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NATA Cut Off 2026: Check Expected Cutoff & Previous Year Trend Analysis

Author : Vineeta Agrawal

April 1, 2026

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Quick Answer: The NATA 2026 cut off does not have any minimum qualifying marks, as per the official brochure. Candidates with a valid score and non-zero percentile are considered qualified. In comparison, NATA 2025 required at least 60 marks out of 200 with minimum 20 marks each in Part A and Part B.

For admissions, however, most good architecture colleges typically require 80-120+ marks depending on competition and seat availability.

Key Highlights - NATA Cut Off 2026

  • NATA 2026 qualifying criteria: No minimum marks required. NATA 2026 uses percentile-based scoring system
  • No centralized national cut-off; colleges set their own admission cut-offs
  • Top architecture colleges usually prefer: 120 to 140+ marks
  • Highly competitive architecture colleges may require 150+ marks
  • Maximum marks in NATA 2026: 200 marks
  • Score validity: Valid for 2026-27 academic session
  • Previous year, in NATA 2025 minimum qualifying marks: 60 marks overall
  • Best score considered if multiple attempts taken
  • Qualifying NATA does not guarantee admission
  • Cut-off varies based on difficulty level, competition, and seat availability

According to the official NATA 2026 exam brochure, there are no minimum qualifying marks this year, unlike last year's 60/200 overall minimum score requirement in National Aptitude Test in Architecture 2025. The authorities will release the NATA 2026 cut off after the exam sessions are concluded. Meanwhile, students can check out the previous year's cut off trends.

Read through the post that will give you a complete insight into the college-wise NATA 2026 Cut off, the last year cut-off marks, factors affecting cut-off, and more.

What is NATA 2026 Cut Off?

The NATA 2026 cut off refers to the minimum score required to qualify for B.Arch admission. Generally, the Cut Off will be released after the declaration of the NATA Exam Result. Based on the qualifying marks, the merit list will be prepared.

As per the official NATA 2026 brochure, there is no fixed qualifying cutoff for NATA 2026. Candidates who obtain a valid score with a non-zero percentile are considered qualified.

Unlike NATA 2025, which required 60 marks out of 200 with minimum 20 marks in Part A and Part B, NATA 2026 does not prescribe minimum qualifying marks. However, admission cutoffs vary by colleges, and higher scores improve chances of getting into top architecture institutes.

"Cut-off marks are the minimum qualifying marks you need to score to get shortlisted for admission. Only those who score above the entrance exam cut-off are eligible for the NATA counselling process."

College-wise Expected NATA 2026 Cut Off or Safe Score Range 

Top 10 NATA Colleges List Target Safe Score in NATA (GEN) Target Safe Score in 12th boards (GEN)
CEPT, Ahmedabad 150+ 85%+
Faculty of Architecture, JMI 120 - 130+ 85%+
Department of Architecture, BIT, Mesra 120+ 85%+
Amity University 110-120+ 85%+
Nirma University 130+ 85%+
BMS College of Architecture 130+ 85%+
Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Dr APJ Abbdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow 120-130+ 85%+
Manipal School of Architecture and Planning 110+ 85%+
Sir J. J College of Architecture, Mumbai 140+ 85%+

Check: List of Top 10 Private Architecture Colleges in India 2026

NATA & JEE B Arch 2025 Toppers by CreativEdge

NATA & JEE B Arch 2025 Toppers by CreativEdge

NATA 2026 Qualifying Cut Off vs Admission Cut Off (Clear Comparison)

  • The cut-off for NATA 2026 marks are divided into two categories: the first category is the minimum qualifying marks required to clear the NATA entrance exam 2025, and thoffe second category is college-wise admission cut-off marks.
  • Besides the qualifying cutoff, the participating institutes will also release the individual cutoffs for B.Arch admissions
  • You must satisfy the college's cut-off to which you are willing to take admission.

Basis

Qualifying Cut Off (NATA 2026)

Admission Cut Off (B.Arch Colleges)

Purpose

To become eligible for B.Arch admission

To secure a seat in colleges that accepts NATA scores for B.Arch admission

Defined by

Council of Architecture (CoA)

Individual Colleges / State Authorities

Minimum Marks in NATA

No minimum marks prescribed

Varies by college

Minimum Marks in 12th Std.

