Eligibility for Direct MTech (without GATE) at IIT Kanpur – Need Guidance

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some guidance on eligibility and chances for direct MTech admission (without GATE) at IIT Kanpur. I did my BTech from IIT Bhilai in Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, graduated in 2025, and I’m currently working in industry. My overall CGPA is 7.93, and my last 2 years CGPA is around 8.3. I’m planning to apply for MTech in Computer Science at IIT Kanpur in 2026, and I noticed that their criteria mentions 6.5+ overall CGPA and 8.0+ in the last 2 years, which I seem to satisfy.

Does just meeting the CGPA cutoff give a realistic chance, or is selection still very selective? Also, how much do factors like IIT background (but not top-5 IIT), DSAI vs core CSE branch, work experience, projects, or interviews matter in practice? If anyone here has gone through this route or knows someone who has, I’d really appreciate your insights.