IIM Admission 2026-28: Engineers vs Non-Engineers at Top IIMs; Check Who Has the Edge

IIM Admission 2026-2028: Engineers Still Lead, But the Gap Is Narrowing

Compared to the IIM Admission in 2024-26 batch, where engineers made up 60.86% and non-engineers just 39.14%, in 2026-28 batch, the number of non-enginners has increased 16.27 percentage. It may sound modest on paper, but this highlights how the number of non engineers clearing the MBA Admission are gradually on rise.

Across five of India's top IIMs - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Kozhikode, and Indore, 2418 management aspirants took IIM Admission. Out of those 54.26% are engineers and 45.74% are non-engineers, amounting to 1,106 non-engineering students entering these campuses this year.

However not every IIM showed linear or trend. IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Calcutta witnessed a batch where majority of the candidates are engineers while IIM Kozhikode and IIM Indore changed their trends in the last three years.

IIM Ahmedabad Admission: Engineers maintains the stronghold

IIM Ahmedabad, the top most B-School in India remains a strong hold for candidates who are thinking about MBA after Engineering. Around 60 - 61% students who got into IIM Ahmedabad belong from the Engineering background and for the 2026-2028 batch the number remained around 60.87% similar almost to the 2024-2026 IIM Ahmedabad Batch.

IIM Bangalore Admission: Engineers 66.67%, But non-engineers closes the gap

Among the top IIMs of India, IIM Bangalore traditionally has the most number of the candidates who opted for MBA After B.Tech. However, while engineers constitute the majority of the batch, non-engineer representation at IIM Bangalore has increased substantially from 25.76% in 2024-2026 to 33.33% in 2026-2028.

IIM Calcutta Engineers vs Non Engineers

IIM Calcutta's engineer vs non engineer divide has been more gradual. Non-engineer representation rose from 44.3% in 2024–2026 to 45.3% in 2026–2028 though a smaller shift compared to Kozhikode or Indore, but still consistent with the broader direction across top IIMs.

IIM Kozhikode Admission: 56.91% Non Engineers breaks the trends

The most striking data point in this entire analysis comes from IIM Kozhikode, where non-engineers now make up 56.91% of the incoming class officially outnumbering engineers for the 2026–2028 batch. However, this isn't a one-year anomaly, IIM Kozhikode crossed the 50% non-engineer threshold back in 2025–2027 and has continued to push further in that direction. From Engineers topping the bath in 2024-2026 to non engineers having 56.91%, the IIM Kozhikode admission highlights the shift in that direction.

IIM Indore witnessed 54% non- engineers in 2026-28 batch

IIM Indore tells a similar story, with non-engineers forming 54% of the current batch which is a sharp turnaround from the 2024 - 2026 cycle, where engineers held a clear 58.37% majority. The 2023 - 2025 data isn't available, but the two-year swing from a 58% engineer majority to a stable 54% non-engineer majority is one of the sharpest shifts among all five IIMs studied here.

The 2026–2028 numbers make one thing clear, the era of engineers automatically dominating IIM admission by default is fading, even if it isn't over. IIM Bangalore and IIM Ahmedabad still lean heavily toward technical graduates, but even they show a gradual softening of that dominance. Meanwhile, IIM Kozhikode and IIM Indore have already crossed over, with non-engineers now forming the majority of their incoming classes.

For aspirants weighing an MBA after B.Tech versus an MBA straight out of a commerce, arts, or science degree, the message from this year's data is reassuring either way: strong performance in the CAT exam, backed by a well-rounded profile, now counts for more than your undergraduate major alone.

The bigger question going forward, will this trend continue accelerating over the next few admission cycles, or was 2026 - 2028 simply a high point in an otherwise cyclical pattern? Only the next couple of batches will tell.