IIM Admission 2026: What is JAP, CAP, and SAP? Key Differences Explained
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IIM Admission 2026: What is JAP, CAP, and SAP? Key Differences Explained

#MBA
Suvam MaitiUpdated on 18 Sep 2025, 10:50 AM IST

In this IIM admission 2026 season, with the introduction of JAP 2026, IIM selection would be based on the 4 major IIM admission processes 2026. JAP 2026 is the latest inclusion in the IIM Admission process, with IIM Raipur being the conducting IIM for JAP 2026. While IIM BLACKI will conduct their own IIM 2026 admission process, IIM CAP 2026, IIM SAP 2026 and IIM JAP 2026 will be the other three MBA admission processes for IIM. CAP 2026 vs SAP 2026 vs JAP 2026 are single admission processes for the specific IIMs. While CAP and SAP were existing MBA processes, JAP 2026 has been announced recently, consisting of 4 IIMs. In this article, we will be discussing the 3 single IIM admission processes - IIM CAP 2026, IIM JAP 2026 and IIM SAP. IIM admission 2026 started with the announcement of CAT 2025. This year, CAT 2025 will happen on November 30, 2025, while having a valid CAT 2025 score is mandatory for the IIM admission 2026.

This Story also Contains

  1. IIM CAP 2026 vs IIM SAP 2026 vs IIM JAP 2026
  2. IIM CAP 2026 vs IIM JAP 2026 vs IIM SAP 2026
  3. CAP vs SAP vs JAP 2026: CAP 2026
  4. IIM Admission Process: SAP 2026
  5. CAP vs SAP vs JAP 2026: JAP 2026
IIM Admission 2026: What is JAP, CAP, and SAP? Key Differences Explained
IIM Admission 2026

IIM CAP 2026 vs IIM SAP 2026 vs IIM JAP 2026

Apart from the Individual IIM admission process 2026, there will be three (3) single collaborative admission processes for the IIMs. Rather than applying for the different IIMs, through IIM CAP vs IIM SAP vs IIM JAP 2026 management aspirants can get into the participating IIMs with a single application. Here is a comparative analysis between IIM CAP 2026, IIM SAP 2026, IIM JAP 2026

IIM CAP 2026 vs IIM JAP 2026 vs IIM SAP 2026

Feature

IIM CAP 2026 (Common Admission Process)

IIM SAP 2026 (Supplementary Admission Process)

IIM JAP 2026 (Joint Admission Process)

Definition

CAP 2026, or the Common Admission Process, is a centralised, single window selection process for the

Participating IIMs in the CAP 2026.


A second-chance process for candidates who miss shortlisting in CAP but still meet the relaxed criteria of certain IIMs.

IIM JAP 2026 (Joint Admission Process)

A new single-portal admission process for four IIMs, announced in 2025, coordinated by IIM Raipur.

Purpose

Single IIM admissions process for the 8-10 IIMs with one common PI/WAT.

Fill vacant seats by giving eligible but non-shortlisted candidates for IIM CAP another opportunity.

Simplify applications to four IIMs through one portal + one PI/WAT round.

Participating IIMs 2026

IIM Bodh Gaya , IIM Jammu, IIM Kashipur, IIM Nagpur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Trichy, IIM Udaipur (based on the last year)

Typically, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu, and IIM Sirmaur (may vary by year).

IIM Kashipur, IIM Raipur IIM Ranchi , and IIM Trichy .

Coordinating IIM 2026

IIM CAP 2026 coordinating IIM has not been announced yet.

IIM SAP 2026 coordinating IIM has not been announced yet.

IIM Raipur is the JAP 2026 coordinator.

Eligibility / Shortlisting

Based on CAT 2025 scores, academic background, work experience, diversity factors. Cut-offs differ across IIMs.

Candidates who: (a) took CAT 2025, (b) missed CAP shortlist, but (c) met SAP IIMs’ lower/alternate cut-offs.

Shortlisting on CAT 2025 scores; exact criteria decided jointly but each IIM may later apply its own weightage in final selection.

Selection Rounds

  • One PI/WAT/AWT round is considered by all CAP IIMs.

  • Each IIM has their own IIM admission criteria.

  • Each IIM releases their own final merit list separately.

  • Separate PI/WAT conducted for SAP candidates.

