GATE Exam Centre List 2026: Zone-wise Exam Cities, Dates, and Selection Process
Riya Sharma21 Jan, 2026
Share
GATE Exam Centre List 2026 has been officially released for candidates appearing in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2026. While filling out the application form, candidates must select their preferred exam cities in advance. GATE 2026 will be conducted as a Computer-Based Test (CBT) on 7, 8, 14, and 15 February 2026, and the admit card is expected to be released in January 2026.
For GATE 2026, examination centres have been set up across various cities in India. The final allotment of an exam city depends on the preferences submitted by the candidate and the availability of centres. Candidates can choose three exam cities, all of which must belong to the same GATE zone.
Details such as the exam venue, reporting time, and allotted shift will be clearly mentioned on the GATE 2026 admit card. This article provides the complete zone-wise list of GATE 2026 exam cities, along with a clear explanation of the exam centre allotment process and important instructions to be followed before the examination.
GATE Exam Centers 2026
Below is the official tentative zone-wise list of GATE 2026 examination cities/towns. Candidates are advised to carefully review their exam city preferences before final submission, as all three selected cities must be from the same GATE zone. The organising institute reserves the right to add or remove exam cities due to administrative or logistical reasons. Candidates can check the zone-wise GATE Exam Cities 2026 list from the table below:
| GATE Exam Centre List 2026 | ||
| Zonal Coordinating Institute | States / UTs Covered | GATE Exam Cities |
| IISc Bengaluru | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Port Blair |
| Andhra Pradesh | Ananthapuramu, Kurnool | |
| Karnataka | Bagalkot, Ballari (Bellary), Belagavi (Belgaum), Bengaluru North, Bengaluru South, Bidar, Chikkaballapur, Chikkamagaluru, Davanagere, Hassan, Hubballi/Dharwad, Kalaburagi (Gulbarga), Kolar, Mandya, Mangaluru (Mangalore), Manipal–Udupi, Mysuru (Mysore), Shivamogga (Shimoga), Tumakuru (Tumkur) | |
| Kerala | Angamaly, Payyanur, Vatakara, Kannur, Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur, Wayanad | |
| Telangana | Hyderabad, Nalgonda, Narsapur/Medak | |
| IIT Bombay | Goa | Madgaon, Mapusa, Panaji |
| Gujarat | Ahmedabad, Anand, Bhavnagar, Bhuj, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Mehsana, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara | |
| Maharashtra | Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), Akola, Amravati, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad), Baramati, Chandrapur, Dhule, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Latur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Panvel–Rasayani, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sangamner–Loni, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Thane, Vasai–Palghar, Wardha | |
| IIT Delhi | Haryana | Faridabad, Gurugram, Hisar |
| Jammu & Kashmir | Jammu–Samba, Srinagar | |
| Ladakh | Leh | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Indore, Ujjain | |
| New Delhi | New Delhi | |
| Rajasthan | Ajmer, Alwar, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Dausa, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Sikar, Udaipur | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Greater Noida, Mathura | |
| IIT Guwahati | Arunachal Pradesh | Naharlagun–Itanagar |
| Assam | Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Silchar, Tezpur | |
| Bihar | Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Purnea | |
| Jharkhand | Bokaro Steel City, Dhanbad | |
| Manipur | Imphal | |
| Meghalaya | Shillong | |
| Mizoram | Aizawl | |
| Nagaland | Dimapur–Kohima | |
| Sikkim | Gangtok | |
| Tripura | Agartala | |
| West Bengal | Asansol, Durgapur, Burdwan, Kalyani, Siliguri | |
| IIT Kanpur | Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Sagar, Satna |
| Uttar Pradesh | Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Jhansi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi | |
| IIT Kharagpur | Andhra Pradesh | Bhimavaram, Eluru, Kakinada–Surampalem, Rajamahendravaram (Rajahmundry), Srikakulam, Tadepalligudem, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram |
| Chhattisgarh | Bhilai–Durg, Bilaspur, Raipur | |
| Jharkhand | Hazaribag, Jamshedpur, Ranchi | |
| Odisha | Balasore–Bhadrak, Baripada, Bhubaneswar, Brahmapur, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Rourkela, Sambalpur | |
| West Bengal | Bankura, Berhampore, Hooghly, Howrah, Kharagpur–Midnapur, Kolaghat, Kolkata, Suri | |
| IIT Madras | Andhra Pradesh | Chirala–Bapatla, Chittoor, Guntur, Kadapa, Nandyala, Nellore, Ongole, Tirupati |
| Kerala | Alappuzha, Aluva–Ernakulam, Attingal, Chengannur, Kanjirappally, Kollam, Kothamangalam, Kottayam, Muvattupuzha, Thiruvananthapuram | |
| Puducherry | Puducherry | |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dindigul, Erode, Kanyakumari–Nagercoil, Karaikudi, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Namakkal, Ooty, Pollachi, Ramanathapuram, Salem, Thanjavur, Theni, Thoothukudi, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli, Vellore, Virudhunagar | |
| Telangana | Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kodad, Kothagudem, Nizamabad, Suryapet, Warangal | |
| IIT Roorkee | Haryana | Ambala, Kurukshetra |
| Himachal Pradesh | Baddi, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra–Dharamshala, Mandi, Palampur, Shimla–Solan, Una | |
| Punjab | Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar–Phagwara, Ludhiana, Mohali–Chandigarh, Patiala, Pathankot | |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun, Haldwani, Roorkee | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Ghaziabad, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Noida, Saharanpur | |
Can You Change the GATE Exam City After Selection?
