PSU GATE cutoff for the general category is usually very high, 70-80 marks out of 100. Top PSUs like IOCL, HPCL, and NTPC require near-perfect scores of 65-80 marks, especially in the Mechanical and Civil branches.
- General category candidates need to score around 78-80 marks in GATE to be eligible to receive interview calls from GAIL and ONGC.
- You are most likely to be eligible for BEL and HAL interviews if you scored 70-75 marks in Electrical or Mechanical branches of GATE 2026.
- General category candidates scoring 65-72 marks in GATE 2026 have the chance to receive interview calls from SAIL.
Also Read:
- Check branch-wise and Category-wise PSU GATE Cutoff 2026
- Check PSU recruitment through GATE 2026: Jobs, Eligibility, and Selection Process

Key Summary
- The General Category typically needs near-perfect scores in GATE to make it to PSUs, typically 65-70+ marks.
- ONGC and GAIL are the premium PSUs, which typically need 75-80+ marks.
- The cutoff for HAL and BEL usually requires 65-75+ marks out of 100 in GATE.
- Miniratna PSUs typically require lower GATE marks for the interview calls.
GATE Cutoff Marks for General Category at Maharatna PSUs
Top PSUs often call candidates with above 70+ marks for the interviews, especially for Mechanical and Electrical branches.
- GAIL often has the highest cutoff for general category, especially for Electrical which is around 80 marks out of 100.
- You need to score around 65-72 in GATE 2026 to be eligible for BHEL interviews.
- ONGC requires high scores around 80 in GATE to be able to receive call for further interviews.
| Maharatna PSU | Expected GATE Cutoff Marks for CSE | Expected GATE Cutoff Marks for Electrical | Expected GATE Cutoff Marks for Mechanical | Expected GATE Cutoff Marks for Civil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BHEL | 68 | 72 | 70 | 65 |
| GAIL | 72 | 80 | 78 | 70 |
| HPCL | 72 | 75 | 73 | 70 |
| IOCL | 74 | 78 | 75 | 72 |
| ONGC | 75 | 80 | 78 | 72 |
| PGCIL | 70 | 82 | 75 | 73 |
| SAIL | 65 | 72 | 70 | 68 |
| NTPC | 68 | 78 | 75 | 70 |
Source: GATE score for PSU analysis by GeeksforGeeks GATE

Also Check out:
What is the safe marks in GATE CSE?
Ques. Why is the ONGC cutoff higher compared to other PSUs?
Ans. ONGC has premier posts and only a few vacancies. So the cutoff for the general category stays high, mostly in the range of 78-80 marks out of 100.
GATE Cutoff Marks for Navratna PSUs
Navratna PSUs often require 65-80 marks for general category students to be considered for the next rounds of interviews. Top Navaratna PSU, HAL, often requires GATE marks above 70.
| PSU | GATE Cutoff Marks for Electrical | GATE Cutoff Marks for Mechanical | GATE Cutoff Marks for Civil | GATE Cutoff Marks for CSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL | 75 | 70 | 65 | 70 |
| CONCOR | 68 | 66 | 65 | 64 |
| HAL | 78 | 75 | 70 | 72 |
| NALCO | 70 | 68 | 65 | 65 |
| NFL | 67 | 65 | 62 | 63 |
| OIL | 75 | 72 | 70 | 68 |
Source: GATE score for PSU analysis by GeeksforGeeks GATE

Also Read:
GATE 2026 Expected Qualifying Marks for General Category
Ques. Is 60 marks in GATE enough for BEL?
Ans. 60 marks is usually not enough for BEL. Typically, cutoff for the general category is around 65-75 marks out of 100.
As per the user on the r/GATEtard subreddit, NHPC needs only 61-62 marks in GATE, whereas CIL needs around an 831 score out of 1000 marks in GATE.

GATE Cutoff Marks for Miniratna PSUs
Miniratna PSUs need a minimum score of 60-65 in GATE 2026 for general category students. The cutoff scores of these PSUs is usually lower than Maharatna and Navratna PSUs.
- Airports Authority of India typically has the cutoff marks of 62-64 for the Electrical branch, and 60-63 marks for Mechanical.
- Mangalore Refinery usually needs 70-72 marks in Electrical, 68-70 in Mechanical, and 64-66 marks in CSE in GATE.
- Expected Cutoff for general category candidates in ECI is 65-70 marks in GATE 2026.
| PSU | Expected Cutoff Marks for Electrical | Expected Cutoff Marks for Mechanical | Expected Cutoff Marks for Civil | Expected Cutoff Marks for CSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tehri Hydro Development Corporation | 68-70 | 66-69 | 63-65 | 65-67 |
| Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals | 70-72 | 68-70 | 65-67 | 64-66 |
| Airports Authority of India | 62-64 | 60-63 | 58-61 | 60-62 |
| Educational Consultants India | 65-75 | 65-70 | 65-70 | 65-70 |
Source: GATE score for PSU analysis by GeeksforGeeks GATE

Ques. Do all branches get similar cutoffs in Airports Authority of India?
Ans. It usually has a similar cutoff across branches in AAI. However, the exact cutoff may vary for each branch every year. We can expect the cutoff 58-65 marks across branches.
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