  • Final selection by each SAP IIM individually.

  • One common PI/WAT is organised through JAP portal.

  • IIM participating in the IIM JAP 2026 will have its own selection criteria for 2026

IIM admission Timeline (2026 cycle)

IIM CAP Starts around January, immediately after the CAT results.

IIM SAP Conducted after CAP ends, likely Feb-Mar 2026.

IIM SAP was announced in Sep 2025, and will begin post-CAT 2025 results.

IIM Application Window
(Expected)

IIM CAP Application Start: January 14, 2026
End: January 23, 2026

IIM CAP PI Merit List Out: January 30, 2026

Separate SAP application form to be filled once SAP 2026 opens.

IIM JAP 2026 application starts: After the CAT 2025 results.



Application Fee

No separate Application Fee for IIM CAP 2026

No separate Application Fee for IIM CAP 2026.

IIM JAP application fees will be announced by IIM Raipur later.(If there is any)

Final Offers

Each IIM issues its own offer after applying weightages to CAP scores and PI/WAT performance.

Each SAP IIM makes independent offers for its vacant seats.

Each JAP IIM makes independent offers based on joint interview performance + institute-specific criteria.

Candidate Advantage

Candidates attend only one PI/WAT for multiple IIMs, save time and effort.

Provides a second chance for admission to some IIMs.

Apply once, attend one interview, and be considered by four IIMs together.

Best for

Candidates targeting multiple newer/baby IIMs.

Candidates who just missed CAP shortlisting but want entry into IIMs like Bodh Gaya, Jammu, or Sirmaur.

Candidates focusing on the JAP four (Raipur, Ranchi, Kashipur, Trichy) with simplified process.

CAP vs SAP vs JAP 2026: CAP 2026

That means rather than applying differently for the various IIMs, management aspirants can have an MBA admission process for all the IIMs that are participating in CAP 2026. The candidates applying for the CAP 2026 will have the same IIM CAP cutoff and similar IIM CAP dates 2026. Last year, 8 IIMs participated in IIM CAP 2025, while IIM Bodhagaya was in charge of conducting IIM CAP.

  • IIM CAP Dates 2026: Between January 14, 2026 , to May 10, 2026 ( expected)

  • IIM CAP Application 2026: IIM CAP application will start around January 14, 2026

  • IIM CAP Conducting IIM 2026: Yet to be announced (Last Year IIM Bodhgaya was conducting IIM CAP)

  • IIM CAP Fees 2026: There no separate IIM CAP Fees 2026

  • IIMs Participating in IIM CAP 2026: Yet to be announced ( Last Year it was 8 IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Jammu, IIM Kashipur, IIM Nagpur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy (according to IIM CAP 2025)

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IIM Admission Process: SAP 2026

Supplementary Admission Process (SAP) 2025 is the final selection round for MBA admission in three baby IIMs, namely IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu, and IIM Sirmaur. IIM SAP will consist of a personal interview round and will be conducted for the students who have not been shortlisted for the IIM CAP round.

These IIMs shortlist candidates for the SAP round with a lower CAT cutoff than the CAP round. The admissions committee of SAP participating IIMs lowers the overall and section-wise minimum CAT cutoff to get the required number of candidates for all the applicants.

  • IIM SAP Dates 2026: After May 10, 2026 (After the conclusion of IIM CAP 2026)

  • IIM SAP Application 2026: The IIM SAP application will start around May 3rd week 2026

  • IIM SAP Conducting IIM 2026: Yet to be announced

  • IIM SAP Fees 2026: There are no separate IIM CAP Fees 2026

  • IIMs Participating in IIM SAP 2026: IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Jammu and IIM Sirmaur

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CAP vs SAP vs JAP 2026: JAP 2026

IIM JAP 2026 is the newest inclusion in the IIM Admission 2026. JAP 2026 is the Joint Admission Process for the 4 IIMs- IIM Raipur, IIM Kashipur, IIM Ranchi, and IIM Tiruchirapalli. CAT 2025 candidates will be able to complete their IIM Admission 2026 through this single joint admission process 2026.

According to the press releases, candidates can apply for the JAP 2026 after the publication of the CAT 2025 results. One can expect that the CAT 2025 result will be out around December 19, 2025. So, keeping these in mind JAP 2026 dates could be around the last week of December 2025 or the first week of January 2026.