Yes, candidates can modify their GATE exam city, but only within the conditions specified by the organising institute. Changes are permitted only during the official correction window, and an additional correction fee may apply. The revised exam city will be allotted based on centre availability, and candidates cannot change their GATE zone. Once the correction window closes, the exam city allotted becomes final and no further changes are allowed.
How can I Change the GATE 2026 Exam City?
If candidates want to change the test city for GATE 2026, they need to follow the necessary steps listed below:
Step 1: Go to the GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) at goaps.iitr.ac.in.
Step 2: Use your enrollment ID or email address, password, and captcha to access your account.
Step 3: Select a different examination city.
Step 4: You must pay Rs. 500 after making modifications to the GATE 2026 examination city.
GATE 2026 Zones and Exam Centre Allocation System
GATE 2026 exam centres are divided into eight zones, each administered by an IIT or IISc. Every exam city is mapped to a specific zone. During the application process, candidates must select three preferred exam cities from the same zone, and centres are allotted based on these preferences and the availability of seats.
What Is a GATE Zone?
For GATE 2026, the examination will be conducted across eight zonal regions, each managed by an IIT or IISc. These zonal offices oversee key responsibilities, including application processing, exam centre allocation, and overall coordination. Each GATE exam city is associated with only one designated zone.
Why Is Zone Selection Important?
Zone selection plays a crucial role during registration. Candidates must choose all three exam city preferences within a single GATE zone, as selecting cities from different zones is not permitted. Exam centres are allotted on the basis of candidate preferences and availability. If seats are unavailable in the first-choice city, candidates may be assigned a centre in another city within the same zone.
Guidelines for GATE Exam Centres 2026
The list of essential instructions to be followed while going to the GATE 2026 Exam Centre is given below:
- Entry to the examination centre is restricted to individuals who have a valid GATE 2026 admit card and a photo ID.
- Aim to get to the testing site at least an hour before the exam.
- Scribble pads will be provided for rough work; they must be returned after the exam is finished.
- An on-screen virtual scientific calculator will be provided for the calculations.
- Entry to the exam room will be prohibited after 9:30 AM (for the morning session) and 14:30 PM (for the afternoon session).
How to Select GATE Exam Centres 2026?
- The first and second GATE exam centres 2026 must be in the same exam zone. The third GATE centre of choice may be located in any zone.
- After inputting all the required data, candidates can select a GATE exam location.
- Candidates can select any of the centres based on convenience, keeping their closest city in mind.
- The selection of GATE exam locations for 2026 will be based on a first-come, first-served system.
- After properly registering, candidates may download their GATE 2026 admit card, which includes details on the exam's date, time, and location.
Dos and Don'ts at GATE Exam Centres 2026
In the table below, some of the most important guidelines and restrictions are presented:
| Dos’ | Don’ts |
| Arrive at GATE Exam Centres 30 minutes before the exam begins. | Do not leave after the exam has started in order to avoid missing the important instructions provided by the exam centre. |
| a valid government-issued ID card and a downloadable admission card are required. | Do not bring a soft copy of your admit card or any other form of identification. |
| Locate the seat with the roll number in the GATE 2026 exam room. | Do not sit in a seat that does not belong to you because it may cause problems during the exam. |
| Provide all biometric data as requested by the instructor at the appropriate time. | Do not bring your valid ID card into the exam room if it has any defects. |
| Before the timer expires, try to finish each response as it will be automatically saved and closed after that. And there won't be any more time for you to finish the response. | Before exiting the examination room, follow the post-exam instructions provided by the appropriate authority. |
Elevate your GATE 2026 readiness with Physics Wallah’s GATE Online Courses . PW GATE Online Coaching offers comprehensive live sessions tailored to the syllabus, invaluable study materials, practice tests, and much more.