45% aggregate (Physics & Maths mandatory)

Depends on college and competition level

Percentile Requirement

Non-zero percentile qualifies

Higher percentile required

Applies to

All NATA 2026 candidates

College-specific admissions

Official Rule (2026)

Any valid score with a non-zero percentile qualifies

Not defined centrally

Typical Score Range (Expected)

Any valid score qualifies

~120+ marks for good colleges (varies yearly)

Competition Factor

Not applicable

Based on seats, applicants, college demand

Key Insight (Based on NATA 2026 Brochure)

  • NATA 2026 has no minimum qualifying marks
  • Admission cutoffs are decided separately by colleges
  • Higher scores improve chances at top architecture colleges

This is officially mentioned in the NATA 2026 brochure under qualifying criteria, which states that no minimum raw score is prescribed and non-zero percentile is considered qualifying.

Also Check: NATA Previous Year Question Papers

Factors Determining NATA Cut Off 2026

While NATA 2026 does not have a fixed qualifying cutoff, admission cutoffs for architecture colleges depend on the following key factors:

  • The total number of applicants who appeared for the exam
  • Availability of seats
  • Total number of participating institutes
  • The difficulty level of the paper
  • Number of qualified students
  • Category of the applicant
  • Previous Year NATA Cut Off Trends

Factor

How It Affects NATA Cut Off

Number of Applicants

Higher number of candidates increases competition and raises cut off

Difficulty Level of Exam

Easier paper leads to higher cut off, tougher paper lowers cut off

Seat Availability

Fewer seats in colleges increase cut off

College Popularity

Top architecture colleges have higher cut offs

Candidate Performance

Higher overall scores increase admission cut off

Admission Policies

Different colleges and states have different cut off requirements

Previous Year Trends

Cut offs often follow past year trends

Category Reservation

Reservation policies may affect admission cut off

Key Insight

Since NATA 2026 uses percentile-based evaluation, the admission cut off will depend more on relative performance and competition rather than fixed marks. Higher scores improve chances of admission to top architecture colleges.

Check: How to Improve Your NATA 2026 Score?

Category Wise Expected NATA 2026 Cut Off

Since NATA 2026 exam does not prescribe a fixed qualifying cut off, category-wise cut offs mainly apply during college admissions. Based on previous year trends and admission patterns, here is the expected category-wise NATA 2026 cut off range:

Category

Expected Qualifying Range

Safe Score for Good Colleges

Top Colleges Competitive Range

General

No fixed cutoff (Valid score qualifies)

90-110+

120-150+

OBC

No fixed cutoff (Valid score qualifies)

85-105+

110-140+

EWS

No fixed cutoff (Valid score qualifies)

85-105+

110-140+

SC

No fixed cutoff (Valid score qualifies)

75-95+

95-120+

ST

No fixed cutoff (Valid score qualifies)

70-90+

90-110+

PwD

No fixed cutoff (Valid score qualifies)

65-85+

85-105+

Important Notes

  • Category-wise cut offs vary by college and state counselling
  • Top architecture colleges generally have higher cut offs
  • Reservation policies are handled by state/college admission authorities

Check: Short tricks to crack the NATA exam in 10 days

How to Check NATA 2026 Cut-Off?

You can follow the steps mentioned below to check NATA Colleges Cut-Off.

  • Step 1: Visit NATA's official website, i.e., www.nata.in
  • Step 2: On the Home page, click the NATA cut off link.
  • Step 3: The cut-off for the participating institutes, courses, and category-wise will be displayed on the screen in pdf format.
  • Step 4: Download the PDF and save it for future reference.

Suppose if you have 80% in your class 12 and scored 90 marks, i.e., 45% in NATA, then your final merit would be 62.5% which is a good score for admission to a reasonable college.

However, to be admitted to a top college, you must score 180-190 on the National Aptitude Test in Architecture.

Check: Best Architecture Colleges in India through NATA

NATA Cut Off 2026 Normalization Process

Normalization will be done based on the NATA Result. It will be calculated by the Council of Architecture (COA) after the declaration of the result.