  • IIM JAP Dates 2026: After publication of the CAT 2025 result (expected)

  • IIM JAP Application 2026: The IIM JAP application 2026 will be released after the CAT 2025 results.

  • IIM JAP Conducting IIM 2026: IIM Raipur

  • IIM JAP Fees 2026: It is expected that there will be no separate IIM JAP Fees 2026

  • IIMs Participating in IIM CAP 2026: IIM Raipur, IIM Kashipur, IIM Ranchi, and IIM Tiruchirapalli.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Who is eligible for the IIM Admission 2026?
A:

Those who match the IIM CAT Cutoff would be eligible for the IIM Admission 2026.

Q: Can I get direct admission to IIMs?
A:

No, one can not get direct admission to IIMs.

Q: Is CAT score valid for 2 years?
A:

CAT score is valid for 1 year. 

Q: Can I join IIM without a CAT?
A:

No, one can not join IIM without CAT 2025.

Q: Last date to apply for IIMs?
A:

The last date to apply for the IIMs is September 13, 2025, which is the last 

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Questions related to MBA

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to MBA ?

Hello aspirant,

Here below I am providing you with the name of some of the best MBA colleges in Hyderabad:

  • Institute of Management Technology, Hyderabad
  • The Indian School of Business
  • The ICFAI Business School Hyderabad
  • Woxsen University
  • The Institute of Public Enterprise
  • GITAM Hyderabad Business School

To know about more colleges, you can visit our site through following link:

https://bschool.careers360.com/colleges/list-of-mba-colleges-in-hyderabad

Thank you

Hello,

Here are some top MBA colleges in India with fees under Rs. 2 lakh and their exam/cutoff details:

  • SIMSREE, Mumbai – Fee around Rs. 1.3–1.4 lakh for 2 years. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, MAT, ATMA. Cutoff is very high, usually 99+ percentile in CAT/CMAT.

  • PUMBA (Dept. of Management Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University) – Fee around Rs. 1.2–1.3 lakh. Accepts CAT, CMAT, MAH-CET, ATMA. Cutoff approx. 75+ percentile in CAT, 90–95+ percentile in CMAT, high scores in MAH-CET.

  • TISS, Mumbai (MA HRM & other management-related programmes) – Fee around Rs. 1.7–1.9 lakh. Accepts CAT for some courses. Qualifying cutoff is around 60–70 percentile, but final selection cutoffs are higher.

These are the main government institutes where the full MBA/PG programme fee is within Rs. 2 lakh. Cutoffs vary slightly each year and by category, but SIMSREE and PUMBA generally need high scores, while TISS has its own process along with CAT shortlisting.

Hope it helps !

Yes, MBA in FinTech is a good option if you are interested in the combination of finance and technology. After this course you can work in roles like FinTech product manager, financial analyst, blockchain/crypto specialist, risk & compliance manager, or business development manager in banks, startups, and financial companies.

For the salary part, freshers usually start with around 5–10 LPA in normal companies and in bigger FinTech firms or banks it can even go up to 10–15 LPA, depending on your skills, college, and location.

If you do Data Science and then an MBA in Finance, you can get many high-paying jobs. Some of the best options are:

1. CFO (Chief Financial Officer) – You manage a company’s finances, budgeting, and reports. Big companies pay 40 lakh to 1 crore per year.

2. Investment Banker – You help clients raise money and do mergers or acquisitions. Salaries start around 10–12 lakh for freshers and can go up to 30 lakh or more with experience.

3. Chief Data Officer – You lead data strategies in companies. Pay can be 80 lakh to 1.3 crore per year.

4. Machine Learning Engineer / AI Scientist – You create AI and ML models. Salary is around 35–42 lakh per year.

5. Product Manager – You manage product strategy and market positioning. Can earn 89 lakh to 1.1 crore per year in big tech companies.

6. Financial Actuary – You analyze financial risks. Pay is around 25–30 lakh per year.

Hello,

If you have made a mistake while entering your education details in KEA PGCET MBA option entry, you cannot edit it directly once it is submitted. You need to contact KEA immediately.

You can:

  • Call the KEA helpline numbers.

  • Or visit the KEA office with your documents.

They will guide you on how to correct the mistake. Do it quickly, as corrections are allowed only within the given time.

Hope it helps !