IIM Shortlist 2026: Check Release Dates, Cutoff, CAP Process & Waitlist Movement

IIM Shortlist 2026: Check Release Dates, Cutoff, CAP Process & Waitlist Movement

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CAT Application Date:01 Aug' 25 - 20 Sep' 25

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Team Careers360Updated on 12 Sep 2025, 02:13 PM IST
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IIM Shortlist 2026 will be prepared based on the CAT 2025 result and WAT-PI scores. Each IIM will release a shortlist for MBA admissions 2026-28. The final IIM shortlist is expected to be released in the first week of May 2026. The highest IIM cutoff percentiles 2026 required for the top IIMs in 2026 are 94, and the minimum is about 80. The minimum IIM shortlist criteria cutoff for MBA admission at baby IIMs ranges between 82 and 94. Candidates can check their IIM PI shortlist status 2026 on the respective websites of IIMs once it is released. They can check the IIM shortlist status by registering on the portal and logging in with their CAT ID and generated password.

This Story also Contains

  1. IIM Shortlist Release Dates 2026
  2. What is IIM Shortlist?
  3. IIM Waitlist Movement 2026-28
  4. IIM Shortlist 2026: Reservation Policy
  5. IIM Shortlisting Criteria and Selection Process 2026
  6. IIMs WAT-GD-PI: Important Documents to Carry
  7. IIM Shortlist 2026 Components and Weightage (Expected)
  8. IIM CAP 2026
  9. IIM CAP 2026 participating institutes
IIM Shortlist 2026: Check Release Dates, Cutoff, CAP Process & Waitlist Movement
IIM Shortlist

IIM Shortlist Release Dates 2026

Check out the list of IIMs along with the IIM shortlist release date and IIM calls 2026 status. As per the previous year's trends, candidates can expect the release of IIM interview dates 2026 as follows.

List of IIMsIIM Shortlist 2026-28 release dateIIM Admission Criteria
IIM Ahmedabad shortlist statusFirst week of January, 2026IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria 2026
IIM Bangalore shortlist statusFirst week of January, 2026
IIM Bangalore Admission Criteria 2026
IIM Calcutta shortlist statusFirst week of January, 2026
To be out soon
IIM Lucknow shortlist statusFirst week of January, 2026
To be out soon
IIM Indore shortlist statusSecond week of January, 2026
To be out soon
IIM Kozhikode shortlist statusThird week of January, 2026
To be out soon
IIM Shillong shortlist statusSecond week of January, 2026
To be out soon
IIM Rohtak shortlist statusSecond week of January, 2026
To be out soon
IIM Trichy shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Udaipur shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Ranchi shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Kashipur shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Raipur shortlist statusTo be announcedTo be out soon
IIM Amritsar shortlist statusFirst week of January, 2026
To be out soon
IIM Bodhgaya shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Nagpur shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Visakhapatnam shortlist statusFirst week of March, 2026
To be out soon
IIM Jammu shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Sambalpur shortlist statusShortlist 1: Second week of January, 2026
Shortlist 2: Second week of February, 2026
To be out soon
IIM Sirmaur shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Mumbai shortlist statusSecond week of February, 2026
To be out soon

IIM Shortlist

What is IIM Shortlist?

The IIM shortlist 2026 is the list of candidates who are eligible to participate in the WAT-PI rounds of IIM interview call status 2026 dates are mentioned in the shortlist. As per the official notification, IIM CAP 2026 Personal Interviews have been completed.

The IIM shortlist is basically the list of CAT test-takers who make it to the second phase of the IIM admission process, which is the Personal Interview (PI). IIMs are the most sought-after MBA institutes in India. There are a total of 21 IIMs in the country. After conducting the interview and PI rounds, the institutes will also release the final IIM shortlist.

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IIM Waitlist Movement 2026-28

The final IIM shortlist criteria 2028 will consist of the names of candidates who qualified in all the rounds of the IIM selection process 2026. In case any candidate opts not to enrol for admission, then their seat is offered to the waitlisted candidate. This results in the IIM waitlist movement 2026.

  • If any candidate lets go of his or her seat, then the student from the waiting list can get admission.
  • The seat is offered based on the candidate's merit andthe availability of the seat.
  • Over the past years, students have waited a long time for the waitlist to move in cases of IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta to get admission.
  • There remains a high waitlist movement in IIM Calcutta and IIM Lucknow because selected candidates prefer IIM A or IIM B over these two.
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IIM Shortlist 2026: Reservation Policy

IIMs follow the reservation policy as per government norms. The categories are as follows:

Category

Reservation Percentage

Scheduled Caste (SC)

15%

Scheduled Tribe (ST)

7.5%

Other backward Class (OBC-NCL)

27%

Economically Weaker section (EWS)

10%

Persons with Benchmark Disability

5%


IIM Shortlist 2026: Key Highlights

After candidates have downloaded their CAT results, all the IIMs will release the shortlists for the final round of PI & WAT separately. After the conclusion of the personal interview and other rounds, which will be conducted virtually, the respective IIMs prepare the final merit list based on these scores, work experience, CAT percentile, and diversity factors. These are the key highlights of the IIM shortlisting process:

  • All IIMs dropped their GD and WAT rounds, like last year, and will conduct only PI rounds from February to March 2026.
  • As of now, the conducting body for IIM CAP has not been announced yet.
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IIM Shortlisting Criteria and Selection Process 2026

The IIM shortlisting process is divided into three stages:

Stage 1: Shortlisting of candidates based on their CAT 2025 score

With the CAT result announcement, the candidates will be invited to apply for the PI round by each IIM on its official website. Candidates who meet the IIM shortlist cut-off have to log in through their CAT IDs to submit their name and CAT score.