You can normalize your NATA Score using the method mentioned below:

Your NATA score must be divided by 2, add the board percentage (out of 100), and then divide the aggregate by 2.

For Example: 

If you scored 120 in NATA and 80% in your board exams, then the normalized score will be

= 129/2 + 80

= 140

How to Download NATA Score card 2026

Candidates who appear in the entrance examination can download their scorecards online. NATA 2026 results for the third session will be released in August 2026. Candidates can view their results by inputting their Application Number, Password, and Security Pin. It is necessary to print the outcome/scorecard for future reference.

NATA 2026 Counselling Process

After declaring the result, NATA Counselling will be conducted at various institutes. There is no centralized process for NATA Counselling.

CoA is not responsible for conducting the admission process for NATA. Each college has a separate counselling process that offers admissions through NATA Score.

You must participate in the counselling process with your NATA Scorecard organized by the respective colleges. 

NATA 2025 Qualifying Cut Off

Though there is a minimum qualifying mark for the NATA 2025 Entrance Exam, each college will have a separate category-wise Cut Off for NATA for admission into B.Arch courses. So, students are requested to check out the NATA marking scheme.

Check out the table below to know the minimum qualifying marks required to clear the entrance exam. The NATA 2025 highest marks depend on the difficulty levels. 

Exam  Minimum Qualifying Marks
NATA 70 out of 200

Previous Year NATA Cut Off for Top Architecture Colleges in India

Few colleges have the highest cut-off marks among colleges accepting NATA scores. Only those who will score above the cut-off in the entrance exam will get shortlisted for the next stage of the exam, i.e., counselling.

Go through the NATA Cut-Off 2024 for various colleges from the post below.

CEPT University

CEPT University released the highest cut-off of NATA 2024. The category-wise NATA cut-off is tabulated below:

Category Cut off Marks
General/Other 79.33
General (PH)/Other 61
SEBC/Other 57.62
General/Gujarat Board 74.05
SC/Gujarat Board 66.69
ST/Gujarat Board 51.30
SEBC/Gujarat Board 65.78
ESM/Gujarat Board 57.63
General/CBSE 82

Read more: NATA Drawing Preparation

Sir JJ College of Architecture Expected Cut Off

NATA Cut off for JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai

Category Cut off Rank for Home University Candidates Cut off Rank for Other Candidates
General (Male) 107 104
General (Female) 52 172
OBC (Male) 531 2138
OBC (Female) 228 3516

Check: Creative Edge All India Scholarship & Admission Test

School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi

Category Cut off 
General (Male) 238-733
General (Female) 31-768
OBC (Male) 24-218
OBC (Female) 12-65
SC (Male) 101-206
SC (Female) 41-106

School of Planning and Architecture Expected Cut Off

NATA Cut Off - Sushant School of Art & Architecture (SSAA), Gurgaon

Subject Qualifying Marks Total Marks
Mathematics 30 120
Drawing 20 80
Aggregate 70 200

Sushant School of Art & Architecture Expected Cut Off

Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Institute of Technology

Category NATA Cut Off
General/Other 68.95
General/Gujarat Board 66.95
SC/Gujarat Board 60.15
ST/Gujarat Board 48.46
SEBC/Gujarat Board 57.90
SEBC/CBSE 54.7

NATA Participating Colleges Cut Off Marks 2020

The following table has information regarding NATA Colleges and the previous year's Cut Off. You can find the category-wise cut-off marks for the year 2020.

Vadodara Design Academy

Here are the category wise cut off marks:

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Other 75.5
General/Gujarat Board 59.2
SC/Gujarat Board 48.68
General/CBSE 66.6
SC/CBSE 50.6

Vidyamandir College of Architecture, Women

The cut-off marks for Vidyamandir College are tabulated below. 

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Other 53.36
General/Gujarat Board 58.82
SEBC/Gujarat Board 52.23
General/CBSE 68.75
SEBC/CBSE 55.9

Kalol Institute of Architecture & Design, Kalol

Go through the NATA 2020 cut-off marks below

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Gujarat Board 60.91
General/CBSE 63.85
SEBC/Gujarat Board 49.30

Check: NATA Coaching

LJ School of Architecture

Here are the cut-off marks for the LJ School of Architecture. 

