Low Score in GATE 2026? List of Colleges Where You Can Get Admission

The list of colleges for low GATE 2025 scores is MNNIT Allahabad, NIT Agartala, NIT Calicut, SVNIT Surat, etc. A score of 300 or less is considered a low score in GATE.

Table of Contents

What is a Low Score in GATE 2026?
List of Colleges Accepting Low GATE 2026 Scores
List of Colleges for Low GATE Scores in Civil Engineering
List of Colleges for Low GATE Scores in Mechanical Engineering
List of Colleges for Low GATE Scores in Computer Science …
List of Colleges for Low GATE Scores in Electronics and …
Low GATE Score IIT Admission
Engineering Colleges for Low GATE Score - Placement & Salary …
Colleges Offering M.Tech Admission Without GATE
Alternate Options for GATE 2026 Low Score Holders
Eligibility Criteria for Engineering Colleges in India Accepting Low GATE …
Faqs

Low Score in GATE 2026? List of Colleges Where You Can Get Admission

List of Colleges for Low GATE 2026 Score includes colleges like the NIT Calicut, SVNIT Surat, NIT Rourkela, NIT Warangal, NIT Durgapur, etc. If you secure a low rank in the GATE 2026 exam , there are still many good engineering colleges to which you can take admission. A score of 300 or less is considered to be a low score in the GATE examination. However, students who can't secure admission to NITs and GFTIs with low GATE scores can take admission into other M.Tech colleges that offer direct admission or accept other entrance exam scores.
The good thing is that the students who could not score the GATE cutoff marks for IIT and NIT have a lot of other low GATE scores where they can get admission. Students eager to know more about the list of colleges for low GATE scores 2026 can go through the GATE 2026 score, the list of colleges for low GATE 2026 scores, etc.
Also Check - How to Get Admission in MTech Courses at IITs, NITs Without GATE Score
Quick Links:

GATE 2026 Rank Predictor	GATE 2026 College Predictor

What is a Low Score in GATE 2026?

The question of "what is a low GATE score comes to the minds of many students. A GATE score is calculated out of 1000. As per the previous year's analysis, a score of 300 or less out of 1000 is considered a low score in the GATE exam. After the GATE 2026 exam is conducted, IIT Roorkee will release the GATE 2026 cutoff marks soon. However, not every student will be able to score the GATE cutoff marks for IIT and NIT. For those students, we have mentioned the GATE score 300 colleges above.

List of Colleges Accepting Low GATE 2026 Scores

There are many low-GATE-score colleges in India. In the previous year, many colleges, including NIT and GFTIs, offered M Tech admission with low GATE scores, such as MNNIT Allahabad, NIT Durgapur, NIT Hamirpur, NIT Srinagar, etc. Check out the list of colleges accepting low GATE 2026 scores in India below.

