IIT (ISM) Dhanbad Admission Through GATE: M.Tech in AI & Data Science, CSE and PhD

The M.Tech brochure places IIT (ISM) in Dhanbad, Jharkhand (PIN 826004), which it calls the coal capital of India. It gives the distances plainly: 260 km from Kolkata, 160 km from Ranchi, with the nearest airports in Kolkata, Durgapur and Ranchi, and the campus 3 km from Dhanbad railway station, where taxis and autos run round the clock. If you are flying in from the south, those three airports are the ones to plan around. The admission page also posts a 2026 notice on shuttle services from the station.

The institute was set up in 1926 and, in the PhD brochure's words, declared an IIT on 6 September 2016. Two departments carry the routes a GATE DA or GATE CS taker will care about:

• Computer Science and Engineering runs the M.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering (code CS) and the M.Tech in Artificial Intelligence & Data Science (code AI), plus a PhD.
• Mathematics and Computing runs the M.Tech in Data Analytics, which is split into an MA stream and a DA stream, plus PhDs in Mathematics and Statistics.

Table 2 of the 2026-27 brochure names the GATE papers and Table 4 the seats. For the three programmes a DA or CS taker can enter:

Programme (code)	GATE papers	Seats (UR/SC/ST/OBC-NCL/EWS)	Total
Artificial Intelligence & Data Science (AI)	DA, CS, EC, EE	12/5/2/8/3	30
Computer Science and Engineering (CS)	DA, CS, EC, EE	16/6/3/11/4	40
Data Analytics, DA stream	DA, CS	3/1/1/2/1	8
Data Analytics, MA stream	MA, ST	4/1/1/3/1	10

The qualifying degree for AI and CS is a 4-year B.E., B.Tech or B.Sc.(Engg.) in Computer Science or a related discipline, IT, or a range of electronics and electrical branches. Data Analytics is wider: it accepts a 4-year B.Tech in Mathematics and Computing, CSE, IT, Data Science or AI, an M.Sc. in Mathematics, Statistics or Computer Science, an MCA, and 5-year integrated degrees in these areas.

GATE DA also appears outside computing. The Electrical Engineering programmes in Power System Engineering, Power Electronics & Electrical Drives and Intelligent Control and Instrumentation list EE, EC, IN and DA, though their degree requirement is an electrical or related B.Tech.

For GATE candidates the brochure asks for a bachelor's in engineering or a master's in science with at least 60% or a CGPA of 6.0, or 55% or 5.5 for SC and ST candidates. Candidates must be Indian nationals. Equivalent degrees awarded by professional bodies, such as the Institution of Engineers (India), are not eligible.

Selection is simple to describe. Admission for GATE candidates is made on GATE score, and when two scores are equal the older candidate gets preference. GATE candidates sit no written test or interview for the M.Tech; the brochure mentions a test or interview only for sponsored candidates.

Two other modes exist. Holders of a B.Tech from an IIT with a CGPA of 8.0 or above can apply without GATE and are reviewed by the department on supernumerary seats. Sponsored candidates with two years at their employer can apply too, within a cap of 20% of sanctioned seats. Both apply through the IIT (ISM) portal rather than COAP.

The 2026-27 cycle ran like this, according to Table 5 of the brochure and the admission page.

Step	Date
Online application on the IIT (ISM) portal	24 March to 19 April 2026
COAP 2026 registration opens	24 March 2026 (tentative)
COAP counselling	as per the COAP 2026 schedule
Reporting at IIT (ISM) Dhanbad	21 July 2026 (tentative)
Semester begins	27 July 2026 (tentative)

You have to do both: register on COAP, because seat allotment is made there, and apply on the institute portal. The institute asked candidates to register on COAP before applying. You can apply for more than one programme and list up to 10 preferences; the fee is per programme, Rs. 600 for UR, EWS and OBC candidates and Rs. 300 for SC, ST, PwD and transgender candidates.

If the 2027 cycle follows the 2026 pattern, the call will appear on the same admission page after GATE 2027 results. The GATE 2027 hub has the exam dates.

The admission page links a GATE cut-off PDF for each session. The non-PwD figures for the three programmes, as printed, are below. They are GATE scores out of 1000.

Programme (code)	Session and round	UR	OBC	EWS	SC	ST
AI & Data Science (AI)	2026, Round 1	754	698	730	579	586
AI & Data Science (AI)	2026-27, Round 10	667	640	667	503	395
AI & Data Science (AI)	2025, Round 10	685	632	664	483	390
Computer Science and Engineering (CS)	2026, Round 1	762	698	739	597	506
Computer Science and Engineering (CS)	2026-27, Round 10	683	632	681	502	423
Computer Science and Engineering (CS)	2025, Round 10	711	689	701	535	430
Data Analytics, DA stream	2026, Round 1	799	682	blank	644	442
Data Analytics, DA stream	2026-27, Round 10	681	632	671	502	411
Data Analytics, DA stream	2025, Round 10	702	629	645	491	393

Read them with care. Each figure is one programme's cut-off for that round, not a per-paper figure, so a DA score and a CS score are ranked on the same list. Each round's PDF is a separate snapshot, and in 2026 the Round 10 figure is lower than the Round 1 figure wherever both are printed. The PDFs also carry PwD columns, which are left out here, and a blank cell means nothing is printed. None of this predicts the 2027 numbers.

The PhD brochure for 2026-27 lists Computer Science and Engineering in the engineering stream and Mathematics and Computing in the science stream, with Mathematics and Statistics as separate disciplines.

For the CSE PhD, the brochure accepts an M.Tech or M.E. in Computer Science or a related discipline, or a B.E., B.Tech, M.S., MCA or M.Sc. with a GATE qualification in DA, CS, EC or EE, or NET in the listed subjects. The Mathematics discipline accepts a B.Tech in Mathematics and Computing, CSE, IT, Data Science or AI, or a master's in these areas, under the general GATE or NET rule.

GATE or NET is not mandatory if you hold an M.Tech with first class or 60%, or a B.Tech with a CGPA of 8 from a CFTI or from an institution in the NIRF Overall top 100. Final selection is on the interview, normally held in person at the department, though the brochure allows online interviews if needed. Departments may add shortlisting criteria and publish them with the interview calls.

The 2026-27 call (Institute Assistantship category) ran from 6 to 31 May 2026, with interviews on 22-24 June and physical reporting on 16 July 2026.

The brochures give aradm@iitism.ac.in, the Assistant Registrar (Admissions), as the email for withdrawals and admission matters. The M.Tech admission page and the COAP counselling page on admissions.iitism.ac.in carry notices and the cut-off archive.

A sensible order of work for a DA or CS aspirant:

1. Prepare with the GATE DA plan or the GATE CSE plan, and practise on past papers.
2. When the 2027 call opens, register on COAP and apply on the IIT (ISM) portal, listing AI, CS and the Data Analytics DA stream in your own order of preference.
3. Keep your OBC-NCL or EWS certificate in the central format; the 2026 brochure wanted it issued on or after 1 April 2025.
4. Track COAP rounds closely, since the published cut-offs show how much a programme can move between rounds.

Pages for other national IITs include IIT (BHU) Varanasi and IIT Kharagpur, or browse Institutes.