How to Get into IIM Without CAT in 2026: Executive MBA, IPM, PhD & Alternative Routes

How to Get into IIM Without CAT in 2026: Executive MBA, IPM, PhD & Alternative Routes

Team Careers360Updated on 03 Dec 2025, 12:27 PM IST

How to Get into IIM Without CAT? This is one of the most highly searched queries by many management aspirants. Clearing the CAT exam is not everyone's cup of tea, as it requires a lot of dedication to score 98-99 percentile. Also, not many candidates can dedicate that much time to CAT preparation or score 99+ percentile in CAT. Therefore, many students look for options other than CAT to pursue a management programme from the top IIMs in India. While it's impossible to pursue an MBA program from an IIM, however, in this article, we will talk about how you can pursue the same even without appearing in CAT.

This Story also Contains

  1. IIM Programs that Don’t Need CAT
  2. IIM Executive MBA 2026 Fees and Duration
  3. Integrated Program in Management at IIMs
  4. Career Scope and Placements After Integrated MBA from IIMs
How to Get into IIM Without CAT in 2026: Executive MBA, IPM, PhD & Alternative Routes
How To Get into IIM Without CAT

IIM Programs that Don’t Need CAT

In recent years, several management courses have come up in IIMs without appearing for CAT, such as Executive MBA, Integrated Management Programme, PhD, MDP, FPM and professional certification courses. Let us look at what these courses offer in depth below.

Executive MBA: This programme has been designed for professionals looking for skill enhancement and a growth in their career. For this, candidates must have a minimum of two to five years of experience at an executive/managerial level. The course is either imparted as a full-time program or in online mode.

Integrated Management Programme: This is a five-year programme (BBA+MBA), which students can pursue after completing their Class 12. Post completion of this programme, students will be offered an MBA degree. This option has become quite a popular option for those who do not wish to go through the process of CAT exam prep and qualifying for it.

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How to Get Admission into IIM 2026: Find Detailed Information

As you will read further, you will find the complete list of IIMs that offer the Executive MBA and the Integrated Program in Management program

IIM Executive MBA 2026 Fees and Duration

The IIMs have introduced various executive MBA programs for working professionals across industries that enable them to seek leadership positions at various levels. It is designed to advance the professional careers of candidates through efficient growth. The following is the complete list of IIMs, which offer the Executive MBA program along with the fees and duration of the same.

IIM

Course

Fees (INR approx)

Duration

Work Experience Required

IIM Ahmedabad

Post Graduate Program in Management for Executives (PGPX)

35 lakhs

1 year

4 years

IIM Bangalore

Post Graduate Program Enterprise Management (PGPEM)

21.1 lakhs

2 years

4 years

IIM Bangalore

Executive Post Graduate Program (EPGP)

26.5 lakhs

1 year

5 years

IIM Calcutta

MBA Program for Executives (MBA Ex)

33.5 lakhs

1 year

5 years

IIM Lucknow

Post Graduate Program in Management for Working Executives (PGPWE)

11 lakhs

2 years

3 years

IIM Lucknow

International Program in Management for Executives or IPMX

26 lakhs

1 year

5 years

IIM Indore

Post Graduate Program in Management for Working Executives (PGPMX)

17.60 lakhs

2 years

5 years

IIM Kozhikode

Executive Post Graduate Program (EPGP)

15.95 lakhs

1 year

3 years

IIM Trichy

Post Graduate Program in Business Management ( PGPBM)

14.5 lakhs

2 years

3 years

IIM Raipur

Executive Post Graduate Program in Management ( EPGP)

14.95 lakhs

2 years

2 years

IIM Rohtak

Post Graduate Program in Management for Executives (ePGPX)

8 lakhs

1 year

5 years

IIM Udaipur

MBA in Global Supply Chain Management

23.17 lakhs

1 year

3 years

IIM Ranchi

Post Graduate Executive Program in Management (PGEXP)

12.5 lakhs

2 years

5 years

IIM Visakhapatnam

Post Graduate Program for Experienced Professionals (PGPEx)

11.9 lakhs

1 year

3 years

IIM Shillong

Post Graduate Program for Working Executives (MBAWx)

22.76 lakhs

2 years

3 to 5 years

IIM Kashipur

Post Graduate Program for Working Executives (MBAWx)

12 lakhs

2 years

3 years

Integrated Program in Management at IIMs

IIMs have introduced a 5-year joint integrated program in management (IPM) for candidates wanting to go for management roles right after school. It has its entrance exam, known as the JIPMAT exam. This course can be pursued from 5 IIMs: IIM Jammu, IIM Rohtak, IIM Indore, IIM Ranchi, and IIM Bodh Gaya. The following table mentions the list of IIMs that offer the five-year Integrated Program in Management (IPM).

