BIMTECH PGDM Admissions 2026
AACSB Accredited | Highest CTC: 22 LPA | Last Date: 31st December 2025
Getting into an IIM is the ultimate dream for every management aspirant. To get into an IIM, the first thing to do is to take the CAT 2025 exam, which is then followed by a Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI), only if the candidate gets a valid score. For IIM Admission 2026, there will be around 5500 seats, which will be filled by the CAT 2025 score. As IIM does not accept any other entrance exam for admission. This year, 2025, IIM Kozhikode will be conducting the IIM exam. Every year, each IIM gets an opportunity to conduct the CAT exam on a rotational basis.
IIM Kozhikode will retain its three-stage admission process for the MBA (PGP) 2026–28 batch, with CAT 2025 scores carrying a final weightage of 35 percent. The minimum overall CAT cut-off for general category candidates remains at 85 percentile, with sectional qualifying scores required in VARC, DILR, and QA. Shortlisting of candidates will be based on CAT performance, academic record, and personal interview rounds.
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IIM conducts a series of rounds to evaluate the candidates on different parameters. To find out more about the parameters, make sure you continue reading the article.
Before we dive into the IIM selection criteria 2025, let us look at the basic eligibility criteria for appearing in the CAT 2025 exam.
To become eligible to apply to an IIM, a candidate must satisfy the following eligibility criteria.
Every year, IIMs announce their admission and selection process for candidates to understand the shortlist, cut-off, selection criteria and other parameters for shortlisting candidates. The IIM admission process not only includes the selection of the candidates based on their CAT cut off percentiles but also based on their WAT/GD and PI rounds, work experiences, gender diversity and more.
Following is the IIM selection process for 2025, which includes all the stages that a candidate must go through:
Stage 1: Shortlisting of candidates based on CAT scores
Once the CAT 2025 exam results are announced, candidates will then have to apply for the WAT/PI rounds for each IIM by going through their official website. All those who meet the shortlist cutoff will then have to log in through their CAT IDs to submit their name and CAT score.
Stage 2: Screening of the candidate for WAT/PI
In the next stage, all those who applied for the WAT/PI rounds are then shortlisted based on their CAT score and academic record. Thereafter, the final interview letters are sent to the candidates to participate in the following rounds.
Stage 3: Calculation of Composite Score and Final Selection
In the third and final round of selection, the composite score of each candidate is calculated based on several parameters to finalise their selection in an IIM.
The parameters based on which the candidate is finalised for MBA admission are as follows:
*Note: The weightage allotted to each parameter varies for each IIM; the composite score is also calculated by each IIM individually.
Question: What is CAT composite score?
Answer: CAT composite score refers to the total score (out of 100) that the candidate obtains during the final selection process. This is calculated based on the above-mentioned parameters.
When going for the IIM WAT/GD-PI rounds, the candidate needs to take along some of the most essential documents with them, which are generally required by the institute. These documents are as follows:
The CAT cutoff for IIM depends on certain factors like the difficulty level of the CAT exam, the number of qualifying candidates, normalisation of scores, seat matrix, reservation criteria, etc, which must be cleared by each candidate. In addition to that, the candidate must also clear the section cutoff for each CAT exam section.
The 2024 expected CAT cutoff for different IIMs is provided in the table below.
Name of the IIM | CAT Cutoff 2024 (Expected) | CAT Cutoff 2023 |
99-100 | 99.68 | |
99-100 | 99.89 | |
99 | 99.71 | |
97+ | 98 | |
97+ | 98 | |
IIM Kozhikode | 97-98 | 98 |
95+ | 96 | |
95+ | 96 | |
95+ | 96 | |
94 | 95 | |
94 | 95 | |
94 | 95 | |
94 | 95 | |
92 | 93 | |
92 | 93 | |
92 | 93 | |
90 | 92 | |
95 | 96 | |
95 | 96 |
All those candidates who clear the final selection rounds of CAT are then offered the final admission letters via their registered email ID. The next most important step of getting into an IIM is 'confirmation of admission'. All those selected must ensure that they accept the offer within the given timeframe by filling up the offer acceptance form and paying the requisite admission acceptance fees (adjustable in the first instalment of tuition fees).
In case the candidates fail to do the same, their admission offer will stand 'cancelled', and it will then be offered to the next candidate on the waitlist.
Interestingly, IIMs, in 2025, introduced a new system 2025 where they provided candidates with the offer to defer admission. In this, candidates who wish to work and have some more work experience can postpone their admission for up to a maximum of two years. in this, around 10 per cent of seats are kept aside for such candidates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To get into the IIM a candidate must take the CAT exam and score at par with the CAT cutoff specified by the IIM that is aimed for. The candidate then needs to perform well in the PI round to get into IIM by getting shortlisted in the final merit list.
