Got Into IIM at 19! This Student’s Journey Is Breaking the Internet

Got Into IIM at 19! This Student’s Journey Is Breaking the Internet

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Suvam MaitiUpdated on 11 Jul 2025, 04:52 PM IST

IIM at 19? As the MBA admission session 2025 is in full swing, including that of IIMs, plenty of stories of management aspirants have flooded various media sites like LinkedIn or even Reddit. While the stories can be of anguish of those who did not convert to their desired IIMs, there are also stories of remarkable achievements. And netizens never fail to pay attention to the interesting and thought-provoking stories that come on social media sites.

One such story is of Eashan Jindal, whose success in CAT’24 created an uproar in the Reddit community, a public discussion forum. Eashan Jindal's post on LinkedIn regarding his success in the CAT. While users congratulated him for his CAT 2024 success and getting a chance in IIM Kozhikode overwhelmingly, other users on different media platforms took this instance to open an area of discussion.

This Story also Contains

  1. What was the actual post about IIM at 19?
  2. Can you actually join IIM at 19?
  3. Fuss about IIM at 19: How people have reacted
Got Into IIM at 19! This Student’s Journey Is Breaking the Internet
Got Into IIM at 19! This Student’s Journey Is Breaking the Internet

What was the actual post about IIM at 19?

A week back, Eashan Jindal expressed his happiness at getting a chance at IIM Kozhikode through a LinkedIn post. Eashan scored a whopping 99.89% percentile in CAT 2024, the percentile that is enough to get a decent IIM, and chose the PGPM course at IIM Kozhikode.

In that post, he mentioned how people express their astonishment upon hearing his age. Yes! Eashan is just 19 years old and got admission at one of the top MBA colleges of India, IIM Kozhikode. According to his post, the people even asked if he could time travel or whether he had skipped classes to make it to IIM at such a young age.

In his post, Eashan mentioned how he did not attend the nursery classes, which might have given him an edge over others regarding his age. He also mentioned that everyone has their own journey and like that, rather than climbing up the ladder of conventional ideas, he is on his way to make his own ladder. Eashan also encouraged being clueless in his LinkedIn post at one point of time in order to chart out own’s path.

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Can you actually join IIM at 19?

In the recent NEP 2020, the GOI has categorically pointed out that no student should be admitted to class 1 before they turn 6. The minimum qualification for the CAT is to have a graduation degree in any stream. Therefore, looking at the regulations now, it is difficult to join IIM at 19.

Because one needs to complete 15/16 (10+2+3/4) years of education after getting admitted to class 1 at the age of 6. So that automatically takes the minimum age to appear for the CAT examination to 21/22. So, going by the norms, if anyone wants to join IIM at 19 through CAT for the MBA courses, it is not quite possible for them to do so now.

Earlier, as there was no such strict regulation of class 1 by the age of 6, people were admitted to class 1 at a very young age or skipped classes to get admitted to higher classes, which eventually meant management aspirants could get into IIMs at a young age. Now with regulations in place, getting IIM mentioned in that norm.

However, management aspirants can join IIM at 19 without CAT. Several IIMs offer an Integrated MBA programme through IPMAT or JIPMAT. So applicants after their class 12 examination can join the IIMs by clearing the IPMAT examination for the integrated management programs.

Fuss about IIM at 19: How people have reacted

But from Jindal’s post, it became evident that he attended a graduation course at DTU and then applied for the CAT 2024. So, a user at Reddit took a screenshot of the post, questioning the tradition of skipping the early days of school and getting admitted to the higher classes at a very young age.

While people praised Eashan for his achievement of clearing IIM at 19, Reddit users used humour and sarcasm to question the trend. One Reddit user named ‘ Macro boy’ sarcastically pointed out that he will skip the idea of sending his kids to school, as the whole idea was pointless. Some pointed out that by getting admitted into the higher classes at a very young age, Jindal might have missed the fun of a youth and a great experience of life.

However, Eashan got some support too from the users. A user named ‘Final Coconut6142’ said “That's actually quite possible. I could've been to an IIM or some other MBA at 20 if I went for it. Sometimes it's just a couple months difference and getting into school a little earlier or skipping a class or two makes the difference.”

Another user named ‘hippo_potto’ pointed out that “it’s actually possible. Everyone in my batch is a 2002 born but some of us are 2003 borns, and one of my friends was born in July, so technically she joined college when she was 16 and if it was a three year degree she would have graduated at 19 before turning 20 in like 2 months.”

Despite getting support from netizens, the majority of the users thought that he was faking his age and questioned how he could join IIM at 19. But apart from this debate, getting admitted to an IIM at just a young age of 19 with 99.89% is a commendable achievement for anyone. Now Eashan has cracked the code of breaking into IIMs at only 19, but what were you doing when you were 19?

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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.

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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.

Yes, you can pursue an MBA at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, through the CAT exam.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Educational Qualification: A bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates) from a recognized university.

  • Entrance Exam: A valid CAT score is required for admission.

Admission Process:

  1. Application: Register online through the BBAU admission portal.

  2. Entrance Exam: Appear for the CAT exam and obtain a valid score.

  3. Counseling: Shortlisted candidates will be called for counseling based on their CAT scores.

  4. Document Verification: Submit necessary documents for verification.

  5. Fee Payment: Complete the fee payment to confirm admission.

Course Details:

  • Duration: 2 years (full-time).

  • Specializations: Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, among others.

Placement Opportunities:
BBAU has a strong placement record, with top companies recruiting MBA graduates.

For more details and to apply, visit the  official BBAU MBA admission page