GATE 2027 Application Fees: Category-wise Fee & Refund

GATE 2027 application fees are ₹1,000 per test paper for female, SC, ST and PwD candidates and ₹2,000 per test paper for all other candidates, including foreign nationals, during the regular registration period (source: Official GATE 2027 Information Brochure, Section 6.4.1, Table 5, p.14). If you are applying for GATE DA or GATE CS, it helps to understand the full fee structure before you register.

Applications went through the GOAPS portal, linked from gate2027.iitm.ac.in. This guide covers category-wise fees, the late-fee periods, payment methods, fee concessions and the refund policy, all checked against IIT Madras's official documents.

How Much Is the GATE 2027 Application Fee?

The fee depends on two things: your category and when you registered.

The official GATE 2027 fee for a single test paper is:

Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure (revised 17 Oct 2026), Table 5, p.14; GATE 2027 Application Fees page. *PwD means Persons with Benchmark Disability (40% or more). The fee does not include bank service or processing charges.

During the extended period and the special window, the per-paper fee was ₹500 higher than in the regular period.

What About Two Test Papers?

GATE 2027 allows a candidate to appear in two test papers, but only in an allowed combination. CS can be paired with DA, EC, GE, MA, PH, RA, ST or ME. DA can be paired with CS, EC, EE, MA, ME, PH, RA, ST or XE (source: Information Brochure, Table 4, p.13; also see the official two-paper combinations page).

For two papers, the fee is twice the single-paper fee: "for two papers, the fee payable will be twice that of a single paper" (Information Brochure, revised 17 Oct 2026, Section 6.4.1, pp.13–14). That makes the two-paper fee ₹2,000 (female/SC/ST/PwD) and ₹4,000 (all others) in the regular period, and ₹3,000 and ₹5,000 in the extended period and special window. Note: the official Application Fees page lists ₹2,500 and ₹4,500 for two papers in the extended period, which differs from the brochure. If you paid a two-paper late fee, the amount shown on GOAPS at payment time is what applied to you.

GATE 2027 Fee Structure for Different Categories

Here is who falls into each fee tier. Putting yourself in the wrong category is a common registration mistake.

All other candidates (General, OBC-NCL, EWS and foreign nationals): ₹2,000 per paper in the regular period. The official FAQ confirms that EWS candidates pay the same fee as General candidates. OBC-NCL and EWS candidates do not upload a category certificate (sources: GATE 2027 FAQs; Information Brochure, Section 6.6, p.17).

SC / ST: ₹1,000 per paper in the regular period. To get the concession you must upload a valid SC/ST certificate issued by an authorised official. The list of empowered authorities is in Appendix A of the brochure (Section 6.6, p.17; Appendix A, p.30). For GATE 2027, the certificate goes into a folder named "GATE2027" in your DigiLocker Drive and is saved as CATEGORY.pdf (source: GATE 2027 Required Documents page).

PwD: ₹1,000 per paper in the regular period. The concession applies only to candidates with a benchmark disability (40% or more), and a valid PwD certificate or UDID is required (Information Brochure, Table 5 footnote, p.14; Appendix A, p.30).

Female candidates: ₹1,000 per paper in the regular period, whatever their category (Table 5, p.14).

There is only one concessional rate. A female SC, ST or PwD candidate still pays ₹1,000 per paper, because concessions do not stack.

Before you apply, also confirm your academic eligibility. Our GATE 2027 eligibility criteria guide summarises which qualifications IIT Madras accepts.

Key Dates: Registration and Fee Deadlines

IIT Madras revised these dates several times. The current official schedule is below (source: GATE 2027 Important Dates; Information Brochure, Section 3, p.3):

• GOAPS opened: 2 September 2026 (originally announced as 14 August, then 27 August)
• Regular registration closed (no late fee): 5 October 2026 (originally 21 September, then 27 September)
• Extended registration closed (with late fee): 12 October 2026 (originally 30 September, then 5 October)
• Special window (with late fee): 15 October 2026, 10:30 AM to 16 October 2026, 10:29 AM
• GATE 2027 exam dates: 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 and 21 February 2027

Dates can change, so check the official site at gate2027.iitm.ac.in rather than third-party aggregators. The brochure itself advises applying and paying "well ahead of the closing date" to avoid peak-load problems on the portal (Section 6.8, p.21).

