IIM CAP 2026: Participating IIMs, Cutoff Trends, Eligibility, Dates & Admission Process

IIM CAP 2026: Key Highlights

• What is IIM CAP 2026: Common Admission Process (CAP) 2026

• No. of IIMs Participating in IIM CAP 2026 (Expected): IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu, IIM Nagpur and IIM Sirmaur

• Latest Update: IIM Udaipur recently announced that it has opted out of CAP.

• IIM CAP 2026 Coordinator: To be announced

• IIM 2026 Dates: To be announced

• Goal of IIM CAP 2026: To provide a standardised and streamlined admission process for multiple participating IIMs.

Major Update: Introduction of JAP 2026

In a major update, JAP 2026 is the major addition in the MBA admission 2026-28 process, where four new IIMs - IIM Raipur, IIM Ranchi, IIM Kashipur and IIM Trichy have announced their own separate Joint Admission Process (JAP) 2026. The coordinator for JAP 2026 is IIM Raipur.

Through this MBA admission process, candidates aiming to apply to either of the above-mentioned four IIMs will now have to go through JAP 2026. IIM admission process for 2026–28 AY through JAP 2026 is expected to commence from the third week of December 2026.

IIM CAP 2026: Overview

The IIM Common Admission Process (IIM CAP) is a centralised selection process followed by several newer Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) to admit students into MBA/PGDM programs. Instead of attending separate interviews for each IIM, candidates are shortlisted by the participating institutes to attend a single interview round of the Personal Interview (PI) and Written Ability Test (WAT).

Check out the following IIM CAP 2026 overview table. The official dates for IIM 2026 are yet to be announced. They are expected to begin from August 1, 2026 and end on September 13, 2026.

*Note: All the above-mentioned dates are tentative and are subject to change based on the official notification from the coordinating IIM CAP 2026

IIM CAP 2026: List of Participating IIMs (Expected)

Check out the following list of participating IIMs in IIM CAP 2026, based on the most recently available data. For CAP 2025, the following eight IIMs participated, and this lineup is expected to continue for 2026.

• IIM Bodh Gaya

• IIM Jammu

• IIM Nagpur

• IIM Sirmaur

Notably, IIM Sambalpur has opted out of the CAP process in 2025 and is expected to continue conducting its own independent admission process for CAP 2026 as well.

IIM CAP 2026: Eligibility & Shortlisting

The IIM CAP 2026 shortlisting will be based on CAT 2025 scores, along with the category-wise cutoffs set by the participating IIMs. All candidates meeting the minimum eligibility criteria will receive a single CAP call that will cover all 8 participating IIMs.

Let us look at the basic IIM CAP 2026 eligibility criteria to check if you are eligible or not.

• All candidates must have appeared for the CAT 2025 exam.

• One must have a valid sectional and overall percentile as prescribed for your category.

• The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD).

• All candidates in their final year are also eligible to apply (provisional admission subject to degree completion).

Expected CAT 2025 Cutoffs for CAP 2026 Shortlist

IIM CAP 2026 cutoff is the minimum score or percentile which a candidate must achieve in the CAT to be eligible for the selection process of the IIM CAP. All must note that the IIM CAP cutoff is usually determined based on several factors, such as the number of candidates who took the CAT exam, the difficulty level of the exam and the number of seats available.

The following table mentions the expected CAT 2025 cutoffs for the upcoming IIM CAP 2026 shortlisting. One must meet this criterion before moving ahead with the PI and WAT rounds.

IIM CAP 2026: Application Process

The IIM CAP 2026 will be conducted for admission to various IIMs. In order to apply for the CAP, all candidates must follow the online application process. Go through the following steps to apply online for the IIM CAP 2026.

• Step 1: Begin by visiting the official website of the IIM CAP conducting body to begin your registration process.

• Step 2: Next, you will need to click on the CAP 2026 link, which will be available on the homepage.

• Step 3: Once you click on the page, you will need to register yourself with the CAT ID, DOB and email ID to create an account.

• Step 4: After you have registered yourself, you will need to verify yourself by entering the OTP sent to your registered mobile number/email ID for verification.

• Step 5: After the OTP verification has been completed, you will need to create your user ID and password for logging into the portal.

• Step 6: Once your user ID and password have been created, you will be able to access the IIM CAP application form. In the form, you will have to add information about your co-curricular activities to enhance your profile.

Make sure you carefully review the application, sign the declaration form and submit your IIM CAP 2026 application.

IIM CAP 2026: Year-on-Year CAP Statistics

The following table mentions the year-on-year CAP statistics, which will help you get an idea of the IIM CAP 2026 round.

IIM CAP 2026: CAP vs Non-CAP IIMs

Check out the following table, which lists the differences in the selection process of the IIM CAP and non-IIM CAPs and several other factors.