Stage 2: Screening of candidates for Personal Interview

In the second stage, the candidates who applied for PI will be shortlisted based on their CAT score and academic record, after which interview letters will be sent to selected candidates in the IIM shortlist 2026.

Stage 3: Calculation of CAT Composite Score and Final Selection in IIM

In the third stage, the composite score of each candidate on the IIM shortlist is calculated based on various parameters to finalise his/her selection. The final IIM selection process 2026 of admission in IIMs and preparation of the final IIM shortlist includes assessing a candidate on certain parameters and calculating his/her composite score. Given below is the list of eight main parameters and their definitions.

Also Check-

Factors on which IIM Shortlist preparation depends

  • CAT 2025 score
  • Class 10 and 12 score
  • Graduation score
  • Online PI
  • Academic diversity
  • Gender diversity
  • Work experience

IIMs WAT-GD-PI: Important Documents to Carry

The following are all the documents which a candidate will need to carry with them at the time of an interview;

  • Marksheets of Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation certificates (original and self-attested photocopies).
  • Caste/class/or disability certificates in case of SC, ST, NC-OBC and PwD candidates (original and self-attested photocopies).
  • Lastly, all candidates appearing for the final year bachelor's degree (or equivalent) must show a certificate from the Principal/Registrar/Director of the university/institution clarifying that the have obtained a minimum of 50 per cent aggregate or equivalent (45 per cent for candidates belonging to the reserved or from PwD) in the lastest available grades/marks.

IIM Shortlist 2026 Components and Weightage (Expected)

Name of the IIM

% Weightage for CAT Score

%Weightage for Academics

% Weightage for Work Exp.

% Weightage for Others (Diversity etc)

IIM Ahmedabad

65

30

5

-

IIM Bangalore

25

15

10

-

IIM Calcutta

56

25

-

4

IIM Lucknow

60

20

10

10

IIM Indore

20

74

-

6

IIM Kozhikode

50

35

5

10

IIM Shillong

NA

NA

NA

NA

IIM Kashipur

33

20

12

35

IIM Raipur

40

10

9

7

IIM Ranchi

100

--

--

--

IIM Tiruchirappalli

53

10

5

30

IIM Udaipur

60

9

9

22

IIM Rohtak

60

--

--

40

IIM Amritsar

60

20

10

10

IIM Bodhgaya

50

12

16

22

IIM Jammu

40

10

8

40

IIM Nagpur

30

35

20

15

IIM Sambalpur

30

15

15

40

IIM Sirmaur

45

10

10

35

IIM Visakhapatnam

50

30

10

10

Also Read;

CAT IIM Shortlist: Previous Years’ Analysis of Number of Seats & Shortlisted Candidates

Based on the previous year’s analysis, here are the number of seats and the number of candidates who got IIM calls.

Type

Total Intake

Shortlisted Candidates

Seats filled

IIM/ Batch

2019-21

2020-22

2019-21

2020-22

2019-21

2020-22

IIM Ahmedabad

385

394

1220

1240

392

392

IIM Bangalore

441

458

1425

1556

441

458

IIM Calcutta

480

480

1990

1852

480

480

IIM Lucknow

405

452

3232

3691

407

455

IIM Kozhikode

485

480

5078

4815

501

481

IIM Indore

487

487

5269

4976

487

487

IIM Trichy

263

230

13668

14125

235

238

IIM Udaipur

286

326

13668

14125

292

334

IIM Raipur

263

263

13668

14125

268

265

IIM Rohtak

265

240

13668

7981

246

240

IIM Sirmaur

123

190

13668

14125

123

18

IIM CAP 2026

Common Admission Process (CAP) is a single-window selection process for MBA admission to the participating CAP IIMs. The IIM CAP round will be held in multiple phases from the second week of February to the second week of March, 2026.

IIM CAP 2026 participating institutes

The Common Admission Process, or CAP 2026, will be conducted from February 17 to March 15, 2025.

Out of 13 New & Baby IIMs, the following is participating in IIM CAP, or Common Admission Procedure 2026-28:

  • IIM Bodh Gaya
  • IIM Jammu
  • IIM Sirmaur
  • IIM Udaipur
  • IIM Nagpur

Mentioned below is the minimum IIM CAP call cut-off of the CAT percentile needed in each category and the overall percentile for listing candidates for PI:

Minimum Cut off of CAT Percentile

CategoryVARCDILRQATotal IIM CAP Call Cutoff
General73737394
EWS50505077
NC-OBC50505077
SC44444460
ST25253040
DAP25253040

Know more;

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: How much does the IIM waitlist move?