GATE 2027 Late Fee Details

Candidates who missed the regular deadline (5 October 2026) could still apply until 12 October 2026, and then again in the 24-hour special window on 15–16 October 2026. Both of these paid the late-fee rate:

• Female / SC / ST / PwD: ₹1,500 per paper (₹1,000 + ₹500)
• All other candidates, including foreign nationals: ₹2,500 per paper (₹2,000 + ₹500)

Source: Information Brochure, Table 5, p.14. For two-paper totals in the late period, see the note on the official sources disagreeing in the two-paper section above.

IIT Madras added the special window after the extended deadline had passed. Its 14 October 2026 notice gave the reason as "multiple requests received" (GATE 2027 Notifications). Do not plan around a window like this. It was not in the original schedule.

GATE 2027 Payment Methods

GOAPS sends you to a payment gateway, and the fee can be paid only online, by:

• Internet banking
• Debit card
• Credit card
• Wallet
• UPI

Source: Information Brochure, Sections 6.4.1 and 6.8, pp.13 and 21. The gateway shows the fee and the bank charges before you confirm, and the candidate pays those charges. The brochure also asks you to make sure e-commerce transactions are enabled on your card before you pay.

There are no international exam centres for GATE 2027. Foreign nationals and Indian citizens living abroad pay the full fee and must take the exam at a centre in India (Section 6.4.1, pp.13–14; GATE 2027 FAQs).

Practical tips (our advice, not official rules):

1. Save or download the PDF of your submitted application after a successful payment. GOAPS offers this download (Section 6.8, p.21).
2. If you are not sure a payment went through, check with your bank. Then log back into GOAPS after some time and check the payment status before you pay again. This is what the brochure recommends (Section 6.8, p.21).

GATE 2027 Fee Concessions (No Full Waiver)

The official fee table has no zero-fee category. The reduced ₹1,000 rate for female, SC, ST and PwD candidates is the only concession, and it is based on category, not income. EWS candidates pay the same fee as General candidates (GATE 2027 FAQs).

To claim the concession, SC/ST and PwD candidates must provide the documents listed on the official Required Documents page. Zonal GATE offices check applications against these documents, and any defect has to be fixed within the rectification window (Information Brochure, Section 6.9, p.21).

Refund Policy for GATE 2027 Fees

The official rules are short:

• The application fee is not transferable and not refundable, "except when a certain two-paper combination is removed" (Information Brochure, Section 6.4.1, p.13).
• If you withdraw your application, the fee is not refunded (GATE 2027 FAQs).
• If money left your bank account but GATE did not acknowledge the payment, it will be credited back to the same account within 15 working days. Extra payments made on one application because of technical glitches are refunded the same way (Section 6.8, p.21).
• IIT Madras's 7 September 2026 notice says refunds are processed only for duplicate transactions, and only when valid proof is submitted (GATE 2027 Notifications).

The brochure also warns that if an application is rejected because the photograph does not meet the specifications, the fee is not refunded (Section 6.7, p.18).

The Real Cost of GATE 2027: A Simple Framework

This section is The ML Hub's own analysis, not official information.

Your total investment in GATE 2027 has three layers:

Layer 1: Registration cost. The official application fee: ₹1,000 to ₹2,500 per paper, depending on category and when you registered.

Layer 2: Preparation cost. Books, mock tests and courses. This varies the most, from almost nothing for self-study with free resources to the price of a paid programme.

Layer 3: Opportunity cost. The time you spend on focused preparation.

