The UGEE doesn’t give you a number to celebrate on results day. It gives you a list of shortlisted candidates. If your name is on it, you travel to Hyderabad in June and face a panel of researchers. If it isn’t, you don’t. There is no rank card, no percentile to celebrate, no safe score you can bank on from one year to the next. What you get instead are two numbers you need to beat - a SUPR floor and a REAP floor - both of which shift every year based on paper difficulty and the applicant pool. For 2026, the exam is on 2 May. The shortlist will follow a few weeks later. And then, for a few hundred candidates, the real test begins.
This page explains how the selection mechanism works, what the historical sectional cutoffs have been, what programme-wise closing ranks looked like in 2025, and how to think about your own target score for 2026.
How UGEE Selection Actually Works
UGEE is a two-stage filter followed by a final interview that carries all the weight.
Stage 1: The written exam. You sit for a computer-based test with two sections - SUPR (Subject Proficiency Test, 60 minutes) and REAP (Research Aptitude Test, 120 minutes). SUPR checks whether your PCM fundamentals are solid enough. REAP checks how your brain works when faced with unfamiliar problems, pattern recognition, and linguistics puzzles.
Stage 2: The shortlist. Supr is the gatekeeper. If you don’t clear the SUPR sectional cutoff, your REAP score is never evaluated. If you clear SUPR, your REAP score is what ranks you for an interview call. Category-wise reservation applies at this shortlisting stage, meaning SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, and PwD candidates are shortlisted in their own pools.
Stage 3: The interview. The interview is everything. IIIT Hyderabad is explicit: “The decision on the final offer of admission is solely based on the interview performance.” Your written test scores do not factor into final selection. They only got you into that room.
UGEE 2026 Important Dates
The institute has announced the schedule for 2026. All dates are as per the official admissions portal ugadmissions.iiit.ac.in.
- Application portal opens: 11 February 2026
- Application deadline: 31 March 2026
- UGEE exam date: 2 May 2026 (9:00 AM to 12:00 noon)
- On-campus interviews: 4-6 June 2026
- Results and seat allotment rounds: June-July 2026
Application fee: ₹3,100 for male applicants, ₹1,550 for female applicants. Non-refundable. The fee reduction for women is part of IIITH’s diversity initiative - the institute targets at least 25% women among interview-shortlisted candidates.
Eligibility is simple. You must have passed Class 12 (or equivalent) with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics between 2023 and June 2026. Candidates who passed in 2022 or earlier are not eligible. There is no minimum board percentage, no age limit. Unlike many other entrance routes, UGEE does not demand 75% marks or any minimum in PCM. The only barrier is the exam and the interview.
UGEE Exam Pattern and Marking Scheme
The exam is conducted in a single three-hour session. You cannot go back and forth between sections; SUPR comes first, then REAP.
SUPR (Subject Proficiency Test)
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics - Class 11 and 12 CBSE/state board syllabus
- Question format: Multiple-choice with five options (in recent years)
- Marks per question: +1 (exact pattern varies year to year; in 2024, SUPR had 40 questions for 40 marks)
- Negative marking: 25% (-0.25 per wrong answer in 2024)
Physics and Mathematics get noticeably more weight than Chemistry. If you have prepared for JEE Main, SUPR won’t surprise you - but you’ll need to work quickly. 40 questions in 60 minutes means 90 seconds per question, and you cannot afford careless errors because negative marking bites.
REAP (Research Aptitude Test)
- Duration: 120 minutes
- Content: Logical reasoning, pattern recognition, coding-decoding, linguistics, graphical interpretation, case studies, algebra puzzles, probability-based reasoning, data sufficiency
- Question format: Mix of MCQs and fill-in-the-blanks (in 2024, 41 MCQs + 9 fill-in-the-blanks out of 50 questions)
- Marks per question: +2
- Negative marking: -0.5 per wrong answer (25%)
REAP has no fixed syllabus. It is not about memorising formulas. The paper rewards clarity of thought, the ability to decode unfamiliar scripts, spatial reasoning, and comfort with ambiguity. In 2024, a typical REAP question asked you to match sentences in an unfamiliar language to translations, or to decode an encrypted message using partial clues.
The institute provides official sample papers for both sections on its admissions portal. These are essential for understanding the flavour of REAP questions.
The UGEE Cutoff System: What Numbers You Need to Beat
There is no single UGEE cutoff. There are two sectional thresholds that change every year, and a programme-wise closing rank that determines which dual-degree track you get offered - provided you clear the interview first.
