Quick Verdict
On the cutoff data actually available — which covers M.Tech admission via the GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) exam rather than undergraduate JEE Advanced cutoffs — IIT Bombay is the more competitive, harder-to-enter institute. Its Computer Science Engineering M.Tech cutoff sat at a GATE score of 860 in 2025, well above IIT (BHU) Varanasi's Computer Science & Engineering (AI) cutoff of 772 the same year (FindMyCollege). That gap is consistent with IIT Bombay's stronger overall NIRF Engineering rank (3rd against IIT (BHU) Varanasi's 15th in 2023) (PW Live).
Snapshot
| Metric | IIT Bombay | IIT (BHU) Varanasi |
|---|---|---|
| Established | 1958 (PW Live) | 1919 (PW Live) |
| Campus size | 550 acres | 400 acres (PW Live) |
| NIRF Engineering rank (2023) | 3rd | 15th (PW Live) |
| M.Tech GATE cutoff — Computer Science Engineering (General, 2025) | 860 | 772, listed as Computer Science & Engineering (AI) (FindMyCollege) |
| M.Tech GATE cutoff — Civil Engineering (General, 2025) | Not available in sourced data | 579, listed as Structural Engineering (FindMyCollege) |
| Branch-change policy | Abolished, to reduce student stress (Wikipedia) | Not specified in sourced data |
Detailed Analysis
The only branch-level cutoff numbers available for this specific pair come from M.Tech admissions via GATE, not undergraduate JEE Advanced cutoffs — so this analysis is scoped to postgraduate engineering admission. On that basis, IIT Bombay's Computer Science Engineering program required a GATE score of 860 (General category) in 2025, the highest figure listed among all IITs in the sourced table, ahead of IIT Madras (840), IIT Delhi (820), and every other IIT compared, including IIT (BHU) Varanasi (FindMyCollege). That places IIT Bombay's flagship CSE program as the single hardest M.Tech CSE seat to secure among the institutes listed.
IIT (BHU) Varanasi's cutoffs, while lower than IIT Bombay's, are still solidly competitive. Its Computer Science & Engineering (AI) program required a GATE score of 772 in 2025 — higher than IIT Roorkee (770), IIT Guwahati (765), IIT Hyderabad (720), IIT Kharagpur (710), and IIT Kanpur (740) in the same comparison table, though still below IIT Delhi (820) and IIT Madras (840) (FindMyCollege). Its Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering) program had a considerably lower cutoff of 579 (FindMyCollege), illustrating a pattern common across all IITs: cutoffs vary sharply by branch within the same institute, and a "harder to get into overall" label can mask branches that are comparatively more accessible.
This branch-level variation matters practically: IIT Bombay's overall reputation and NIRF Engineering rank (3rd, versus IIT (BHU) Varanasi's 15th, per the 2023 data) (PW Live) tracks with its higher CSE cutoff, but a prospective student weighing a less headline-grabbing branch, such as Civil Engineering, may find IIT (BHU) Varanasi meaningfully easier to enter without giving up an IIT credential. It's also worth noting that several IITs, including IIT Bombay, have abolished the practice of allowing students to change branches after admission specifically to reduce student stress (Wikipedia) — meaning the cutoff you clear at admission is, in practice, the branch you're likely to stay in for the full degree at IIT Bombay. No equivalent branch-change policy detail was found in the sourced data for IIT (BHU) Varanasi specifically.
One clear gap: none of the sourced material includes undergraduate JEE Advanced branch-wise opening and closing ranks for this specific pair, so this piece cannot compare their UG cutoffs directly — only the M.Tech GATE-based figures above.
Verdict
On the sourced cutoff data, IIT Bombay wins for branch competitiveness at the postgraduate level, with a GATE cutoff of 860 for Computer Science Engineering — the highest among all IITs compared — against IIT (BHU) Varanasi's 772 for its AI-flavored CSE program (FindMyCollege). IIT (BHU) Varanasi is a strong runner-up, particularly given its CSE cutoff still outpaces several older, well-known IITs. The one condition under which a reader should pick IIT (BHU) Varanasi instead: if your GATE score or JEE-based profile comfortably clears its cutoff for a specific branch you want (such as Civil Engineering, at a considerably more accessible 579) but falls short of IIT Bombay's cutoff for that same branch or for CSE specifically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does this comparison cover JEE Advanced (undergraduate) cutoffs or GATE (postgraduate) cutoffs?
A: The only branch-level cutoff data sourced for this pair is from GATE-based M.Tech admissions; no undergraduate JEE Advanced branch cutoffs for this specific pair were found in the sourced data.
Q: What was IIT Bombay's M.Tech CSE cutoff in 2025?
A: A GATE score of 860 in the General category, the highest listed among the IITs compared (FindMyCollege).
Q: What was IIT (BHU) Varanasi's M.Tech CSE cutoff in 2025?
A: A GATE score of 772, listed under Computer Science & Engineering (AI) (FindMyCollege).
Q: How does IIT (BHU) Varanasi's Civil Engineering cutoff compare?
A: Its Structural Engineering M.Tech cutoff was 579 in 2025 — considerably lower than its own CSE cutoff, and no comparable IIT Bombay Civil Engineering figure was found in the sourced data (FindMyCollege).
Q: Can students change branches after admission at IIT Bombay?
A: No — IIT Bombay is among the IITs that have abolished branch-change to reduce student stress, per sourced data (Wikipedia).
Q: How do the two institutes compare on overall NIRF Engineering rank?
A: IIT Bombay ranked 3rd and IIT (BHU) Varanasi ranked 15th in the NIRF Engineering category as of 2023, per the sourced comparison (PW Live).
Q: Is IIT (BHU) Varanasi's CSE cutoff higher than every other IIT except Bombay?
A: Not quite — in the sourced 2025 table, its 772 was higher than IIT Roorkee, IIT Guwahati, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Kharagpur, and IIT Kanpur, but IIT Madras (840) and IIT Delhi (820) still rank above it, in addition to IIT Bombay (FindMyCollege).
Related
For the complete picture beyond Branch Cutoffs — placements, academics, campus life, and more — see the full IIT Bombay vs IIT BHU Varanasi comparison.