GATE 2027 Registration Opens on GOAPS After Two-Week Delay

By the Online Coaching 4u team

Last updated: 31 August 2026.

GATE 2027 registration is live on the official GOAPS portal (goaps.iitm.ac.in) as of 31 August 2026, after IIT Madras pushed the opening back from an originally announced 14 August to 27 August 2026 without giving a public reason.

What changed

GATE 2027 — the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering, conducted by IIT Madras on behalf of the National Coordination Board — released its notification and information brochure on 20 July 2026 via gate2027.iitm.ac.in. Online registration through the GATE Online Application Processing System (GOAPS) was originally slated to begin 14 August 2026 but was rescheduled to 27 August. IIT Madras has not published an explanation for the delay. GOAPS is now accepting sign-ins and applications, though the exam's own homepage banner still describes the registration window as pending — candidates should go by the dates below rather than that homepage copy.

What it means for candidates

The delay has not moved the closing dates: regular registration (without late fee) still closes 27 September 2026, and the extended window (with late fee) closes 5 October 2026 — both unchanged from the original brochure. This year's GATE also introduces a new Robotics and Automation (RA) test paper, taking the total to 30 papers, and makes registration through a verified DigiLocker account mandatory for all Indian nationals — candidates who haven't set up DigiLocker yet should do that before attempting to register, since it now gates the whole process. The syllabus has also been revised for several papers, and the XE, XH and XL sectional paper codes have changed, so repeat test-takers should not assume last year's paper structure still applies.

Exam calendar

GATE 2027 will be held over three weekends — 6 and 7 February, 13 and 14 February, and 20 and 21 February 2027 — as a computer-based test across domestic centres only, with no international centres this cycle. City allotment is expected around 4 January 2027, with results scheduled for 19 March 2027.

Important pointers

• [31 Aug 2026] GATE 2027 registration on GOAPS opened 27 August 2026, two weeks later than the 14 August date announced in the July brochure — Source: gate2027.iitm.ac.in
• [31 Aug 2026] A verified DigiLocker account is now mandatory for every Indian-national GATE applicant, not optional — Source: gate2027.iitm.ac.in
• [31 Aug 2026] Regular registration without late fee closes 27 September 2026; late-fee registration closes 5 October 2026 — Source: gate2027.iitm.ac.in
• [31 Aug 2026] GATE 2027 adds a new Robotics and Automation (RA) paper, bringing the total to 30 test papers — Source: gate2027.iitm.ac.in
• [31 Aug 2026] JoSAA's 2026 counselling rounds concluded in mid-July and CSAB Special rounds are also finished, so students still chasing a 2026 UG engineering seat should now look to state counselling boards rather than JoSAA/CSAB — Source: josaa.nic.in, csab.nic.in

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