IIM Admission Criteria 2026: CAT Cutoff, Scores & Eligibility for PI Call

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Suparna Podder

Content Writer | Updated on - Feb 8, 2026

IIMs final admission for 2026-28 MBA batch will be based on your overall profile like CAT score, academic performance, work experience, category, and WAT/PI round performance. The process of PI shortlisting will start in January. 2026 batch's Personal Interviews will take place in February, March, and April 2026. After selection, you will receive your final admission offer in May 2026 through an official letter sent by email.

Meanwhile, CAP process IIMs is a common admission round for several new and baby IIMs. It helps you attend one single WAT and PI round instead of multiple interviews. The scores from this round are shared with all participating IIMs, which makes the selection process easier and faster. Each IIM still prepares its own final merit list based on CAT score, academics, work experience, and diversity. This unified process saves time and simplifies MBA admissions after CAT.

CAT 2025 has seen around 2.95 lakh registrations, about 10% lower than last year. This means slightly less competition, but cut-offs for top IIMs are not expected to fall. In fact, IIM Ahmedabad cutoff 2026 has been raised for 2026–28 MBA batch. If you belong to the general category, you now need 95 percentile, and PwD candidates need 85 percentile to be eligible for PI round. So, you should still aim for a 99+ percentile to secure a call from the top IIMs.

IIM Ahmedabad admission for 2026-28 MBA batch will consider your CAT 2025 scores, Analytical Writing Test, and Personal Interview performance. The institute will publish PI shortlist in the first week of January 2026 after declaration of CAT 2025 result. If you meet the qualifying CAT cutoff, you must submit application online on IIM Ahmedabad's official website to take part in the PI round.

IIM Cut-offs & Shortlisting Criteria: Differentiating Old vs New IIMs

Admission to IIMs is highly competitive. While all IIMs consider CAT scores, but their cut-offs and shortlisting criteria can differ. Old IIMs such as Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Bangalore typically require a higher CAT percentile between 98 to 99.9, while newer IIMs like IIM Nagpur, Amritsar, and Bodh Gaya shortlist candidates with lower cutoffs between 85 to 95 percentiles.

The table below shows expected old vs new IIM cutoff 2026 for general category:

Expected CAT Cutoffs for Old vs. New IIMs for 2026–2028 Batch
IIM Type	IIMs	Qualifying Cutoff (Sectional)	Qualifying Cutoff (Overall)	Actual Call Overall Cutoff (Approx)
Old IIMs	Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Lucknow, Indore, Mumbai, Kozhikode	75–85 percentile	85–95 percentile	98–99.9+ percentile
New IIMs	Ranchi, Raipur, Trichy, Udaipur, etc.	70–75 percentile	90–95 percentile	92–96 percentile

IIM/CAT Eligibility Criteria 2026: Educational Qualifications & Requirements

The eligibility for admission to IIMs is mostly the same as CAT eligibility criteria. Check the following IIM/CAT eligibility criteria 2026 for MBA programmes:

Educational Qualification: You must have a graduation degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate marks or equivalent CGPA. For SC, ST, and PwD candidates, the minimum score is 45%. You can complete your bachelor’s degree through regular or distance learning with at least a three-year program from a UGC-recognized university.
Final-Year Students: If you are pursuing final year of graduation or waiting for results, you can still apply. However, your aggregate marks from the first and second years must meet the minimum eligibility percentage. Additionally, you need to submit a marksheet or passing certificate to MBA institute within the specified deadline to confirm your admission. Until then, your admission remains provisional.
Professional Course: If you have completed CA, CS, ICWA, or FCAI with the needed percentage, you can also apply for CAT 2025.
Age: There is no age limit to apply. CAT scores are accepted for MBA, EPGP, Doctorate, and FPM courses.
IIM Cut-Offs: To get an interview call, you must meet the qualifying cut-off.
Participation in WAT/GD-PI: To appear for Written Ability Test, Group Discussion, or Personal Interview, you must meet the minimum IIM call cut-off set by each institute.

iim-admission-process-after-qualifying-cat-exam

What CAT Score Do You Really Need for a Call?

Virtually all IIMs in India, whether old, new, or baby IIMs, require you to clear both IIM sectional cutoff VARC DILR QA and overall CAT cut-offs to qualify for the next stage of IIM admission process 2026. Each section like VARC, DILR, and QA has a minimum percentile set by the respective institute. You must meet the sectional cut-off along with the overall cutoff.

However, IIM Rohtak is exceptional. Unlike other IIMs, it mainly focuses on overall CAT percentile during shortlisting for Personal Interview rounds. As per recent admission data, IIM Rohtak does not have strict sectional cut-offs, although maintaining decent performance across sections remains important for a strong overall percentile.

IIMs Expected Final Admission Percentile for 2026 Batch

It is not fixed what CAT score do you need to get an IIM interview call. It varies depending on several factors like IIM you are applying to, category, and competition in that year.

Check the following table, top 5 IIMs expected CAT cutoff for 2026 batch is provided below:

Top 5 IIMs Expected CAT Cutoff for 2026 Batch
IIM	Sectional Qualifying Cutoff	Overall Qualifying Cutoff	Final Call Cutoff (Approx)
IIM Ahmedabad	85 percentiles	95 percentiles	99 – 99.9+ percentile
IIM Bangalore	75–80 percentile	85 percentiles	99 – 100 percentiles
IIM Kozhikode	75 percentiles	85 percentiles	97 – 98 percentiles
IIM Lucknow	85 percentiles	90 percentiles	97 – 98 percentiles
IIM Calcutta Cut-Off	75–80 percentile	85 percentiles	99 percentiles

Category-Wise CAT Cutoff 2025 for IIM Admission

Check the table below to know category-wise expected CAT cutoffs:

CAT Cutoff 2025 for IIM Admission
IIM	General	OBC	SC	ST	PwD
IIM Indore	99.95+	99.90+	92+	87+	72+
IIM Ranchi	99.90+	99.85+	91+	86+	71+
IIM Rohtak	99.85+	99.80+	90+	85+	70+
IIM Raipur	99.80+	99.75+	89+	84+	69+
IIM Kashipur	99.75+	99.70+	88+	83+	68+
IIM Sambalpur	99.70+	99.65+	87+	82+	67+
IIM Visakhapatnam	99.65+	99.60+	86+	81+	66+
IIM Udaipur	99.60+	99.55+	85+	80+	65+
IIM Bodh Gaya	99.55+	99.50+	84+	79+	64+
IIM Jammu	99.50+	99.45+	83+	78+	63+
IIM Sirmaur	99.45+	99.40+	82+	77+	62+
IIM Tiruchirappalli	99.35+	99.30+	80+	75+	60+
IIM Nagpur	99.30+	99.25+	79+	74+	59+

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