How to get into a Postgraduate course at an Engineering College in India?

Unlike the Undergraduate Engineering Admissions where central/state level counseling procedures are widely prevalent, postgraduate engineering admissions are primarily carried out individually by universities and colleges.

However, you might come across states where merit lists are created or a counseling procedure is conducted by a State authority, even though this is rare.

You would be required to visit the website of the university/college you wish to join and find out about their admission criteria and procedure in detail before you decide to apply.

What are the admissions based on?

Postgraduate Engineering admissions in India primarily take place on the basis of the GATE examination. You would be required to have qualified in the GATE examination in order to be eligible for admission.

Even though there are certain colleges/universities in the country that accept candidates who have not appeared/qualified in the GATE examination, this is not a popular practice. Additionally, even in such colleges, candidates who have qualified in the GATE examination are usually preferred over Non – GATE candidates.

You can apply for admission into the M.Tech programs at IITs.

For admissions into the M.Tech programs at various IITs, you would be required to apply separately to each IIT as there is no common application. Each IIT will have its own admission procedure and eligibility criteria which you will be required to meet. 

Visit the website of the particular campus of Indian Institute of Technology you wish to apply to for further information.

You can apply to NITs and other Centrally Funded Technical Institutes such as IIITM Gwalior etc.

For admissions into the NITs and other CFTIs, you will have to apply for the CCMT online counseling procedure through the following website: http://www.ccmt.in/. Once you fill your choices, you will be allotted a seat on the basis of your GATE score, provided you meet the eligibility and cut – off criteria.

You can apply to other Govt. and Private Colleges who are not a part of the CCMT counseling.

Under most circumstances, you would be required to apply to the colleges you wish to join directly or through the university they’re affiliated to. 

Admissions will be conducted on the basis of your score in the GATE examination. The candidates with the highest scores (out of the ones that apply to a particular university) will be preferred. You would also be required to meet the institution’s individual eligibility criteria. Some institutions might also reserve a major portion of the seats for candidates from the state in which it is located.

Visit the website of the institute and find out about its admission procedure in detail before you apply.

You would need to take separate entrance exams for many Govt. and Private Engineering colleges.

Many Govt. and Private Engineering colleges conduct their own entrance exams for admission into postgraduate level engineering courses. There are 2 possibilities:

1. Some institutes admit students on the basis of both, the scores of the candidates in the GATE as well as in their own entrance exam. In such situations, you will be required to submit your GATE score and then appear in the entrance exam. Your admission will be based on your performance in both the GATE and the entrance exam.

2. Some institutes admit students on the basis of the scores of the candidates in their own entrance exam only. They do not consider the GATE scores of candidates while admitting candidates. However, they may require students to have a valid GATE score as a part of their eligibility criteria.

You can apply directly to Govt. and Private colleges without a valid GATE score.

Some colleges have separate seats reserved for candidates who have either not appeared or have not qualified in the GATE examination.

These candidates are generally required to appear for a college/university level entrance examination on the basis of which they are granted/denied admission. However, in some colleges, candidates are admitted on the basis of their marks in the B.Tech degree and are not required to appear for a separate examination.

Keep in mind that the number of seats reserved for Non – GATE candidates are generally very less.

In colleges and universities where seats are not reserved for Non – GATE candidates, admissions are only possible if there are not enough candidates with valid GATE scores to fill up all the seats.

Management quotas in private engineering colleges.

Many private engineering colleges have seats reserved under the ‘Management Quota’. The entry requirements for these seats are generally less stringent.

Even though it is easier to be allotted a Management Quota seat, you would generally be required to pay a higher fee than usual during the admission procedure.