How Many Students Appear for GATE Exam 2026? Branch-Wise Statistics & Trends
Siddharth Pandey14 Sept, 2026
How Many Students Appeared For GATE Exam 2026: GATE 2026 recorded over 10 lakh registrations across its test papers, with more than 7.9 lakh candidates appearing for the examination. Computer Science and Information Technology (CS), Electronics and Communication Engineering (EC), Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA), Civil Engineering (CE), and Electrical Engineering (EE) were among the papers with high candidate participation. The paper-wise statistics help aspirants understand the level of competition and participation across GATE branches.
GATE 2026 Examination Overview
GATE 2026 was conducted by IIT Guwahati across multiple test papers. The official GATE 2026 statistics provide the number of candidates registered and appeared for each paper, giving a clear picture of overall participation and branch-wise competition.
| GATE 2026 Examination Overview | |
|---|---|
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Conducting Institute | IIT Guwahati |
| Total Candidates Registered* | 10,11,719 |
| Total Candidates Appeared* | 7,97,434 |
| Examination Dates | February 7, 8, 14, and 15, 2026 |
| Result Date | March 19, 2026 |
*The total figures are obtained by adding the official paper-wise registration and appearance figures. Candidates who appeared for more than one paper are counted separately for each test paper.
How Many Students Appeared for GATE 2026? Paper-Wise Statistics
The official GATE 2026 paper-wise statistics show the number of candidates registered and appeared for each test paper. These figures are more useful for comparing competition across branches than the overall candidate count alone.
| GATE Paper | Candidates Registered | Candidates Appeared |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science and Information Technology (CS) | 2,59,922 | 2,11,020 |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (EC) | 1,15,448 | 95,752 |
| Civil Engineering (CE) | 97,486 | 76,385 |
| Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) | 91,764 | 69,242 |
| Electrical Engineering (EE) | 81,947 | 65,801 |
| Mechanical Engineering (ME) | 76,823 | 59,612 |
| Life Sciences (XL) | 50,732 | 40,035 |
| Chemistry (CY) | 30,775 | 22,457 |
| Biotechnology (BT) | 26,808 | 21,513 |
| Physics (PH) | 24,225 | 18,055 |
| Chemical Engineering (CH) | 17,416 | 14,077 |
| Instrumentation Engineering (IN) | 15,608 | 12,424 |
| Mathematics (MA) | 16,272 | 11,561 |
| Engineering Sciences (XE) | 12,622 | 9,099 |
| Architecture and Planning (AR) | 10,673 | 8,415 |
| Aerospace Engineering (AE) | 8,444 | 6,591 |
| Environmental Science and Engineering (ES) | 7,341 | 5,107 |
| Geology and Geophysics - Geology (GG-1) | 5,647 | 4,336 |
| Metallurgical Engineering (MT) | 4,794 | 3,908 |
| Production and Industrial Engineering (PI) | 4,849 | 3,673 |
| Humanities and Social Sciences - Psychology (XH-C5) | 8,858 | 6,178 |
| Mining Engineering (MN) | 8,415 | 6,732 |
| Other GATE Papers | See official statistics | See official statistics |
According to the official GATE 2026 data, CS had the highest number of candidates appearing among the individual test papers, with 2,11,020 candidates. EC followed with 95,752 candidates, while CE, DA, and EE recorded 76,385, 69,242, and 65,801 candidates, respectively.
GATE 2026 Students Appeared Branch Wise
The GATE 2026 branch-wise data shows considerable variation in the number of candidates appearing for different papers. Computer Science and Information Technology recorded the highest participation, followed by Electronics and Communication Engineering, Civil Engineering, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.
| Branch/Paper | Students Appeared in GATE 2026 |
|---|---|
| Computer Science and Information Technology (CSE/CS) | 2,11,020 |
| Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE/EC) | 95,752 |
| Civil Engineering (CE) | 76,385 |
| Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA) | 69,242 |
| Electrical Engineering (EE) | 65,801 |
| Mechanical Engineering (ME) | 59,612 |
| Life Sciences (XL) | 40,035 |
| Chemistry (CY) | 22,457 |
| Biotechnology (BT) | 21,513 |
| Physics (PH) | 18,055 |
| Chemical Engineering (CH) | 14,077 |
The complete official GATE 2026 statistics include all test papers and their respective registration and appearance figures. Candidates should refer to the official statistics when comparing participation across less-popular papers.
GATE 2026 Total Applicants and Appeared Candidates
The official GATE 2026 paper-wise data records 10,11,719 registrations and 7,97,434 appearances when the figures for all test papers are added. The difference between registrations and appearances indicates that a significant number of registered candidates did not appear for their selected test paper.
For search queries such as GATE total applicants 2026, total students appeared in GATE 2026, and how many candidates applied for GATE 2026, it is important to distinguish between candidates registered and candidates who actually appeared for the examination.
GATE Previous Year Statistics
GATE participation has varied considerably over the years. Comparing the number of registered and appeared candidates helps aspirants understand the scale of the examination and the long-term participation trend.
| GATE Previous Year Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Total Registered | Total Appeared |
| 2025 | 9,36,019 | 7,47,319 |
| 2024 | 8,26,239 | 6,53,292 |
| 2023 | 6,70,000 | 5,17,000 |
| 2022 | 8,00,000 | 7,11,542 |
| 2021 | 10,00,000 | 8,50,000 |
GATE 2026 Statistical Report
The GATE 2026 statistical data provides paper-wise information on registered and appeared candidates. Aspirants looking for the GATE 2026 statistical report or GATE 2026 statistical and performance report can use the official GATE 2026 statistics to check participation across individual papers.
The official data also shows that participation was highest in Computer Science and Information Technology, followed by Electronics and Communication Engineering, Civil Engineering, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.
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How Many Students Appear for GATE Exam FAQs
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Q4. How many students appeared for GATE 2026 ECE?
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