JEE Advanced cutoffs (opening and closing ranks) are the clearest way to compare how competitive a branch is at a given Indian Institute of Technology. This post compares IIT Guwahati and IIT Indore branch-by-branch using 2026 JoSAA Round 2 opening and closing ranks, where the closing rank is the last rank at which a seat was allotted in a specific branch and category (Collegedost).
Quick Verdict
IIT Guwahati has tighter (lower/more competitive) cutoffs than IIT Indore across nearly every comparable branch, most notably in Computer Science, Mathematics and Computing, and Mechanical Engineering. IIT Indore's cutoffs are higher (less competitive) almost everywhere, though its Computer Science and Electrical Engineering cutoffs are close enough to Guwahati's that branch choice matters more than institute choice for those two subjects.
Snapshot
2026 JoSAA Round 2, open-category opening–closing ranks, Years refers to programme duration; all programmes below are 4-year Bachelor of Technology degrees unless noted.
| Branch | IIT Guwahati (Open–Close) | IIT Indore (Open–Close) |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science and Engineering | 588–810 | 1,186–1,639 |
| Mathematics and Computing | 943–1,325 | 1,759–2,026 |
| Electrical Engineering / Electronics and Electrical Engineering | 1,953–2,212 | 2,222–3,123 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 3,104–5,104 | 5,438–7,236 |
| Chemical Engineering | 5,450–6,233 | 7,007–8,380 |
| Civil Engineering | 6,630–9,020 | 8,700–10,390 |
| Engineering Physics | 4,219–5,813 | 6,304–6,899 |
| Institute-wide closing rank (overall, 2026) | 10,732 | 13,934 |
| Institute-wide closing rank (2025, for comparison) | 9,243 | 10,576 |
Source for all branch and institute-wide ranks: Collegedost and Careers360. Note that IIT Guwahati and IIT Indore don't offer identically named branches in every case — Guwahati's closest equivalent to a dedicated Electrical programme is "Electronics and Electrical Engineering," while Indore lists a combined "Electrical Engineering."
Detailed Analysis
The gap is widest in the most sought-after branches. IIT Guwahati's Computer Science and Engineering closed at rank 810, compared with IIT Indore's 1,639 — meaning a candidate ranked anywhere between roughly 810 and 1,639 could get CSE at Indore but not at Guwahati (Collegedost). The same pattern holds for Mathematics and Computing (Guwahati closing at 1,325 vs Indore at 2,026) and Mechanical Engineering (Guwahati at 5,104 vs Indore at 7,236) (Collegedost).
Electrical Engineering is the branch where the two institutes are closest: Guwahati's Electronics and Electrical Engineering closed at 2,212 versus Indore's Electrical Engineering at 3,123 — still a gap, but proportionally smaller than in CSE or Mechanical (Collegedost). One industry note observes that among IITs established after 2008, "IIT Hyderabad and IIT Guwahati consistently show the most competitive OBC-NCL closing ranks for CSE" (Collegedunia) — while Guwahati predates 2008, this signals that Guwahati's CSE program remains highly sought-after relative to peer institutes, IIT Indore included.
At the whole-institute level, both cutoffs loosened from 2025 to 2026, but IIT Indore's loosened by a wider margin: its overall closing rank moved from 10,576 to 13,934 (a jump of 3,358), while Guwahati's moved from 9,243 to 10,732 (a jump of 1,489) (Careers360). It's also worth noting that a closing rank in Round 1 can tighten or loosen further by Round 2 depending on how many admitted candidates froze, floated, slid, or withdrew their seats (Collegedost), and there is no spot round after JoSAA counselling concludes, so these Round 2 numbers are close to final for most branches (Collegedost).
Both institutes require a JEE Advanced All India Rank (AIR) for admission, since cutoffs quoted here are for the IIT system specifically rather than the JEE Main-based NIT/IIIT system (Collegedost).
Verdict
Winner: IIT Guwahati, for candidates who want the more competitive (and, per its NIRF track record, generally higher-regarded) branch across nearly every comparable programme. Runner-up: IIT Indore, which is the sensible choice for a candidate whose JEE Advanced rank comfortably clears Indore's cutoff for their target branch but falls short of Guwahati's — getting into IIT Indore's Computer Science or Mathematics and Computing program, for instance, is a stronger outcome than missing out on a seat at Guwahati entirely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which IIT has a lower CSE cutoff, Guwahati or Indore?
IIT Guwahati's CSE closed at rank 810 in the 2026 Round 2 allotment, versus IIT Indore's 1,639 — Guwahati is the more competitive (lower) cutoff (Collegedost).
Q: Is Electrical Engineering closer in competitiveness between the two institutes?
Yes — the gap between Guwahati (2,212 closing) and Indore (3,123 closing) is proportionally smaller than in CSE or Mechanical Engineering (Collegedost).
Q: Did cutoffs get easier or harder in 2026 compared to 2025?
Both institutes' overall closing ranks loosened (became less competitive) in 2026, with IIT Indore's shift (+3,358) larger than IIT Guwahati's (+1,489) (Careers360).
Q: What rank do I need to have a shot at IIT Guwahati CSE?
Based on 2026 Round 2 data, the opening rank was 588 and the closing rank was 810 (Collegedost).
Q: What rank do I need to have a shot at IIT Indore CSE?
Based on 2026 Round 2 data, the opening rank was 1,186 and the closing rank was 1,639 (Collegedost).
Q: Can cutoffs change after Round 2?
JoSAA counselling has no spot round, so candidates shouldn't plan around a last-minute relaxation beyond the published rounds (Collegedost).
Q: Is there a branch-change option if I don't get my first choice?
Our research doesn't include branch-change policy details specific to these two institutes, so we can't confirm this either way for Guwahati or Indore.
Related
For the complete picture beyond Branch Cutoffs -- placements, academics, campus life, and more -- see the full IIT Guwahati vs IIT Indore comparison.