IIT Bombay Admission Through GATE: M.Tech CSE, MS by Research and PhD

The 2026-27 brochure describes a campus of 220 hectares at Powai, Mumbai, with Vihar and Powai lakes on either side. It has 18 hostels. If you are applying from Chennai, Hyderabad or Bengaluru, the main question is whether your programme needs you there for a test.

For a GATE DA or CS aspirant, three units matter.

• The Department of Computer Science and Engineering runs the M.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering (code CS), an MS by Research and a PhD.
• The Centre for Machine Intelligence and Data Science (C-MInDS) runs the MS by Research in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and a PhD in Machine Intelligence and Data Science. It does not run an M.Tech.
• Several M.Tech programmes in other units list GATE DA: Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IE&OR), Systems and Control Engineering, Geoinformatics and Natural Resources Engineering (GNR), Biomedical Engineering, and Climate and Sustainability.

The CSE M.Tech accepts GATE CS only. A GATE DA score does not get you into it.

The Academic Office M.Tech page hosts the brochure and the online application. You submit only one application but can choose up to 10 preferences, with each specialisation counted as one option. Applicants in the TA, TAP, RA and RAP categories must register on COAP, which IIT Roorkee organised for 2026-27, and admission offers are made through it.

Step	2026-27 cycle (Autumn Semester)
Advertisement	20 March 2026
Online form available	25 March 2026
Last date without late fine	10 April 2026
Last date with late fine	16 April 2026, 5:00 pm
Lists for written test/interview	23 April 2026
Spot admissions (if required)	28 to 31 July 2026
Reporting and orientation	22 July 2026
Instruction begins	27 July 2026

The application fee was ₹150 for women and SC/ST/PwD candidates and ₹300 for all others, rising to ₹650 and ₹800 in the late-fine period. Fees are non-refundable.

Candidates admitted as Teaching Assistants (TA) are considered for ₹12,400 a month for up to 24 months, for 8 hours a week of teaching assistance. A valid GATE score is mandatory for TA. Other categories include TAP, RA and RAP (three-year), sponsored, and IIT Bombay staff.

IIT Bombay splits its M.Tech programmes into two groups, and the 2026-27 schedule names them.

Direct admission on GATE score only (TA category): AE, CH, CE1, CE2, CE4, CS, CM, EE1, EE2, EE5, EE6, EE7, ESED, IO, MMM, MM and SC. No written test or interview is held for GN, EWS, SC, ST, OBC-NC or PwD candidates. Offers follow the COAP 2026 rounds. Computer Science and Engineering, IE&OR (IO), Systems and Control (SC) and Control and Computing (EE2) all sit in this group.

Written test and/or interview after GATE shortlisting (TA category): BM, GS, PG, ET, EE3, DESE, ME, GNR, TD, CE3, CE5, CE6, CE7 and the MS by Research programmes in CSE, C-MInDS and KCDH. The schedule says hostel accommodation may be available from 8 May to 30 June 2026 for these candidates.

For a southern applicant, this decides travel. The CSE M.Tech and IE&OR select on GATE score alone. GNR and Biomedical Engineering hold a test or interview, listed by the Academic Office as VC or offline mode.

The brochure also says SC and ST candidates are offered direct admission solely on their GATE score and preferences. IIT graduates with CGPA/CPI of 8.00 or more are exempt from GATE and may be admitted through a written test and/or interview. For CSE, a non-CS IIT B.Tech holder using this exemption cannot be admitted under TA/TAP.

Table A.5.3 of the 2026-27 brochure gives the qualifying GATE papers; the admission routes below list them in full.

M.Tech programme (code)	GATE papers listed, 2026-27	Qualifying degree
Computer Science and Engineering (CS)	CS only	B.E./B.Tech in any engineering discipline, 4-year BS, M.Sc. in any science or mathematical discipline, or MCA
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IO)	24 papers, including CS, DA, MA and ST	B.E./B.Tech/AMIE in any engineering discipline, or M.Sc. in any science
Systems and Control Engineering (SC)	AE, ME, EE, EC, IN, CH, DA, MA	B.E./B.Tech/AMIE in any engineering discipline
Geoinformatics and Natural Resources Engineering (GNR)	15 papers, including CS, DA, MA and ST	B.E./B.Tech/B.Arch/B.Plan/AMIE/M.Sc./MCA
Biomedical Engineering (BM)	21 papers, including CS, DA, MA and ST	B.E./B.Tech in any engineering discipline, or M.Sc. in any science

The CSE degree rule is broad: a mechanical or civil graduate with a strong GATE CSE score is eligible. The general rule across IIT Bombay is 60% or a CGPA of 6.0 (55% or 5.5 for SC/ST/PwD) in the qualifying degree.

