AMU Aligarh Admission Through GATE: M.Tech Computer Science & Engineering and PhD

Aligarh Muslim University's main campus is in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, as its contact details give it. Its engineering teaching sits in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, whose Zakir Husain College of Engineering and Technology (ZHCET) awards the B.Tech., M.Tech. and Ph.D. degrees.

For a GATE DA or GATE CSE aspirant the relevant unit is the Department of Computer Engineering, created in 1991. Its own page says it runs a B.Tech. in Computer Engineering, an M.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering with specialisation in Software Engineering, and, from the 2020-21 session, an M.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering with specialisation in Artificial Intelligence, as well as a Ph.D. Research areas listed there include computer networks, artificial intelligence and soft computing, web mining and information retrieval, computer security, multimedia and software engineering.

AMU's separate Department of Computer Science runs MCA, M.Sc. and Ph.D. (Computer Science) programmes. Those are not GATE-based M.Tech routes, so this page concentrates on Computer Engineering.

The department's post-graduate page describes the current programme as "M. Tech. (Computer Science & Engineering) w.e.f. 2022" with specialisations in Software Engineering, Information Security and Computer Networks, and also lists the older M.Tech. (Computer Science & Engineering) with Software Engineering specialisation. Read together with the about page, which mentions the Artificial Intelligence specialisation from 2020-21, the programme is one M.Tech. with several streams rather than separate AI and data science degrees.

For the number of seats, the degree required and the course requirement, the department page simply says "Refer Guide to Admission". AMU publishes that guide each year through its Controller of Examinations admissions website, which the main amu.ac.in menu links as Admissions. This page does not quote seat numbers or eligibility percentages, because no amu.ac.in page states them for the current year.

On GATE papers, none of the AMU pages used here names DA, CS or any other paper for this M.Tech. A candidate with a GATE DA score should confirm in the Guide to Admissions that DA is accepted before relying on it.

AMU does not rank M.Tech applicants on GATE score alone. It runs a departmental admission test, and GATE decides whether you must sit it.

The department's 2025-26 notice split applicants into three lists:

• List A, candidates exempted from the departmental admission test;
• List B, candidates eligible to sit the test;
• List C, candidates found not eligible.

List A was described as "applicable only for GATE qualified candidates with marks more than or equal to the qualifying marks of General Category valid at the time of admission and also as per priority if defined in guide to admission 2025-26". The notice adds that being on List A does not guarantee admission and that all eligibility conditions are verified at the time of admission. Each applicant on the list was also marked Internal (I) or External (E).

So a GATE score helps you skip the test, but only if your marks clear the General category qualifying mark, whatever your category. If your score falls short, or your GATE paper is not accepted, you go through the admission test like any other applicant.

The 2026-27 answer key shows the M.Tech. Computer Science and Engineering admission test was held on 9 June 2026 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, with two question-paper series (A and B) of 100 objective questions each. The department posted the 2025-26 answer key in June 2025 too, so candidates can check their responses soon after the test.

After the test the department publishes a select list and a chance memo list. The 2025-26 select list dated 25 June 2025 gave roll numbers with selection ranks, and noted that the offer was provisional, subject to clearance from the Proctor's office and to the candidate meeting every eligibility requirement. Admission dates, once notified, were not extended.

For the 2026-27 session, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering notified that teaching for first-year PG programmes would begin on 3 August 2026. The department's notice board is where all of these lists appear, so bookmark it once you apply.

The department's Ph.D. page lists research in computer networks, artificial intelligence, data analytics and computer security. It says the admission test has a Part A and a Part B, with the syllabus posted on the page, and that vacancies are shown on the Controller of Examinations website, where the application form and detailed rules are also published.

AMU also runs special Ph.D. drives. Its Visvesvaraya Ph.D. Scheme notification of 26 July 2025 invited applications for 2025-26 for one full-time vacancy each in Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering and Computer Science. Forms closed on 12 August 2025 (18 August with a Rs. 300 late fee), the processing charge was Rs. 1,000, and the notice said a written test followed by a presentation-cum-interview was mandatory.

None of the amu.ac.in pages used here says whether a GATE score exempts a Ph.D. applicant from the written test. Check the current Ph.D. admission rules on the Controller of Examinations site before assuming an exemption.

AMU's published lists for this M.Tech carry roll numbers, ranks and Internal or External labels, not marks. The 2025-26 select list shows only rank labels, and List A shows who was exempted, not the GATE scores. No GATE score or admission-test cut-off for M.Tech. (Computer Science & Engineering) was found on amu.ac.in, so this page shows none. Treat any cut-off figure from an unofficial site with suspicion.

Aligarh is itself a GATE 2027 exam city in the IIT Kanpur zone, along with Agra, per the official city list. The nearest city pages on this site are Agra and Delhi. You will most likely write GATE near home; the AMU admission test is the part that may need travel, and the 2026 answer key does not state where the test was held, so check your admit card.

A workable plan:

1. Watch the Controller of Examinations admissions site from early in the year for the M.Tech form and Guide to Admissions, and check that your degree and GATE paper are listed.
2. Apply even if you expect a GATE exemption, since List A is drawn only from applicants.
3. Prepare for the departmental test as a fallback; the 2026 paper was 100 objective questions in two hours.
4. Follow the department notice board for List A/B/C, the answer key, and the select list.

For GATE itself, use the GATE DA 2027 guide or the GATE CSE 2027 guide, along with previous year questions and practice sets. Department queries go to chairman.ce@amu.ac.in, listed on the contact page.