IIM CollegeCourseEligibility/Selection Criteria
IIM IndoreIPMIPMAT and WAT-PI
IIM RohtakIPMIPM Aptitude Test and WAT-PI
IIM JammuIPMJIPMAT and PI
IIM Bodh GayaIPMJIPMAT and PI
IIM RanchiIPMJIPMAT and PI
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Career Scope and Placements After Integrated MBA from IIMs

In this section, we have included the career scopes students will have after completing their Integrated MBA from IIMs. You can check out the following table for complete information.

Name of IIMAverage Package Top RecruitersPopular Roles Offered
IIM Indore (IPM)Rs. 25-30 LPABCG, McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, DeloitteAnalyst, Consultant, Manager
IIM Bodh Gaya (IPM)Rs. 8-12 LPATCS, Wipro, Aditya Birla GroupManagement Trainee, Analyst
IIM Ranchi (IPM)Rs. 12-18 LPARelaince, L&T, HDFC BankBusiness Analyst, Operations Manager
IIM Rohtak (IPM)Rs. 15-122 LPAKPMG, HUL, EY, ITCMarketing Manager, Financial Analyst
IIM Jammu (IPM)Rs. 10-15 LPAInfosys, Amazon, CognizantProduct Manager, Analyst
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Which IIM is easiest to get into?
A:

Getting into baby IIMs like IIM Sirmaur, IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Amritsar, IIM Nagpur, and IIM Shillong are easy as compared to major IIMs.

Q: Is CAT necessary for IIM?
A:

Yes, the Common Admission Test (CAT) is most important national-level MBA entrance exam to take to get admission in management courses  at IIM. 

Q: Can I take direct admission in IIM?
A:

IIMs do not have any criteria for direct admission. Candidates have to go through accepted exams like CAT, IPMAT, and perform well in the evaluation rounds to secure a seat in the prestigious IIMs.

Q: Can I join IIM without CAT?
A:

CAT is mandatory for admission to the MBA/PGDM programs at IIMs. Without CAT, IIM can be joined for an integrated management program and executive MBA programs. These programs can be pursued without CAT.

Q: Can I directly join IIM after 12th?
A:

To join IIM directly after 12th candidates can give the IPMAT exam and join the 5 year integrated program in management. The IPM program is offered by IIM Indore, IIM Rohtak, IIM Ranchi, IIM Jammu, and IIM Bodh Gaya.

Q: How can I join IIM MBA without CAT?
A:

Candidates can go for the GMAT exam instead of CAT exam. Some IIMs accept GMAT scores for admission to their executive MBA programs. GMAT scores might only be considered for a few specific courses.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hi there,

The minimum eligibility criteria for a general candidate to receive a call from IIM Sambalpur are as follows:
VARC: 65%ile
QUANTS: 65%ile
LRDI: 65%ile
Overall: 90%tile
Keep practising and aim to improve your score. You can also focus on other management exams where you may secure a strong

Hi there,

With a B.tech in industrial engineering from IIT Roorkee and a CAT 2025 score of 98.89 percentile and strong sectionals your profile is solid for top B-schools. For the top IIMs like Ahmedabad and Bangalore, calls for engineers usually go to candidates with near perfect percentiles. Your score

Hello,
The IIT Guwahati cutoff for SC and EWS categories depends on the branch, year, and JoSAA counselling round, but you can get a general idea from recent trends.

For the SC category, closing ranks usually range from 4,000 to 9,000 for popular branches like CSE, ECE, and Mechanical, while

with this percentile, you can get into tier 2 or tier 3 college, the list of the few notable college is given below-

1) FLAME university, Pune

2) AIMS institute, Bangalore

3) Doon business school, Dehradun

4) Christ university, Bangalore

5) NIT Trichy

6) KIIT school of management, Bhuvneshwar






A CAT percentile of 99.64 is an excellent score and definitely places you in a strong position for top IIM calls, including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta. However, admission to these institutes is not based on CAT score alone. Each of these IIMs follows a holistic selection process