What is a good score in GATE CSE 2026 exam:The GATE CSE 2026 exam will be held on February 7, 8,14, and 15, 2026, in two shifts for a total number of 100 marks. A 90+ mark is considered as an excellent score in the GATE CSE exam 2026 and with this score it is very likely you can get admission to your desired IIT and get PSU recruitment. A 75 or above out of 100 is also considered a good score in GATE CSE 2026 exam. With 75+ marks in the CSEGATE 2026 exam, you have a high chance of securing admission into your desired specializations in IIT and NIT. In the previous year's GATE Computer Science and Engineering exam, the highest mark achieved by a student in GATE CSE was 90 out of 100, which corresponds to a score of 1000 after the normalization of marks. The expected qualifying GATE 2026 CSE cutoff is 28 for the General category, 25 for OBC/NCL/EWS, and 18 for SC/ST/PwD students. Those who secured the GATE 2026 cutoff will be eligible for MTech admissions 2026 in IITs, NITs, and other colleges through COAP and CCMT counselling.
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What is a Good Score in GATE CSE 2026?

“Good Score in GATE CSE 2026” signifies how much a student has to score in the GATE 2026 Computer Science Engineering exam to secure admission into one of the GATE 2026 participating institutions offering computer science engineering courses. Computer Science Engineering is the most opted paper by the students. 90+ is an excellent score in GATE CSE and 75+ is considered as a good GATE score for CSE.
Based on the previous years’ what is a good GATE score for CSE, we have prepared a table where we have discussed the expected good score in GATE CSE 2026, excellent score in GATE CSE 2026, average GATE CSE scores, and low scores -

After the GATE 2026 CSE exam has been held you can get a tentative idea about the type of score you are getting whether it's a good GATE score for CSE or an average score in GATE CSE from the good score analysis given above. Based on your GATE score analysis 2026, you can predict your admission chances by going through the previous year's GATE admission cutoff for IITs, NITs, and IIITs. There are various GATE 2026 participating colleges that accept good GATE scores. However, there are many NITs also that accept average and low GATE scores for CSE admission.
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GATE Qualifying Marks for CSE 2026

GATE 2026 cutofffor CSE will be released along with the GATE result 2026 on March 19, 2026. You can check out the previous year's GATE CSE cutoff below.

GATE CSE Marks 2026 for All India Rank 1

GATE 2026 CSE Marks for AIR 1 will be announced along with the result. You can check the this year's and previous years highest marks from the table below.

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Factors Determining Good GATE Score for CSE 2026

There are multiple factors that affect what is a good score in GATE Computer Science Engineering 2026. The following are the factors determining a good score in GATE CSE 2026 exam.

• Number of students appearing for GATE 2026 -The higher the number of students appearing for the GATE 2026 exam, the higher competition students will face. This will have an impact on the good GATE score for CSE, thereby increasing it.
• Total number of seats in theGATE 2026 participating colleges-The total number of seats in the participating institutes influences the range of high scores in GATE exam since they are limited.
• Performance of the students who appeared in the exam-The GATE cutoff for CSE increases if the majority of the students appearing for the exam have performed well.
• Reservation-The reservation feature influences the GATE CSE cutoff scores in the institutes as the good scores for the unreserved categories are higher than the reserved categories.
• Difficulty level of the exam-The difficulty level of the GATE exam plays a vital role in determining the cutoff of the institutes. If the question paper 2026 is easy, the good GATE score for CSE will be higher and vice versa.

What is a Low score in GATE CSE 2026?

As per the good score in the GATE CSE 2026 analysis, a 40 marks in GATE CSE is considered a low score. The GATE rank for 40 marks in CSE will be around 1000
as per the GATE marks vs rank CSE, which is quite a low rank. If you got low marks in GATE CSE 2026 you can consider taking admission in colleges accepting low GATE ranks. If you got 40 marks in GATE CSE 2026, you can also take admission to other colleges that offer M.Tech seats without GATE either through merits or state-level entrance exams.

Also Read:How to Get Admission in MTech Courses at IITs, NITs Without GATE Score?

Admission in CSE Programmes through GATE

Students who obtain scores within the GATE 2026 cutoff for CSE are eligible for admission across the GATE participating institutes 2026. The admission process comprises filling an application form of the institute and registering for COAP and CCMT in case of admission into IITs, NITs, and GFTIs. The institute will shortlist students on the basis of the scores obtained by the students in the GATE 2026 exam and intimation is displayed on the college/ CCMT or COAP portal. Several institutes also conduct additional written test and/ or interviews after shortlisting students on the basis of their GATE 2026 scores.
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GATE Previous Years’ CSE Cutoff for IITs

GATE CSE Cutoff for IITs of the past years are as follows:

Check the links below to learn more!

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