Historical SUPR and REAP Cutoffs (2018-2025)
The table below shows the minimum marks required to be shortlisted for interviews in each year. Note that the exam structure has changed over time: prior to 2023, SUPR had no negative marking and a different number of questions; from 2024 onwards, negative marking was introduced in SUPR as well.
For 2026, no one can tell you the exact cutoff in advance. But the trend is clear. REAP has consistently been the harder hurdle. The REAP cutoff has hovered around 66-68 for males and 63-64.5 for females over the last three cycles. For a safe estimate, target REAP ≥ 70 and SUPR ≥ 20.
These cutoffs are not official entry lines published by IIITH. They are reconstructed from the reported minimum shortlist marks of past candidates. They should be treated as directional, not contractual.
Category-Wise Shortlisting
IIIT Hyderabad follows central government reservation norms. Separate shortlists are drawn for SC, ST, OBC-NCL, EWS, and PwD candidates, and the qualifying thresholds are lower than for the general category. However, the institute does not publish category-wise cutoff marks. If you belong to a reserved category, your best strategy remains the same: maximise your REAP score. A strong REAP score is what gets you ranked within your category pool.
Diversity Reservation: 25% Women Shortlisted
The institute has a stated target: at least 25% of interview shortlisted candidates should be women. This is implemented by drawing a separate or adjusted shortlist. It is not a separate seat quota, but it does mean that female applicants are directly competing within their gender cohort for interview slots. The lower application fee for women (₹1,550 vs ₹3,100) is a small part of this push.
Programme-Wise Closing Ranks (UGEE 2025)
Once you clear the interview, you are considered for programme allocation. IIITH releases round-wise closing ranks for each dual-degree programme. The table below shows the final closing ranks from UGEE 2025 - these are the last rank at which a seat was offered in each round. The rank is the candidate's position on the UGEE merit list (not JEE rank, not marks).
CSD is the most competitive track. In 2025, the final closing rank for CSD was 83. That means only 83 candidates across all categories received a CSD offer of the roughly 800-1,000 interviewed. The top tier closes tight and stays tight.
Notice that interdisciplinary programmes (CLD, CND, CHD, CGD) close at higher ranks - meaning they are more accessible. These programmes combine computer science with linguistics, natural sciences, human sciences, or geospatial technology. If your rank is borderline, listing them in your preference order can be the difference between admission and rejection.
UGEE Via JEE Main: The Other Path to IIIT Hyderabad
If the research-intensive dual degree is not your goal, IIITH also admits students to its four-year B.Tech programmes (CSE and ECE) through JEE Main scores. This route uses JoSAA counselling, and the cutoffs are starkly different.
Based on JoSAA 2025 final round data for B.Tech CSE (open, all-India):
- Round 1 closing rank: 1,004
- Round 2 closing rank: 3,104
For B.Tech ECE:
- Round 1 closing rank: 2,564
- Round 2 closing rank: 6,307
In percentile terms, these correspond to approximately 99.79 percentile for CSE and 98.71 percentile for ECE. These are among the highest cutoffs for JEE Main admissions to any Indian engineering college.
The JEE Main route seats are limited: 100 for CSE and 60 for ECE. There is no dual degree via JEE Main. That programme is exclusively through UGEE.
Selection Ratio: How Competitive UGEE Really Is
UGEE is statistically harder to crack than many IITs. The numbers bear this out.
Each year, an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 students apply. Of those, roughly 800-1,000 are shortlisted for interviews (around 1.6% to 2% of applicants). The total number of dual-degree seats across all programmes is 120 (35 CSD + 25 ECD + 5 × 15 interdisciplinary). That puts the overall selection ratio at approximately 0.2% to 0.3% - or about 1 in 300 to 1 in 500 applicants.
The interview is the tightest filter. Not everyone who is shortlisted clears it. Anecdotally, roughly 25-30% of interviewees receive offers, but no official data is published. What is clear: you cannot coast through the interview on written-test confidence. The panel actively probes your reasoning, your curiosity, and your honesty. A candidate who says "I don't know that, but here's how I would find out" often fares better than someone who tries to bluff.
How to Use This Data for UGEE 2026
Set a target, not a minimum
Given recent trends, a safe target for the written exam is:
- SUPR ≥ 20 out of 40
- REAP ≥ 70 out of 100
That gives you a combined score of 90+ out of 140. In 2025, the shortlist thresholds were lower (SUPR 12.75, REAP 68 for males), but aiming at the floor is risky. Every extra mark in REAP pushes your rank higher and gives you a better interview slot and more programme options.