Seen this way, the application fee is the smallest part of the cost. For GATE CS and GATE DA aspirants, preparation should follow the official syllabus of the chosen paper. In DA, probability and statistics are prerequisites for machine learning. Do not assume fixed marks per subject: DA has 15 marks of General Aptitude and 85 marks for the subject, 100 in total (Information Brochure, Section 4, p.4).

IIT Madras conducts GATE 2027 for 30 test papers on six exam dates in February 2027 (Information Brochure, Section 2, pp.2–3).

If you are a GATE DA aspirant deciding between paid preparation and self-study, the ML HUB GATE DA course fees page sets out what structured preparation costs.

Key Takeaways

• GATE 2027 fees were ₹1,000 (female / SC / ST / PwD) and ₹2,000 (all other candidates, including foreign nationals) per test paper in the regular period (Information Brochure, Table 5).
• In the extended period (to 12 Oct 2026) and the special window (15–16 Oct 2026), the fee was ₹1,500 and ₹2,500 per paper.
• Registration opened on 2 September 2026, the regular deadline was 5 October 2026, and registration is now closed.
• Payment was online only, by internet banking, debit card, credit card, wallet or UPI.
• There is no full fee waiver. The concession depends on category, and OBC-NCL and EWS candidates pay the General fee.
• Fees are non-refundable, except when a two-paper combination is removed or a duplicate or unacknowledged payment is reversed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the GATE 2027 application fee for General category candidates?

General, OBC-NCL, EWS and foreign national candidates paid ₹2,000 per test paper in the regular period (2 September – 5 October 2026), and ₹2,500 per paper in the extended period (to 12 October 2026) and the special window (15–16 October 2026). Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, Table 5, p.14.

What is the GATE 2027 fee for SC, ST, PwD, and female candidates?

₹1,000 per paper in the regular period and ₹1,500 per paper in the extended period or special window. PwD here means benchmark disability (40% or more). The rate is the same for every female candidate, whatever her category. Source: GATE 2027 Information Brochure, Table 5, p.14.

When was the last date to pay the GATE 2027 application fee without a late charge?

5 October 2026. The regular deadline was extended from 27 September (and before that, 21 September). Source: gate2027.iitm.ac.in/important_dates.

What is the GATE 2027 late fee, and when did it apply?

The late fee is ₹500 per paper above the regular fee, so ₹1,500 or ₹2,500 per paper. It applied from 6 to 12 October 2026 and in the special window from 15 October, 10:30 AM to 16 October, 10:29 AM. Source: Information Brochure, Table 5, p.14.

Which payment methods are accepted for GATE 2027 registration fees?

Internet banking, debit card, credit card, wallet and UPI, all online through the GOAPS payment gateway. Bank charges are extra and paid by the candidate. Source: Information Brochure, Sections 6.4.1 and 6.8.

Is there a complete fee waiver for GATE 2027?

No. The official fee table has no zero-fee category. The ₹1,000 concessional rate for female, SC, ST and PwD candidates is the only reduced fee.

Can I get a refund if I withdraw my GATE 2027 application?

No. The official FAQ says a withdrawn application's fee is not refunded. The brochure allows a refund only when a two-paper combination is removed. Duplicate or unacknowledged payments are credited back to the same account within about 15 working days.

What happens if I accidentally pay twice or the payment fails midway?

Log back into GOAPS after some time and check the payment status. If GATE did not receive the payment, start a fresh one. Any amount debited without acknowledgement, and any extra payment, is credited back to the same bank account within 15 working days. Source: Information Brochure, Section 6.8, p.21.

Sources

• GATE 2027 Information Brochure (revised version, 17 October 2026), IIT Madras: Sections 2–4, 6.4.1, 6.6–6.9, Tables 4 and 5, Appendix A
• GATE 2027 Application Fees, IIT Madras
• GATE 2027 Important Dates, IIT Madras
• GATE 2027 Notifications, IIT Madras
• GATE 2027 FAQs, IIT Madras
• GATE 2027 Required Documents, IIT Madras
• GATE 2027 Two Paper Combinations, IIT Madras