Candidates can not join the MBA at IIM after the 12th. However, they can join certain IIMs that have a 5 year integrated program in management (IPMAT). IPMAT program is provided by IIM Jammu, IIM Rohtak, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Indore, and IIM Ranchi
The CAT cutoff for the top IIMs is between the 99 to 100 percentile. This is the percentile at which the final selection happens. The qualifying CAT percentile for IIM ranges from 70 to 80 depending on the particular IIM. At this percentile, a candidate becomes eligible to apply to the particular IIM to participate in its selection process.
There is no prescribed age limit for IIM as per the latest updates. The CAT exam too does not have any age limit applicable to the candidates.
To get into IIM, candidates should have completed their graduation in any discipline and must have a valid scorecard of CAT and those who are pursuing their final year of graduation are also eligible.
On Question asked by student community
HELLO,
With an overall 98.54 percentile ( QA/DILR 97.55, VARC 94.89) and strong academics 9/9/0, you have a good profile. As a B.Tech candidate you can expect calls from :-
Hope this will help you !
Hello aspirant,
Your kid has a good profile even in the general category with a BTech from IIT Delhi, three years of excellent job experience in a leading industry, and a 96 percentile in the CAT. He has a strong chance at reputable MBA schools like IIM Shillong, IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and others, depending on interview performance and profile match, even though the top IIMs often require higher percentiles.
Thank you
Hope it helps you
Your CAT percentile 49 is low for top MBA colleges. With 49 percentile, you may get admission in some private MBA colleges and lesser-known institutes. You can try colleges through state MBA counselling and management quota.
Here is the Career360 page for MBA expected cutoffs and lists of colleges you can check:
https://bschool.careers360.com/colleges/list-of-mba-colleges-in-india
You can also check this Career360 topic about MBA colleges by CAT score:
https://bschool.careers360.com/cat-percentile-predictor
With an overall CAT percentile of 82.71 in CAT 2025 as a general category candidate, along with section-wise percentiles of 80.56 in VARC, 75.81 in DILR and 84.56 in QA, your chances at top IIMs are limited, as most older IIMs usually shortlist general category candidates at much higher percentiles. However, this percentile still keeps you eligible for admission calls from several Tier-2 and Tier-3 MBA colleges across India, especially those that consider overall performance, academic background and work experience along with CAT scores. You can expect calls from institutes such as IMT Nagpur, IMI Bhubaneswar, FORE School of Management (some programs), TAPMI Manipal (borderline), Great Lakes Institute of Management (Chennai or Gurgaon for PGPM/PGDM variants), K J Somaiya (depending on cut-offs), GIM Goa (through CAT or other exams), and state-level universities that accept CAT scores. Additionally, many good private universities and autonomous B-schools consider candidates in the 80–85 percentile range and conduct their own GD-PI rounds. To improve your chances, you should apply widely, prepare well for interviews, and highlight your academics, work experience, certifications and extracurricular achievements, as final selection is not based on CAT score alone.
All the best.
With an overall CAT 2025 percentile of 82.71, you are unlikely to get calls from the IIMs (including new or baby IIMs), as most of them generally shortlist candidates at 90+ percentile, even after considering category and profile factors. However, this percentile is still quite decent and opens doors to many good Tier-2 and Tier-3 MBA colleges in India that offer solid academics, reasonable placements, and good industry exposure.
At around 80–85 percentile, you have a strong chance of getting shortlisted by institutes such as IMI Bhubaneswar, IMT Nagpur, IMT Hyderabad, XIME Bangalore/Chennai, TAPMI Manipal (borderline, profile-dependent), IFMR GSB Krea University, FORE School of Management (certain programs), GIM Goa (specialised programs), LIBA Chennai (borderline), K J Somaiya Institute of Management (profile-based), Great Lakes Chennai/Gurgaon (PGDM – profile matters a lot), and Welingkar Mumbai (especially through profile + GDPI). Many reputed state universities and private institutes like PUMBA Pune, Delhi School of Management (DTU – if accepting CAT that year), BIMTECH (some programs), NDIM Delhi, ITM Navi Mumbai, and Jaipuria Institute of Management campuses are also realistic options.
Your sectional percentiles (VARC 80.56, DILR 75.81, QA 84.56) are fairly balanced, which works in your favor, as several colleges apply sectional cut-offs around 60–70 percentile. Final selection will depend not only on CAT score but also on academic background, graduation marks, work experience, diversity factors, and GD-PI performance. If you have work experience, it significantly improves your chances at colleges like Great Lakes, FORE, IFMR, and Welingkar.
In summary, while top IIMs are not achievable at 82.71 percentile, you can still secure admission into reputed mid-tier MBA colleges that provide good ROI and career growth if you perform well in the GD-PI process. It is advisable to apply broadly, focus on profile-based institutes, and prepare seriously for interviews to convert the best possible calls.
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