College Name	M.Tech Specialization	Group	Category	Max GATE Score	Min GATE Score
Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad	Environmental Engineering	G1	ST	247	247
National Institute of Technology Agartala	Communication Systems & Signal Processing	G1	SC	295	293
Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram	Control Systems	G1	ST	251	251
National Institute of Technology Agartala	Transportation Engineering	G1	OBC-NCL	337	324
National Institute of Technology Calicut	Electronics Design & Technology	G1	ST	345	335
National Institute of Technology Calicut	Manufacturing Technology	G1	SC	310	294
National Institute of Technology Calicut	Traffic & Transportation Planning	G1	ST	275	274
National Institute of Technology Durgapur	Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer	G1	ST	241	241
National Institute of Technology Durgapur	Microelectronics & VLSI	G1	ST	301	290
National Institute of Technology Durgapur	Thermal Engineering	G1	SC	326	276
National Institute of Technology Hamirpur	Mechanical Engineering (Manufacturing & Automation)	G1	SC	253	241
National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal	VLSI Design	G2	OPEN-PwD	241	241
National Institute of Technology Nagaland	Communication Engineering	G1	SC	261	251
School of Planning & Architecture, Vijayawada	Master of Planning (Transport Planning)	G1	SC	275	262
National Institute of Technology Raipur	Machine Design	G2	SC	253	253
National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur	Geotechnical Engineering	G1	SC	301	270
National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur	Smart Manufacturing	G1	ST	232	232
National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra	Embedded System Design	G1	ST	277	276
National Institute of Technology, Srinagar	Geo-technical Engineering	G1	SC	271	262
Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur	Geotechnical Engineering	G1	ST	255	255
National Institute of Technology, Rourkela	Industrial Ceramics	G2	SC	265	265
National Institute of Technology, Rourkela	Mining Engineering	G2	ST	239	239
National Institute of Technology, Silchar	Design & Manufacturing	G1	ST	236	236
National Institute of Technology, Silchar	Water Resources Engineering	G1	SC	274	258
National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli	Material Science & Engineering	G3	SC	283	283
National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli	Thermal Power Engineering	G1	OPEN-PwD	269	269
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad	Dual Degree M.Tech. -PhDD in IT with specialisation in Network and Security Group	G1	SC	266	266
National Institute of Technology, Srinagar	Electrical Power and Energy System	G1	ST	266	266
National Institute of Technology Uttarakhand	Computational Mechanics and Manufacturing	G1	SC	261	202
National Institute of Technology, Warangal	Automobile Engineering	G1	ST	269	254
Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar	VLSI Design	G1	ST	284	266
National Institute of Technology, Warangal	Power Systems Engineering	G1	OPEN-PwD	257	257
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat	Data Science	G1	ST	302	298
National Institute of Technology, Warangal	Welding Technology and Non-Destructive Testing	G1	SC	273	273
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat	Control and Automation	G1	ST	297	297
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat	VLSI & Embedded Systems	G1	ST	276	266
Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur	Communication System Engineering	G1	ST	261	256
Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal	Geoinformatics & Its Applications	G1	ST	207	207
National Institute of Technology, Rourkela	VLSI Design & Embedded Systems	G1	OPEN-PwD	262	262
National Institute of Technology Uttarakhand	Power System & Renewable Energy	G1	SC	286	286
National Institute of Technology Uttarakhand	Structural Engineering	G1	ST	246	246
Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal	Housing	G1	SC	297	275
Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad	Power Electronics & Drives	G1	ST	288	266
Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad	Product Design and Development	G1	SC	269	253
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat	Chemical Engineering	G1	SC	262	262
National Institute of Technology, Rourkela	Computer Science	G1	OPEN-PwD	288	288

Also Check - List of Colleges Accepting GATE 2026 Score Between 400-500
Quick Links:

GATE 2026 Merit List	GATE 2026 Counselling

List of Colleges for Low GATE Scores in Civil Engineering

The list of low GATE score colleges for Civil Engineering specialisation is mentioned below.

NIT Name	Group	Category	Max GATE Score	Min GATE Score
NIT Delhi	G1	ST	351	351
NIT Delhi	G1	SC	390	390

List of Colleges for Low GATE Scores in Mechanical Engineering

The list of colleges for low GATE scores in Mechanical Engineering can be checked below.

NIT Name	Group	Category	Max GATE Score	Min GATE Score
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Gujarat	G1	SC	310	310
Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Gujarat	G1	EWS	359	359

List of Colleges for Low GATE Scores in Computer Science Engineering

Computer Science Engineering is one of the most opted MTech engineering specialisations for which many students apply. If you didn’t score well in the GATE 2026 exam, there are many low GATE score colleges for Computer Science Engineering, like:

NIT Name	Group	Category	Max GATE Score	Min GATE Score
NIT Srinagar	G1	ST	314	266
NIT Nagaland	G1	ST	259	259
NIT Hamirpur	G1	ST	313	269
NIT Srinagar	G1	SC	382	331
VNIT Nagpur	G1	ST	349	335

Als,o Check - List of Colleges Accepting GATE 2026 Score Between 500-600

List of Colleges for Low GATE Scores in Electronics and Communication Engineering

Check the list of low GATE score colleges for ECE below.

