CAT Fees 2025 Announced: How Much The CAT Exam Fees Has Increased In Last 5 Years?

CAT Fees 2025 Announced: How Much The CAT Exam Fees Has Increased In Last 5 Years?

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Himanshu ShekharUpdated on 27 Jul 2025, 02:45 PM IST

CAT exam fees have increased again this year. The CAT 2025 official notification was released in the form of a newspaper advertisement on July 27, 2025. The increased CAT 2025 exam fees are mentioned in the same notification. This year for the CAT exam, aspirants belonging to the unreserved category will have to pay Rs 2600, and for reserved category candidates, the CAT registration fee is Rs 1300. It is also official now; IIM Kozhikode will set the CAT 2025 question paper, and the exam will be held on November 30, 2025 (Sunday). Along with the CAT exam fee hike, the CAT notification also mentions all the key dates about CAT 2025.

This Story also Contains

  1. CAT Exam Fees for Registration
  2. How much have CAT exam fees increased over the years?
  3. CAT Exam Fee Increased Over Five years- Category-wise
CAT Fees 2025 Announced: How Much The CAT Exam Fees Has Increased In Last 5 Years?
CAT Registration Fee

Candidates from the general category now pay Rs 2600, up from Rs 2500 in the previous year, while applicants in the reserved category will pay Rs 1300, up from Rs 1250 in 2024. The modest yet significant fee hike, about a 4% increase for both category groups, adds a layer of financial consideration for CAT 2025 aspirants. Read this piece by Careers360 to know “how much have CAT exam fee has increased over the past five years.”

CAT Exam Fees for Registration

  • As mentioned above, the CAT application fee for 2025 has been increased to Rs 2600 for General/EWS/NC-OBC candidates and Rs 1300 for SC/ST/PWD candidates.

  • On July 27, 2025, IIM Kozhikode released the official CAT 2025 notification in the form of a newspaper advertisement, confirming the CAT exam date as November 30, 2025, with CAT registration starting from August 1, 2025.

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How much have CAT exam fees increased over the years?

Here we have compiled CAT exam fee data from the past few years that shows a steady upward trajectory in CAT application fees.

CAT exam year

Category (General/ EWS/ NC-OBC Fee)

SC/ST/PWD fee

2020

Rs 2000

Rs 1000

2021

Rs 2200

Rs 1100 (+10%)

2022

Rs 2300 (+4.5%)

Rs 1150 (+4.5%)

2023

Rs 2400 (+4.3%)

Rs 1200 (+4.3%)

2024

Rs 2500 (+4.2%)

Rs 1250 (+4.2%)

CAT Exam Fee Increased Over Five years- Category-wise

Here we have listed a comparison of the CAT exam fee of past five years category wise.

  • General/ Unreserved category- CAT exam fee increased from Rs 2000 to Rs 2600, which is a total raise of Rs 600 or 30%.

  • Reserved category (SC/ST/PWD)- CAT registration fee increased from Rs 1000 to Rs 1300 which is a total raise of Rs 300 or 30%.

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CAT Exam Fee Increase- Insights

  • Affordability Concerns- In social media groups, several CAT aspirants have expressed frustration over raising CAT exam fee costs, highlighting the strain caused when applying to multiple MBA entrance exams or colleges.

  • Transaction Charges- On top of the CAT application fee, candidates have to pay additional charges depending on the payment mode.

    1. Credit cards: 1.2% (2.85% for AmEx)

    2. Debit cards: 0.75–0.90%

    3. Net banking: Rs 20 fixed

    4. UPI: generally no fees 

  • Non-Refundable Nature- The CAT exam fee is non-refundable, even in case of CAT application form corrections. Online minor details can be edited such as photo, signature, CAT exam centre are allowed without full repayment.

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The CAT exam fee has steadily increased, moving from Rs 2000/ Rs 1000 in 2020 to Rs 2600/1300 in 2025. That is a consistent annual hike of Rs 4 to 10%, resulting in a 30% rise over five years. That usually places additional financial pressure on CAT aspirants.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Why was the exam fee increased this year?
A:

The CAT fee hike of Rs 100 for the general category and rs 50 for the reserved category is a part of a routine annual revision that helps cover inflation and administrative costs.

Q: Is the CAT application fee refundable?
A:

No, the CAT application fee is non-refundable. Once paid, it cannot be refunded under any circumstances, even in the event of CAT exam cancellation or application error.

Q: What is the revised application fee for Reserved category (SC/ST/PwD) candidates?
A:

Reserved category candidates (SC/ST/PWD) will have to pay an CAT application fee for Rs 1300 for CAT 2025, up from Rs 1250 in 2024 which is a increase of Rs 50.

Q: What is the revised application fee for General/Unreserved category candidates?
A:

For CAT 2025, the CAT application fee for General/ EWS/ NC-OBC category candidates has been increased from Rs 2500 to Rs 2600, reflecting a Rs 100 hike over the previous year.

Q: When was the CAT 2025 notification released?
A:

The official CAT 2025 notification was released by IIM Kozhikode on July 27, 2025, in the form of a newspaper advertisement. The official website launch for CAT 2025 is awaited and can be released anytime soon.

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Questions related to CAT

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Hey! With an All India Rank (AIR) of 302,821 in NEET and belonging to the BCE category, it is highly unlikely to get a BDS seat in Telangana under the state quota, as the closing ranks for BCE are usually below 50,000. You may consider applying to private colleges under management quota or explore BDS seats in other states, but the chances remain very limited with this rank.

At KIMS Amalapuram, the internship stipend for MBBS students is generally reported to be around 20,000 per month, though some students have mentioned that in certain years no stipend was provided at all, which means it can vary depending on the policies in place at the time of your internship. To get the most accurate and updated information, it is always best to confirm directly with the college administration or recent interns, but on average, you can expect a stipend in the range of 18,000-20,000 per month during the compulsory rotating internship.

Hello Aspirant,

Since your payment status shows "S" , it means your payment is successful. The "payment unsuccessful" message on the form is likely a temporary system error or a delay in updating.

Do not make another payment.

Making a second payment could cause a double debit, which is difficult to get a refund for. You should:

  1. Wait 24-48 hours for the status to update automatically.

  2. Download and save a copy of your form and a screenshot of the "S" payment status as proof.

  3. Check your bank statement to confirm the money has been debited.

  4. If the issue is not fixed after 48 hours, contact the official CAT helpdesk immediately with your transaction details.

Hello

The CAT 2025 exam is a national-level MBA entrance test for IIMs and top B-schools in India. It will be held on 30th November 2025 in computer-based mode across ~170 cities.
The registration is open from 1st August to 13th September 2025 on iimcat.ac.in .
Admit cards will be available from 5th November 2025 onward.
Graduates with at least 50 marks (45 for SC/ST/PwD) are eligible to apply.
The exam tests English, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude in three timed sections.