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

IIM Shortlist Release Dates 2026

Check out the list of IIMs along with the IIM shortlist release date, and the IIM calls 2026 status.

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.

IIM Waitlist Movement 2026-28

The final IIM shortlist criteria 2026 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 and the 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.

IIM Shortlist 2026: Reservation Policy

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

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 is IIM Bodh Gaya.

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 scores
• 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 latest available grades/marks.

IIM Shortlist 2026 Components and Weightage for Interview

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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 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 CAT Cutoff Percentile 2026

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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.