M.Plan admission through GATE: how SPA Delhi, Bhopal and Vijayawada select (JAAP-PG)

How does M.Plan admission work at the SPAs?

1. One joint application. JAAP-PG (Joint Admission for Architecture and Planning, Post Graduate) covers SPA New Delhi, SPA Bhopal and SPA Vijayawada. A candidate can choose any number of courses and institutes they are eligible for.
2. Eligibility check. You need the qualifying degree for the course, with at least 55% marks or 6.0 CGPA (50% marks or 5.5 CGPA for SC, ST and PwD candidates).
3. Selection. The advertisement lists four criteria: performance in the qualifying exam, a valid GATE, CEED or UGC-NET (JRF) score as applicable, physical interaction (interview), and work experience.
4. Merit list and spot rounds. Each institute publishes its own lists on its website. SPA Vijayawada’s site shows PG spot-round notices for 2026-27, so seats left empty can be filled in later rounds.

The JAAP-PG 2026 advertisement said registration would begin in February 2026. Candidates in their final year or semester could also apply.

Where is GATE used, and where is it not?

• It is a criterion, not a cut-off. The notices list the GATE score alongside the qualifying exam, interview and work experience. They give no minimum GATE score and no weight for it.
• The paper is not named. The advertisement says “valid GATE/CEED/UGC-NET (JRF) Score, as applicable”. It does not say which GATE paper counts for each M.Plan course. Check the institute’s course page before you pick a paper.
• CEED is for design. SPA New Delhi’s page says a valid CEED score is essential for non-architecture candidates applying to the Master of Design (Industrial Design). It is not an M.Plan requirement.
• Scholarship needs a valid score card. The advertisement says only GATE and CEED qualified candidates, in the appropriate branch, with a valid score card are eligible for the scholarship. SPA New Delhi’s page says the scholarship is for non-sponsored students who hold a valid score at the time of admission.
• Validity. A GATE score card is valid for three years from the date results are announced. See the GATE AR marks vs score page and the cutoff page. Qualifying marks only decide who gets a score card. They are not admission cutoffs.

M.Plan seats at the three SPAs (2026-27)

From the JAAP-PG 2026 seat matrix. A dash means the course is not offered at that institute.

Course names differ slightly between institutes (for example, Transport Planning and Logistics Management at Bhopal, and Environmental Planning and Management at Vijayawada). Seats exclude the supernumerary and Kashmiri migrant seats described in the advertisement, and 5% of seats are reserved on a horizontal basis for persons with benchmark disabilities.

Who is eligible for which M.Plan course?

This is from SPA New Delhi’s programme page, whose eligibility text is dated to the 2024-25 session. The JAAP-PG 2026 advertisement tells candidates to check each institute’s website for course details, so confirm it on the institute’s current page, especially for Bhopal and Vijayawada.

In every case the degree must be from a recognised university or equivalent, and SPA Delhi’s page treats the A.I.I.A. (by examination) as equivalent to a Bachelor’s in Architecture. B.Arch graduates are named in the eligibility for all five courses above.

Fees and sponsored candidates

• Application fee (JAAP-PG 2026): ₹3,500 for Indian nationals and ₹1,750 for SC, ST and PwD candidates. Both are non-refundable.
• Foreign nationals, NRI, PIO and OCI apply separately through the DASA 2026 portal.
• Sponsored candidates from government, quasi-government organisations and PSUs apply separately through each institute’s website.

What to do before the next cycle

• Confirm your degree against the course you want, using the institute’s current page.
• Plan GATE and the portfolio together. The SPA Delhi page lists a portfolio or project, a statement of purpose and work experience among the selection items, alongside the GATE score and interview.
• Watch the dates. GATE 2027 results are due on 19 March 2027 (see the exam calendar). The JAAP-PG 2027 advertisement will appear on the SPA websites.
• Use a recent score. Check the validity of your score card on the date of admission.

Where the figures come from

• Joint Admission for Architecture and Planning, Post Graduate (JAAP-PG) 2026 advertisement (PDF)
• Postgraduate degree programmes offered by the three SPAs, JAAP 2026 (PDF)
• SPA New Delhi, postgraduate degree programmes: eligibility and selection

IITs, NITs, CEPT and other institutes also run planning programmes with their own rules. They are not covered here because APJ has not read their notices.