Checked 25 September 2026. Programme lists are from the 2026–27 admission pages; institutes revise them every year and the 2027 lists were not out. Check each programme you want before registering.
If you are aiming at an M.Tech in computer science, AI or data science, GATE 2027 gives you two papers that look alike: Computer Science and IT (CS) and Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DA). They share a good part of their syllabus, both are 100 marks in 3 hours, and GATE lets you write both. The question that should decide it is not "which is easier" but which programmes will accept the score.
Where other pages get this wrong
A GATE DA score does not get you into most IIT CSE M.Techs.
Commonly published instead: "DA is the new CS — it works for any computer-science M.Tech."
On the 2026–27 admission pages, the CSE M.Tech at IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Guwahati, IIT Roorkee, IIT Patna, IIT Jodhpur and IISc accepts GATE CS only. IIT Kanpur's CSE M.Tech and IIIT Delhi's are exceptions that list DA. DA is the paper for the AI and data-science M.Techs — and there it is often listed first.
Who accepts which paper
| Institute | AI / Data-science M.Tech | CSE M.Tech |
|---|---|---|
| IISc Bengaluru | M.Tech AI: CS, DA, EC, EE · Computational & Data Science: DA among 14 papers | CS only |
| IIT Madras | M.Tech Data Science & AI: DA only | CS only |
| IIT Kharagpur | M.Tech AI: DA, CS (major); EC, EE (minor) | CS only |
| IIT Kanpur | Intelligent Systems: CS, DA, EC | CS, or DA / MA / ST / EE / EC |
| IIT Hyderabad | M.Tech AI: CS, EC, EE, DA, MA | not checked |
| IIT Guwahati | M.Tech Data Science: DA, CS, EC, EE, IN, MA, ST, XE | CS only |
| IIT Roorkee | Data Science: DA among main papers · AI: CS, EC, EE (DA as "other") | CS only |
| IIT Patna | M.Tech AI: CS/IT, DA, EC, ME, CE | CS only |
| IIT Jodhpur | M.Tech AI and Data & Computational Sciences: DA listed | CS/IT only |
| IIT Delhi | not stated on the programme page | CS only |
| IIIT Delhi | — | CS and DA |
For NITs, IIITs and other institutes admitting through CCMT, our count of the official CCMT 2026 programme-vs-GATE-paper seat-mapping tool (checked September 2026) found DA mapped to 194 programme entries at 67 institutes — including NIT Trichy Data Analytics, NITK Surathkal Computational and Data Science, and AI/Data-science programmes at NIT Delhi, Durgapur and Raipur, MNNIT and IIIT Allahabad. Several NIT CSE M.Techs (NIT Warangal, MNIT Jaipur, NIT Delhi, Goa, Raipur and Silchar, PEC Chandigarh) accept DA too; NIT Trichy's CSE does not. The mapping is per qualifying degree, so check your own degree against each programme.
Counting rule: each programme counted once. AI/data-science (10): IISc AI, IISc Computational & Data Science, IIT Madras, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Roorkee (Data Science), Patna, Jodhpur — only IIT Madras omits CS. CSE (10): IISc, IIT Madras, Delhi, Kharagpur, Kanpur, Guwahati, Roorkee, Patna, Jodhpur, IIIT Delhi — Kanpur and IIIT Delhi list DA. IIT Delhi AI and IIT Hyderabad CSE are excluded (paper list not stated / not checked).
How the two papers differ
| Point | GATE DA | GATE CS |
|---|---|---|
| Marks split | GA 15 + DA subject 85 (no separate engineering maths) | GA 15 + Engineering Maths 13 + CS subject 72 |
| Programming language | Python | C (and general programming) |
| Unique to the paper | Probability & statistics in depth, linear algebra (SVD, projections), machine learning, AI search, logic and reasoning under uncertainty, data warehousing | Digital logic, computer organisation, theory of computation, compilers, operating systems, computer networks |
| Shared | Data structures, algorithms (sorting, searching, graphs), DBMS (SQL, relational algebra, normal forms, indexing), discrete probability | same |
| Sessions (2026) | Single session — actual marks | Two sessions — normalised marks |
| Appeared (2026) | 69,242 | 211,020 |
| Qualifying mark, General (2026) | 26.4 | 30 |
DA shared part = its 2026 marks in Programming/DS/Algorithms (14) and DBMS (18), from our question-by-question count. CS is shown by its official split only — we have not counted CS papers topic by topic, so its shared share is not drawn.