NIT Name	Group	Category	Max GATE Score	Min GATE Score
MNIT Jaipur	G1	ST	333	254
NIT Delhi	G1	SC	370	350

Low GATE Score IIT Admission

IITs are the number 1 college option for almost all GATE students. However, due to limited seats and intense competition, many students couldn't get IIT admission even after scoring good marks. You can try taking admission into newly established IITs with low GATE scores, like IIT Jammu, IIT Tirupati, IIT Bhilai, IIT Jodhpur, IIT Mandi, IIT Ropar, etc.

IIT Name	Expected GATE Cutoff for CSE
IIT Indore	General: 720 EWS: 683 OBC: 654 SC: 485 ST: 389
IIT Jodhpur	General(2022) : 662 > OBC: 591 > SC: 504 < EWS: 587 >
IIT Gandhinagar	EWS: 723 General: 736 OBC: 675 ST: 386 SC: 505
IIT Dharwad	OBC: 450 General: 500 SC/ST: 333
IIT Mandi	EWS: 462 General(2022): 3017 OBC: 1212 ST: 310 SC: 636
IIT Bhubaneswar	OBC: 540 > General(2021): 600 > SC/ST: 402
IIT Ropar	General:622 OBC: 570 SC: 449 EWS: 630 ST: 318
IIT Bhilai	General(2021): 660 SC: 445 ST: 330 OBC: 594
IIT Tirupati	OBC: 597 General(2023): 647 ST: 286 SC: 449
IIT Palakkad	OBC: 536 General(2023): 581 SC: 371 ST: 292
IIT Jammu	OBC: 517 General(2023): 600 SC: 423 ST: 413

Engineering Colleges for Low GATE Score - Placement & Salary Package

Apart from IITs and IITs, the other low GATE score colleges where you can apply for M.Tech admission are:

M.Tech College Name	Average Salary Package
Karunya University, Tamil Nadu	INR 2.33 LPA
M. S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences (MSRUAS), Bangalore	INR 4.44 LPA
Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology or KIT, Odisha	INR 5.51 LPA
Alliance University, Bangalore	INR 3 LPA
CMR Institute of Technology, Hyderabad.	INR 1.30 LPA
Dr M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute, Chennai	INR 1.80 LPA
Acharya Institute of Technology (AET), Bangalore	INR 1.20 LPA
Malla Reddy Engineering College for Women, Hyderabad	INR 1.14 LPA
MVSR Engineering College, Hyderabad	-

Related Links:

What is a Good Score in GATE CSE 2026?	What is a Good Score in GATE Mechanical Engineering (ME) 2026?
What is a Good Score in GATE Chemical Engineering 2026?	What is a Good Score in GATE Electrical Engineering (EE) 2026?

Colleges Offering M.Tech Admission Without GATE

These colleges offer M.Tech admission without GATE scores. However, they have their own admission criteria, either another entrance exam or direct admission. Check out the colleges offering M.Tech admission without GATE scores below.

College/University	M.Tech Admission Process
University of Delhi	CUET PG 2026
Annamacharya Institute of Technology and Science	GATE 2026 or PGECET 2026
IIIT Delhi	IIIT Delhi M. Tech Entrance Exam
Dr DY Patil College of Engineering	MHT CET 2026
Aurora’s Engineer College	GATE or PGECET conducted by TSHEC
IIIT Hyderabad	PGEE
IIIT Bhubaneswar	IIIT Bhubaneswar M. Tech Entrance Exam
Andhra Pradesh M. Tech Admissions	AP PGECET
VIT University	VITMEE
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University	IPU CET
JNU Delhi	Bachelor’s degree + University’s Viva voice test
Annamacharya Institute of Technology and Science, Tirupati	Bachelor’s degree + direct admission
Dr DY Patil College of Engineering	Bachelor’s degree + direct admission
SRM University	SRMGEET
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi	Bachelor’s degree + interview, and document verification conducted by the university.

