IIT Kharagpur Admission Through GATE: M.Tech in AI, CSE and PhD Routes

The 2026-27 JMP brochure describes IIT Kharagpur as the first IIT, set up at Hijli in West Bengal. It started in the old Hijli jail building, and the main building with its tower was inaugurated in 1956. The brochure lists 21 departments, 26 centres and 12 schools.

Two academic units decide most of what a GATE DA or GATE CS taker can do here.

• The Department of Artificial Intelligence, set up in 2018, runs the M.Tech in Artificial Intelligence (course code AI). Its core theory courses are Foundations of Machine Learning, Algorithmic and Mathematical Foundations of AI, Deep Learning Foundations and Applications, and AI Foundations and Applications, with machine learning, data engineering and deep learning labs.
• The Department of Computer Science and Engineering, formed in 1980, runs the M.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering (course code CS). Its core courses are Algorithm Design and Analysis, Foundations of Computing Science and High Performance Computer Architecture, plus a computing lab and a design lab.

Both programmes include a project that takes a full year. If you are deciding whether to apply this far from home, the first thing to know is that the paper you write limits which of the two you can enter.

IIT Kharagpur splits seats into major and minor GATE papers. Table 4.10 of the 2026-27 eligibility sheet gives these figures.

Programme	Major papers (seats)	Minor papers (seats)	Total	Selection
M.Tech in Artificial Intelligence (AI)	DA, CS (27)	EC, EE (9)	36	GATE score
M.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering (CS)	CS (76)	none	76	GATE score

So a GATE DA taker cannot apply to the Computer Science and Engineering M.Tech, because only CS is listed. The Artificial Intelligence M.Tech is the main DA route, and it takes CS takers too. Your degree must also match. For both programmes the sheet lists degree codes A, D, F and H: a B.E./B.Tech, an M.Sc. with Mathematics at both +2 and B.Sc. level, an MCA with Mathematics at both levels, or a four-year BS. Each programme also lists the qualifying disciplines it accepts. The application form only shows choices whose degree, discipline and GATE paper combination is allowed, as the JMP FAQ explains.

A few other programmes list DA or CS as a minor paper. Examples are Signal Processing and Machine Learning (EE5, minor DA and EC), Cyber Physical Systems (AT3, minor CS and DA) and Operations Research and Data Analytics (IM1, minor papers including CS and DA). Some of these add an interview. The Mathematics department's M.Tech in Computer Science and Data Processing takes MA as its major paper, not DA or CS.

The brochure is clear on order: register on the Common Offer Acceptance Portal (COAP) first, because the JMP application asks for your COAP registration number. COAP 2026 was hosted at coap2026.iitr.ac.in. The JMP FAQ says GATE scores from 2026, 2025 or 2024 were accepted.

The JMP website's tentative 2026 schedule:

Step	2026 date
GATE 2026 results	19 March
COAP registration opens	24 March
Application portal	31 March to 19 April
Interviews (only for interview-based courses)	2 to 10 May
COAP Round 1	11 to 13 May
COAP Round 9	4 to 6 July
Additional round fee window	24 to 27 July

Between rounds, there was a short window to pay fees for accepted offers. If you choose Accept and Freeze for an IIT Kharagpur offer, the brochure asks for a seat booking fee of Rs. 30,000. The application fee was Rs. 500 for GE/OBC/EWS male and transgender candidates and Rs. 250 for all female, PwD, SC and ST candidates. You list course choices in order of preference, so put Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science and Engineering in the order you actually want them.

In 2026 IIT Kharagpur also announced additional M.Tech seats for 2026-27 under its Platinum Jubilee scheme, filled through the regular GATE process. Applicants who had not yet received an offer were asked to watch their email.

The JMP site publishes a programme-wise cut-off sheet each year. The figures below are GATE scores out of 1000, copied from the JMP 2026 GATE Score Cut-off and the JMP 2025 GATE Score Cut-off sheets. For Artificial Intelligence, the major column covers the DA and CS papers together.

Programme (papers)	Year	GEN	EWS	OBC	SC	ST	PWD
Artificial Intelligence (major: DA, CS)	2026	754	738	705	522	431	430
Artificial Intelligence (major: DA, CS)	2025	764	747	708	589	436	317
Computer Science and Engineering (CS)	2026	808	754	746	561	529	377
Computer Science and Engineering (CS)	2025	781	757	711	598	473	343

The PWD figure is a single column in the sheet and is not split into major and minor. The Artificial Intelligence minor column (EC and EE) printed 609, 585, 557, 434 and 346 for GEN to ST in 2026. The brochure warns that cut-offs vary from year to year and should be read only as rough guidelines, and that no enquiry about them will be entertained.

For JMP 2026-27, the brochure asked for at least 60% marks or a CGPA of 6.5 on 10 (GE/OBC/EWS), or 55% or CGPA 6.0 (SC/ST/PwD), in the qualifying degree. CGPA is not converted to percentage if your college awards CGPA. Final-year students can be selected provisionally, but every part of the examination must be finished before joining, and the marksheet or certificate had to reach the institute by 30 September 2026.

Regular M.Tech students received an assistantship of Rs. 12,400 a month. An assistantship admission here rules out another assistantship admission on the same GATE scorecard. The "joint" in JMP means that students with CGPA 8.0 or above at the end of the first year can take a written test and/or interview to move into the PhD. Those selected finish the two-year M.Tech requirements first, and both degrees are awarded together.

Two other routes skip GATE: B.Tech students of IITs with CGPA 8.00 or above apply for direct admission, and sponsored applicants apply under their own category.

PhD admission at IIT Kharagpur does not run through JMP. The rolling PhD admission page keeps applications open all year, and each academic unit processes them at least once a quarter. The Departments of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science and Engineering are both listed in the PhD brochure.

The brochure's rules for a regular candidate with an institute assistantship:

• With an M.Tech or MS (by Research), GATE is not mandatory.
• With a B.Tech/B.E./B.S. from an IIT or CFTI at CGPA 8.0 or above, GATE or NET is not mandatory. The same applies to institutes with a current overall NIRF rank of 25 or better.
• Other bachelor's degree holders need a valid GATE score, and the unit may set its own cut-off above qualifying.

The Departmental Academic Committee shortlists on academic record for a written test, offline or online, and/or a personal interview, offline or online. The fee is Rs. 1,000, or Rs. 500 for SC/ST/PwD/women candidates. The rolling page also announces a Director's fellowship of Rs. 80,000 a month for the first two years for GATE 2026 top-50 rankers who choose a PhD here.

JMP queries go to jmp@adm.iitkgp.ac.in, and the portal is at gateoffice.iitkgp.ac.in/jmp. PhD queries go to rs_phd@adm.iitkgp.ac.in.

1. Choose your paper with the table above in mind. GATE DA leads to the Artificial Intelligence M.Tech, while GATE CS leads to both it and the Computer Science and Engineering M.Tech.
2. Prepare with how to prepare for GATE DA 2027 or how to prepare for GATE CSE 2027, and practise with previous year questions.
3. When GATE 2027 results come out, register on COAP first, then apply on the JMP portal before it closes. Check the 2027-28 brochure and eligibility sheet, since papers and seats can change.
4. If you are also applying to IIT Kanpur, read its process on the IIT Kanpur page.

GATEiit has no link with IIT Kharagpur. Always confirm dates on the official JMP site.