The overlap is real but smaller than it looks. Roughly a third of the 2026 DA paper — its programming, algorithms and database questions — is ground a CS candidate already covers. The rest is either probability, linear algebra and machine learning at a depth CS never asks, or AI and data-warehousing topics CS does not include. Going the other way, a DA candidate would need operating systems, networks, computer organisation, compilers and theory of computation to write CS — about half of the CS syllabus.
Competition, in numbers
| Measure (2026) | GATE DA | GATE CS |
|---|---|---|
| Appeared | 69,242 | 211,020 |
| Qualified | 12,849 (18.6%) | 40,661 (19.3%) |
| Candidates at 50+ marks | 767 | 3,655 |
| Share at 70+ marks | 0.05% | 0.14% |
| Mean of top 0.1% or top 10 (Mt) | 72.01 | 77.03 |
Official statistical reports. Both papers grew fast; DA grew 77% in two years, CS 70%.
Fewer candidates does not mean easier. DA's smaller field is also thinner at the top, which is why 50 marks put a DA candidate around rank 770 in 2026 but a CS candidate around rank 3,650. What matters is how many seats in your target programmes are filled from each paper — and for AI and data-science M.Techs that is mostly DA.
Switching between them: what each side must add
If you are a CS candidate thinking of adding DA, or a DA candidate eyeing CS, this is the extra syllabus in each direction, read off the two official syllabi. The shared middle — data structures, algorithms and databases — you prepare once.
| Topic | In DA | In CS | Who must add it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Probability & statistics (distributions, CLT, hypothesis tests) | Whole section, 15–21 marks | Basics only in Engineering Maths (random variables, standard distributions, Bayes) — no CLT, confidence intervals or hypothesis tests | CS → DA |
| Linear algebra (SVD, projections, quadratic forms) | Whole section | Matrices, determinants, eigenvalues and LU in Engineering Maths — no SVD, projections or quadratic forms | CS → DA |
| Machine learning and AI | Two sections, 18–25 marks together | Not in the syllabus | CS → DA |
| Data warehousing (multidimensional data models, concept hierarchies, measures — asked as OLAP-cube questions) | Part of Section 5 | Not in the syllabus | CS → DA |
| Operating systems, networks, compilers, theory of computation | Not in the syllabus | Large part of the paper | DA → CS |
| Digital logic and computer organisation | Not in the syllabus | In the syllabus | DA → CS |
| Programming language | Python | C | Both — switch languages |
The asymmetry is worth noticing. For a CS graduate, the step to DA is mostly mathematics and machine learning — topics that reward steady practice over four months. For a DA candidate without a CS degree, the step to CS is five or six systems subjects, each a semester course in its own right. That is why "write both" is realistic mainly for CS graduates.
Writing both
What GATE 2027 allows
- DA and CS are an allowed two-paper combination in both directions (with DA first, you can also pair CS, EC, EE, MA, ME, PH, RA, ST or XE).
- A second paper is a second fee; see the fee table on the official site. When the 2027 paper-wise schedule is published, confirm your two papers are in separate sessions before paying.
- The page warns that combinations are tentative and may be removed later, with the second-paper fee refunded.
Writing both makes sense if you want the widest set of options — CSE M.Techs through CS, AI and data-science M.Techs through DA — and you already have a CS degree, because the extra syllabus for each is then manageable. It makes less sense if you are from a non-CS background: preparing all of CS on top of DA is roughly a second exam, and you would be spreading four months across two papers.