Also Check - List of Colleges Accepting GATE 2026 Score 600-700

Alternate Options for GATE 2026 Low Score Holders

There are some state-level entrance exams where the students who have appeared for the GATE exam get exempted from the written test, irrespective of their score in GATE.Some of the alternate low GATE score options that the students can pursue are:

TANCET 2026 Exam : It is an entrance test conducted by Anna University as the Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test. Through the exam, the students can get admission into various M.Tech programs in the colleges of Tamil Nadu.
AP PGECET 2026 Exam : It is an entrance exam conducted by Andhra University on behalf of the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) for admission into M.Tech programs for Andhra Pradesh.
TUEE 2026 Exam: It is an entrance exam conducted by Tezpur University, Assam, for admission into M.Tech programs.
VITMEE 2026 Exam : Vellore Institute of Technology Master's Entrance Examination (VITMEE) is an entrance exam conducted by Vellore Institute of Technology for admission into the master’s program.
Karnataka PGCET 2026 Exam : Karnataka PGCET is the entrance exam through which students can get admission to M.Tech in various private and government colleges of Karnataka.
CUET 2026 Exam : It is a national-level exam that is jointly conducted by the ten central universities for M.Tech admissions.
HPCET 2026 Exam: It is an entrance exam conducted by Himachal Pradesh Technical University for admission into M.Tech programmes for Himachal Pradesh.
KIITEE 2026 Exam : It is an entrance exam conducted by KIIT University of Bhubaneshwar for admission into various postgraduate programs.

Eligibility Criteria for Engineering Colleges in India Accepting Low GATE Scores

Students must fulfil the eligibility criteria for low GATE 2026 scores. However, most of India's top engineering institutes follow the same qualifying standards listed below:

Qualifications: The student must hold a bachelor's degree in engineering, like B.Tech. Students holding a B. Sc. degree must finish their M. Sc. before enrolling in M.Tech. The student must earn his or her bachelor's degree at a recognised institution or university.
Age Limit: There is no age limit.
Entrance Exam: The entrance exam accepted by MTech colleges in India varies. Some accept GATE scores, while others accept state entrance exams like TANCET, AP PGECET, Karnataka PGCET, etc.

So, as per the previous year's GATE cutoff marks for IIT and NIT, it can be said that M Tech admission with a low GATE score is possible. If you couldn't get MTech admission in IITs and NITs with low GATE scores, you still have options to sit for another M.Tech entrance exam or try other ways to get MTech admission in IIT without GATE, like through sponsorship. For any queries regarding the list of colleges where you can get admission with low scores in GATE, log on to our CollegeDekho Q&A Zone or contact our toll-free helpline number 18005729877.

FAQs

Can I get NIT with a low GATE score?

Yes, you may get NIT with low GATE scores. In the previous year, NIT colleges like NIT Agartala, NIT Calicut, NIT Durgapur, etc offer admission to students with low GATE scores. However, most of the admission with less GATE score is granted to students who belong to reserved categories.

Is 300 a good GATE score?

A score of 300 or less is considered as a low score in the GATE examination.

What is the opportunity with a low GATE score?

If you got a low score in GATE 2025 you can take admission into colleges that accept low GATE scores. Otherwise, you can consider sitting for other M.Tech entrance exams like CUET PG, Gujarat PGCET, VITMEE, etc. The difficulty level of these entrance exams is easier compared to GATE.

What is a low GATE score?

A 400 score is considered as an average GATE score. But, a score of 300 or below 300 is considered as a low GATE score.

What are the colleges accepting low GATE scores?

The list of colleges for low GATE 2025 scores are MNNIT Allahabad, NIT Agartala, NIT Calicut, etc.

What to do if the GATE score is low?

If you got low GATE scores you can take admission to various other colleges offering M.Tech admission without GATE. During the previous year's GATE counselling, many students belonging to unreserved categories got admission into NITs and GFTIs with low GATE scores also.

How many times can I attempt the GATE entrance exam?

You can appear for the GATE exam as many times as you want. However, the GATE exam is conducted only once a year. So, if you failed in this year's GATE exam you have wait for the next year to sit for it again.

What is the duration of the M. Tech course?

The duration of the M. Tech course is 2 years.