1,80,000.
• BHEL hired Engineer Trainees through its own computer-based exam (Advt. 03/2025), weighted 75% exam and 25% interview.

Which PSUs have announced GATE 2027 recruitment?

• NTPC wants Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation and CS. It says "GATE marks of previous years or any other examination shall not be accepted".
• GAIL wants Chemical, Electrical, Instrumentation and Mechanical. Only 2026 graduates or 2026-27 final-year students may apply, aged up to 26 on 18 March 2027. Its window closes on 18 March 2027, a day before GATE results, so you apply with your GATE 2027 registration number.
• POWERGRID wants EE, CE, CS and EC, with an upper age of 28 on 31 March 2027.
• NPCIL wants Chemical, Civil, CS, Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation and Mechanical.

Not yet announced: as of 28 October 2026 we found no GATE 2027 notice from the other PSUs on the GATE list, including IOCL, BHEL, ONGC, Coal India and AAI. Watch their careers pages from March 2027.

GATE score validity: three years for M.Tech, one year for most PSUs

The GATE 2027 brochure says the score is "valid for THREE YEARS from the date of announcement of results". For M.Tech, a GATE 2027 score can be used in the 2027, 2028 and 2029 admission cycles. COAP 2026 and CCMT 2026 both accepted GATE 2024, 2025 and 2026 scores.

PSUs set their own rule. NTPC, GAIL and POWERGRID have taken only the current year's GATE for each drive. NPCIL is the exception.

GATE marks vs GATE score

Your scorecard shows two numbers:

• Marks out of 100. In multi-session papers, such as CS and CE in GATE 2026, these are normalised so that a harder session does not hurt you.
• GATE score out of 1,000. Your paper's General qualifying mark maps to 350, and the average of the top 0.1% (or top 10, whichever is larger) maps to 900.

IIT cut-offs, COAP and CCMT use the score. POWERGRID and GAIL shortlist on marks out of 100, and NPCIL on the score. The formula is in the brochure and in our GATE 2027 guide.

IIT M.Tech admission through COAP

COAP, the Common Offer Acceptance Portal, is where IITs and IISc put up M.Tech offers. It is not an application form. You apply on each IIT's own M.Tech portal, give your COAP registration number, and decide on offers on COAP. Registration is free.

COAP 2026 was run by IIT Roorkee for IISc and 23 IITs, including IIT Gandhinagar, plus NPCIL for jobs. Each year the previous year's GATE organiser runs COAP. The brochure says MoE guidelines need at least 70% weight on GATE where an institute also uses a test or interview.

The three options (COAP FAQs):

• Accept and Freeze: you take this offer and leave the process. No later offers from any COAP institute or PSU.
• Retain and Wait: you hold this offer and wait for a better one. Allowed only twice for the same offer.
• Reject and Wait: you decline this offer and wait for others.

If you take no action in a round, all your offers that round count as rejected. You choose afresh each round.

COAP 2026 schedule (last cycle, from IIT Delhi's notice and the COAP dates page): Round 1 ran from 11 May (10 am) to 13 May 2026 (9 am). Rounds 2 to 4 followed weekly, and Round 5, the decisive round, ran from 6 to 10 June 2026. Additional rounds 6 to 10 ran from 13 June to mid-July, and Round 10 closed on 13 July 2026 after an extension. COAP 2027 dates are not out as of 28 October 2026.

NIT and IIIT M.Tech through CCMT

CCMT is one application and one choice list for NITs, IIEST Shibpur and some IIITs and CFTIs, including SVNIT Surat. Seats are allotted on GATE score. The CCMT 2026 schedule for regular rounds:

Special rounds and a National Spot Round came after. After each round you pick Freeze (keep the seat), Float (upgrade to any higher choice) or Slide (upgrade only within the same institute). From the CCMT 2026 brochure: registration fee ₹3,500 (₹3,000 for SC, ST and PwD), seat acceptance fee ₹30,000 (₹10,000) and partial admission fee ₹10,000 (₹5,000). CCMT 2027 dates are not out.

IIT M.Tech cut-offs: what a few IITs published for 2026

Some IITs publish their GATE score cut-offs. A few from 2026, General category:

• IIT Madras (2026 cut-offs): 900 for the CS programme (OBC-NCL 796, SC 625), 860 for Data Science, 760 for Civil, 730 for an Electrical programme and 674 for a Mechanical programme.
• IIT Mandi (COAP 2026-27 cut-offs): 651 for M.Tech CSE and 585 for VLSI.
• IIT Delhi Electrical (2026 criteria): a minimum of 475 for most of its M.Tech streams. That is a shortlisting floor, not a closing score.

Cut-offs depend on the programme, your degree and your GATE paper.

M.Tech scholarship with a GATE score

The GATE 2027 site puts M.Tech assistance at ₹12,400 a month, generally for 22 months, under the AICTE PG Scholarship (GATE/GPAT). Direct Ph.D. students get ₹37,000 a month for two years, then ₹42,000. The admitting institute manages it and decides how many students get it.

What a GATE 2027 candidate should do now

1. Registration is closed. IIT Madras shut the last window at 10:29 am on 16 October 2026.
2. Fix any flagged defect by 31 October 2026. The important dates page now lists 31 October as the last day for scrutiny-defect rectification, up from 21 October. Check GOAPS.
3. Pick your PSU paper. POWERGRID takes EE, CE, CS and EC only. NTPC adds ME and IN; GAIL takes CH, EE, IN and ME.
4. Note the exam days. City allotment comes on 4 January 2027, the exam runs from 6 to 21 February 2027 and results come on 19 March 2027 (notifications).
5. Apply to GAIL between 17 February and 18 March 2027, before results.
6. Plan for May to July 2027. Last cycle, COAP rounds ran from 11 May to 13 July 2026 and CCMT registration opened on 15 May 2026.
7. Keep your GATE 2027 admit card and scorecard. POWERGRID asks for both at every stage.

Where to go next

• Dates, syllabus and pattern: GATE 2027 exam guide
• Exam overview: GATE on CareerBox
• The degree: M.Tech / M.E. course guide
• Gujarat options: IIT Gandhinagar (COAP) and SVNIT Surat (CCMT)
• Latest updates: CareerBox News