Decide in three questions
DA, CS or both?
If DA is your paper, our question-by-question weightage count shows where to start: probability, programming and databases together carried 42, 44 and 53 of the 85 subject marks in 2024–2026.
Can I write both GATE DA and GATE CS in 2027?
Yes. DA and CS are an allowed two-paper combination in GATE 2027 in both directions. A second paper costs an additional fee, and the official page says combinations are tentative and may change.
Is GATE DA accepted for M.Tech CSE at IITs?
Mostly not. On the 2026-27 admission pages, the CSE M.Tech at IIT Madras, Delhi, Kharagpur, Guwahati, Roorkee, Patna, Jodhpur and IISc accepts GATE CS only. IIT Kanpur and IIIT Delhi list DA for their CSE M.Techs, and several NIT CSE M.Techs accept DA through CCMT.
Which IITs accept GATE DA?
Among others: IISc (M.Tech AI, Computational and Data Science), IIT Madras (M.Tech Data Science and AI, DA only), IIT Kharagpur (M.Tech AI), IIT Kanpur (Intelligent Systems and CSE), IIT Hyderabad (AI), IIT Guwahati (Data Science), IIT Roorkee (Data Science), IIT Patna (AI) and IIT Jodhpur (AI, Data and Computational Sciences).
Is GATE DA easier than GATE CS?
Not in any simple sense. DA had fewer candidates in 2026 (69,242 against 211,020) and a lower qualifying mark (26.4 against 30), but fewer DA candidates reached high marks, so the paper is not easier to top. The better question is which paper your target programmes accept.
Do PSUs recruit through GATE DA?
Rarely so far. The official GATE 2027 opportunities page does not map PSUs to papers. One recruiter we could verify, IHMCL (an NHAI initiative), advertised Systems Engineer posts in July 2026 selecting on a valid GATE score in CS, EC or DA (the advertisement mentions both 2025 and 2026 scores in different places).
More in this series
- GATE DA topic-wise weightage, counted from 2024–2026 papers
- GATE DA marks vs score vs rank, with calculator
- GATE DA previous year papers 2024–2026, with answer keys
- GATE DA 2027 week-by-week plan, October to February
- GATE DA without a CS degree
- Probability & Statistics for GATE DA — the heaviest section
- GATE DA cutoffs, rank vs IIT and placements
- GATE DA notice board — official updates
Sources
- official — GATE 2027 two-paper combinations
- official — GATE 2027 question paper pattern
- official — GATE 2027 DA syllabus (IIT Madras)
- official — GATE 2024 DA question paper (IISc)
- official — GATE 2024 DA final answer key
- official — GATE 2025 DA question paper (IIT Roorkee)
- official — GATE 2025 DA answer key
- official — GATE 2026 DA question paper (IIT Guwahati)
- official — GATE 2026 DA answer key
- official — IIT Roorkee M.Tech Information Brochure 2026-27
- official — IIT Patna M.Tech advertisement 2026-27
- official — IIT Jodhpur M.Tech advertisement 2026-27
- official — CCMT 2026 (programme vs GATE paper seat mapping linked from here)
- official — GATE 2027 CS syllabus (IIT Madras)
- official — GATE 2026 Statistical and Performance Report (IIT Guwahati)
- official — GATE 2025 Statistical and Performance Report (IIT Roorkee)
- official — GATE 2024 Statistical and Performance Report (IISc, archived copy)
- official — IISc M.Tech admissions — GATE papers accepted
- official — IIT Madras M.Tech admissions, Table 3
- official — IIT Kharagpur PG eligibility criteria 2026
- official — IIT Kanpur M.Tech GATE paper codes
- official — IIT Hyderabad M.Tech AI brochure (July 2026)
- official — IIT Guwahati M.Tech eligibility
- official — IIT Delhi M.Tech CSE admissions 2026
- official — IIIT Delhi M.Tech CSE admissions 2026
- official — IHMCL Systems Engineer advertisement (GATE CS/EC/DA)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