The Academic Office publishes a minimum GATE cut-off sheet for 2026-27 for TA categories. Its cut-off page is clear about what these numbers are: the cut-off "is merely for applying to M.Tech. Programme", and academic units may raise it for the written test or interview depending on applications. They are minimum qualifying scores, not closing scores. OBC-NC is set at 0.9 of GN and SC/ST at 0.6666 of GN. All are GATE scores out of 1000, as printed.

Programme	GATE paper(s) as printed	GN/EWS	OBC-NC	SC/ST
Computer Science and Engineering	CS	600	540	400
IE&OR	CS,EC,EE,IN,MA,ST,DA	650	585	433
Systems and Control Engineering	AE,IN,EE,ME,EC,CH,DA,MA	500	450	333
GNR	CS+DA	450	405	300
Biomedical Engineering	DA (and CS, separate rows)	400	360	267

For the programmes with a test, a separate 2026-27 sheet gives the number of GN applicants called. GNR planned to call 200 GN candidates from the CS + DA group at a minimum of 450, and Biomedical Engineering 80 each from CS and DA at 400. Candidates are called from the top of the list.

No closing GATE scores for CSE direct admission were published on these pages.

The MS by Research brochure for 2026-27 shares the M.Tech application form and dates. Eligible applicants are shortlisted on GATE score, then take a written test and an interview. Admission uses a total score with 70% weight on the GATE score and 30% on the shortlisting test and interview. SC and ST candidates are offered direct admission on GATE score.

• MS by Research in Computer Science and Engineering: eligibility matches the CSE M.Tech, and a valid GATE CS score is required except for IIT B.Tech holders with CGPA/CPI of 8.00 or more.
• MS by Research in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (C-MInDS): a valid GATE score in AE, BM, BT, CE, CH, CS, CY, DA, EC, EE, ES, IN, MA, ME, MN, MT, PH, PI, ST, XE or XL. Any engineering degree, a 4-year BS or BSc (Honours), an M.Sc. in science, statistics or mathematics, or an MCA qualifies. All applicants above the institute cut-off take the written test.

For a GATE DA taker, this is the closest IIT Bombay has to a data science master's. Coursework covers computing, probability and statistics, AI/ML, linear algebra and optimisation.

The Ph.D. brochure 2026-27 sets two cycles a year, Autumn and Spring.

CSE: a B.E./B.Tech in any engineering discipline, an M.Sc. in any science, or an MCA needs a valid GATE score, a CSIR, UGC, DAE, DST, DBT or NBHM qualification, or two years of work experience. M.Tech, M.E. or MS holders apply on their degree. Shortlisted candidates take a written test and interview. IIT CSE/IT graduates of the last five years with CPI of 8 or more, and IIT/IISc master's graduates in CSE/IT with 9 or more, can ask for a written-test waiver by emailing pgadm@cse.iitb.ac.in before the last date.

C-MInDS: B.E./B.Tech, M.Sc. or 4-year BS applicants need a valid GATE score, a 4- or 5-year IIT, IISc or IISER degree (or an ISI master's) with CPI of 8.00 or more, or two years of work experience. All applicants take the written test.

For the Spring 2026-27 intake, C-MInDS listed applications until 17 October 2026, a written test in person at IIT Bombay on 1 November, interviews on 2 and 3 November, and joining on 1 January 2027.

M.Tech and MS by Research queries go to pgadm@iitb.ac.in and PhD queries to phd_unit5@iitb.ac.in, as listed in the brochures. C-MInDS takes admission questions at admissions@minds.iitb.ac.in. Research admissions are posted on the Academic Office research page.

1. Decide your paper with this split in mind. GATE CS opens the CSE M.Tech, IE&OR, GNR and EE2, among others. GATE DA opens IE&OR, Systems and Control, GNR, Biomedical Engineering and the C-MInDS MS by Research, but not the CSE M.Tech.
2. Prepare with how to prepare for GATE DA 2027 or how to prepare for GATE CSE 2027, previous year questions and practice sets.
3. Register on COAP early, then use your 10 IIT Bombay preferences carefully in the late-March to mid-April window.

Dates and cut-offs above are from 2026-27; check the next brochure when published. See all institutes, including IIT Delhi.