REAP determines everything
Your SUPR score just needs to be above the filter line. Above that line, a candidate with SUPR 14 and REAP 72 will outrank a candidate with SUPR 38 and REAP 67. REAP is the real competition. In fact, IIITH states clearly: "Applicants will be filtered based on the SUPR score, and then ranked on REAP score in order to shortlist for the interview."
Programme preferences matter
When you fill the UGEE application form, you must rank the six dual-degree programmes in order of preference. This preference order determines what you are offered if you clear the interview and your rank is good enough. You also answer two subjective questions in the form - questions about your inspiration, interests, and goals. These are visible to your interview panel. Treat them seriously. A thoughtful, honest answer here can shape a more productive interview conversation.
Prepare for REAP differently
JEE Main preparation covers SUPR adequately. REAP requires a different muscle. Practice linguistics puzzles, coding-decoding in unfamiliar scripts, probability reasoning, graph interpretation, and logical deduction. The official UGEE sample papers are the most important resource. Past candidates also recommend solving Panini Linguistics Olympiad (PLO) problems - they are harder than UGEE linguistics questions but train the right mental patterns.
The interview is not a formality
It is the final and decisive stage. Past interview descriptions suggest you may be given 2-4 problems to think through before entering the room. The panel expects you to reason aloud, ask clarifying questions, and handle hints. They are not looking for memorised answers. They want to see how you approach problems you have never seen before.
Fees, Financial Assistance, and ROI
IIIT Hyderabad is not a government-funded institute in the traditional sense, so fees are higher than NITs or IITs. For the 2025-26 academic year, the annual tuition fee for dual-degree programmes was ₹4,50,000. Hostel charges were approximately ₹4,000 per month and mess charges approximately ₹5,000 per month, payable semester-wise.
However, financial assistance is available. The institute runs the IIITH Special Financial Assistance Scheme (ISFAS), supported by alumni contributions and institute funds, which provides need-based support on a payback-after-graduation basis. The SBI branch on campus also offers a dedicated scholar loan scheme - up to ₹40 lakh, no collateral, interest rate of approximately 7.9% (floating), repayment over 15 years.
Why does this cost make sense? The placement numbers tell part of the story. For the 2024-25 cycle, B.Tech CSE students registered 118, placed 117, with an average salary of ₹31.98 LPA and a highest of ₹1.28 crore. Dual-degree graduates saw average packages in the ₹15-40 LPA range depending on specialisation. The CSD and ECD programmes are well-represented among top recruiters including Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there a UGEE cutoff for SC/ST/OBC candidates?
A: Yes, but the exact thresholds are not published. IIITH follows central reservation norms: 15% SC, 7.5% ST, 27% OBC-NCL, 10% EWS, and 5% horizontal reservation for PwD. Shortlists are drawn separately for each category, and qualifying SUPR/REAP marks are lower than for the general pool. However, no category-wise marks are released. If you belong to a reserved category, focus on maximising your REAP score - it determines your intra-category rank.
Q: Can I get admission without clearing the interview?
A: No. There is no seat allocation based solely on the written exam. Even if you score perfectly on SUPR and REAP, you must clear the interview. And the interview does not consider your written marks. It is the sole basis for the final offer.
Q: What happens if I don’t get shortlisted for UGEE?
A: You can still apply to IIITH through other channels - most notably JEE Main for the four-year B.Tech programme, or through Olympiad/KVPY/SPEC routes if you are eligible. UGEE is not the only path, but it is the only one that leads to the dual-degree research programmes.
Q: How many students appear for UGEE?
A: Estimates range from 40,000 to 60,000 applicants annually. The institute does not release exact registration numbers. Based on the number of test centres and community estimates, the applicant pool has been growing as awareness of the exam increases.
Q: Where can I find previous year UGEE papers?
A: Official sample papers are available on the IIITH admissions portal under the UGEE section. Memory-based question collections are shared by community platforms, and several publishers release UGEE-specific preparation books. Use official samples first, then supplement with memory-based papers for additional practice.
Q: Is there a management quota or donation route for UGEE programmes?
A: No. All admissions are strictly merit-based through the entrance exam and interview. IIIT Hyderabad does not offer any management quota, NRI quota, or donation-based seats for the dual-degree programmes. If anyone claims otherwise, they are misrepresenting the process.
Q: What is the application fee for UGEE 2026?
A: ₹3,100 for male candidates and ₹1,550 for female candidates. Fee is payable online and is non-refundable. The reduced fee for women is part of IIITH’s initiative to increase gender diversity in its applicant pool.