Answer- The IIM waitlist movement varies significantly between individual IIMs and categories, with older IIMs like IIM Indore and IIM Lucknow historically showing higher movement. The exact numbers change yearly.

Question- Which IIMs will participate in the Common Admission Process (CAP) 2026?

Answer- For CAP 2026, the participating IIMs are expected to be IIM Jammu, IIM Nagpur, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Udaipur, and IIM Bodh Gaya.

Question- When will the final admission offers be released by the IIMs for the 2026-28 batch?

Answer- IIMs will release the IIM shortlists for the academic batch 2026-28, following the CAT exam results, and the Personal Interview (PI) process.

Question- Can I get admission into an IIM with a low CAT percentile if I have excellent work experience?

Answer- Yes, it is quite possible to get into some IIMs even if your CAT score is not very high. The CAT cutoff for newer IIMs like IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Nagpur, IIM Amritsar, and IIM Shillong are usually lies between 85 to 95 percentile.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is IIM waitlist? When will it be released?
A:

IIM waitlist is a batch or number of seats that are reserved by the IIMs so that candidates who have withdrawn or if additional seats are left, the CAT test takers can take admission. It is expected to be released in February/ March 2026.

Q: What are the minimum CAT percentile requirements for different IIMs in 2026?
A:

For IIM admission, aiming for a CAT percentile of 90+ is recommended, with top IIMs like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta required 99+ percentiles, while IIM Kozhikode and Lucknow may require 90+ percentiles.

Q: What is IIM shortlist?
A:

IIM shortlist can be termed as the list of CAT test takers who make it to the second stage of IIM admission process 2026 which is WAT-PI.

Q: When will IIM calls start coming?
A:

Most of the IIMs will release their shortlist cum IIM calls on their respective website after the release of CAT 2025 results. Candidates can check the same by using their login credentials.

Q: Which IIM calls are out?
A:

IIM calls 2026 will be released after the declaration of CAT results on the respective websites of IIMs.

Q: How do I check my IIM PI shortlist status online?
A:

To check your IIM PI shortlist status, candidates are required to visit the specific IIM website and look for a link for the section that indicates "PI Shortlist" or "Provisional Shortlist for PI". Also, candidates are required to login using their CAT registration number, email ID, and Date of Birth. 

Q: What is IIM CAP?
A:

CAP is a Common Admission Process that is conducted by one of the IIMs to offer admission to 8 IIMs.

Q: How many IIMs have released shortlisted candidates?
A:

The IIMs will start shortlisting candidates based on their admission criteria. 

Q: Where do IIM interviews take place?
A:

Each IIM conducts interviews in different cities. You have to fill in your interview location preferences for each IIM while filling out the CAT form.

Q: How do I check my IIM shortlist?
A:

Candidates shall visit the official website of the college in order to find their name in the IIM shortlist. 

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Hello Aspirant,

Since your payment status shows "S" , it means your payment is successful. The "payment unsuccessful" message on the form is likely a temporary system error or a delay in updating.

Do not make another payment.

Making a second payment could cause a double debit, which is difficult to get a refund for. You should:

  1. Wait 24-48 hours for the status to update automatically.

  2. Download and save a copy of your form and a screenshot of the "S" payment status as proof.

  3. Check your bank statement to confirm the money has been debited.

  4. If the issue is not fixed after 48 hours, contact the official CAT helpdesk immediately with your transaction details.

Hello

The CAT 2025 exam is a national-level MBA entrance test for IIMs and top B-schools in India. It will be held on 30th November 2025 in computer-based mode across ~170 cities.
The registration is open from 1st August to 13th September 2025 on iimcat.ac.in .
Admit cards will be available from 5th November 2025 onward.
Graduates with at least 50 marks (45 for SC/ST/PwD) are eligible to apply.
The exam tests English, Reasoning, and Quantitative Aptitude in three timed sections.

Yes, you can pursue an MBA at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, through the CAT exam.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Educational Qualification: A bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks (45% for SC/ST/PwD candidates) from a recognized university.

  • Entrance Exam: A valid CAT score is required for admission.

Admission Process:

  1. Application: Register online through the BBAU admission portal.

  2. Entrance Exam: Appear for the CAT exam and obtain a valid score.

  3. Counseling: Shortlisted candidates will be called for counseling based on their CAT scores.

  4. Document Verification: Submit necessary documents for verification.

  5. Fee Payment: Complete the fee payment to confirm admission.

Course Details:

  • Duration: 2 years (full-time).

  • Specializations: Finance, Marketing, Human Resource Management, among others.

Placement Opportunities:
BBAU has a strong placement record, with top companies recruiting MBA graduates.

For more details and to apply, visit the  official BBAU MBA admission page

Hello Amgothu

With 305 marks in ICAR PG and being from ST category, your chances of getting an AIEEA (CAT) seat is good, especially in plant sciences and less competitive subjects