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Other 63.40
General/Gujarat Board 60.65
SC/Gujarat Board 44.84
SEBC/Gujarat 49.03
General/CBSE 66.75
SC/CBSE 51.75

Parul Institute of Architecture and Research

The cut-off marks for Parul Institute of Architecture & Research are tabulated below. 

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Other 60.15
General/Gujarat Board 57.71
SC/Gujarat Board 52.32
SEBC/Gujarat Board 47.32
General/CBSE 74.15
SEBC/CBSE 57.45

Check: Basic Strategies while writing NATA

ITM School of Architecture Art and Design

Here are the cut-off marks for the ITM School of Architecture. 

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Other 61.45
General/Gujarat Board 59.53
SC/Gujarat Board 57.5
SEBC/Gujarat Board 46.01
SC/CBSE 59.55
SEBC/CBSE 56.1

Also Read: Detailed NATA maths syllabus

Bhagwan Mahavir College of Architecture

Check out the cut-off marks for Bhagwan Mahavir college below. 

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Other 58.6
General/Gujarat Board 57.51
SEBC/Gujarat Board 50.33
General/CBSE 64.85
SEBC/CBSE 55.15

Check: NATA Mock Test Series

Anant Institute of Architecture

Go through the category-wise cut-off marks below:

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Other 64.75
General/Gujarat Board 61.63
SC/Gujarat Board 54.85
SEBC/Gujarat Board 52.5
SEBC/CBSE 67.75

DC Patel School of Architecture (A.P.I.E.D)

The category-wise NATA cut off marks for DC Patel School of Architecture are tabulated below. 

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Other 70.7
General/Gujarat Board 65.65
SC/Gujarat Board 51.75
ST/Gujarat Board 44.94
SEBC/Gujarat Board 58.15
General/CBSE 73.4
SEBC/Gujarat Board 58.15
General/CBSE 73.4
SEBC/CBSE 63.5

Check: Logical Reasoning Questions for NATA

M.S University of Baroda

See below the MS University of Baroda cut-off marks for the NATA Entrance Exam. 

Category/Board 2020 Cut Off
General/Gujarat Board 72.4
General (PH)/Gujarat Board 61.1
General/CBSE 80.95
General/Other 78.09
ST/Gujarat Board 54.66
SEBC/Gujarat Board 68.05
SEBC/CBSE 62.45

Check: How to download NATA admit card step by step guide

NATA Cut Off for Government Colleges

If you're aiming for admission to a government college through NATA, it's important to know the cut-off scores you’ll need to meet. The NATA cut off for government colleges changes every year depending on factors like the number of applicants and available seats. To even be considered, you must meet the NATA qualifying marks, which is usually around 70 out of 200.

However, for top institutes like CEPT University, the bar is set much higher the NATA score required for CEPT often goes well above 120. Just meeting the NATA passing marks isn’t enough; getting into a good college also depends on your rank, academic record, and how you perform during the counselling process.

Check: NATA vs JEE Main B.Arch

Conclusion

Overall, the NATA Colleges Cut off is an important indicator of a student’s eligibility for admission into architecture courses in various government colleges. 

It is important to note that various factors, including the last year nata cut off, the number of applicants, the difficulty of the exam, and the performance of the applicants, determine the cut-off.

Therefore, students must prepare thoroughly for the exam and strive to score as high as possible to increase their chances of admission into the desired colleges.

Preparing for NATA 2026? We can help you with exact strategic roadmap, study material and crucial feedback required to ace this exam.

Join CreativEdge NATA Crash Course and get expert guidance on all NATA 2026 subjects. 

You can enroll in offline NID batches at your nearest centres also!

Top Coaching in India for NID, NIFT, UCEED, NATA & JEE.BArch

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About the Author

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Vineeta Agrawal

Communications Executive

Vineeta Agrawal is a seasoned content writer with 3 years of experience and a flair for turning ideas into impactful stories across industries. She blends creativity with strategy to craft content that clicks and converts. Off the clock, she’s a fiction film buff always chasing her next cinematic escape.... more

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