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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Team Careers360Updated on 29 Dec 2025, 12:19 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 95, and the minimum is about 85. 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.

LiveIIM CAT 2025 Result (OUT) LIVE: MBA admission criteria for IIMs; CAT score weightage, cut-offsDec 26, 2025 | 11:01 PM IST

IIM Kozhikode will retain its three-stage admission process for the MBA (PGP) 2026–28 batch, with CAT 2025 scores carrying a final weightage of 35 percent. The minimum overall CAT cut-off for general category candidates remains at 85 percentile, with sectional qualifying scores required in VARC, DILR, and QA. Shortlisting of candidates will be based on CAT performance, academic record, and personal interview rounds.

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This Story also Contains

  1. IIM Shortlist Release Dates 2026 (Expected)
  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
  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 (Expected)

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, 2026IIM Bangalore Admission Criteria 2026
IIM Calcutta shortlist statusFirst week of January, 2026IIM Calcutta Admission Criteria
IIM Lucknow shortlist statusFirst week of January, 2026IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria
IIM Indore shortlist statusSecond week of January, 2026IIM Indore Admission Criteria
IIM Kozhikode shortlist statusThird week of January, 2026IIM Kozhikode Admission Criteria
IIM Shillong shortlist statusSecond week of January, 2026To be out soon
IIM Rohtak shortlist statusOutIIM Rohtak Admission Criteria
IIM Trichy shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Udaipur shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)IIM Udaipur Admission Criteria
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, 2026IIM Amritsar Admission Criteria
IIM Bodhgaya shortlist statusOut (IIM CAP)IIM Bodh Gaya Admission Criteria
IIM Nagpur shortlist statusTo be announced (IIM CAP)To be out soon
IIM Visakhapatnam shortlist statusFirst week of March, 2026To be out soon
IIM Jammu shortlist statusOut (IIM CAP)IIM Jammu Admission Criteria
IIM Sambalpur shortlist statusShortlist 1: Second week of January, 2026
Shortlist 2: Second week of February, 2026
IIM Sambalpur Admission Criteria
IIM Sirmaur shortlist statusOut (IIM CAP)IIM Sirmaur Admission Criteria
IIM Mumbai shortlist statusSecond week of February, 2026IIM Mumbai admission criteria

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 enroll 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 is IIM Bodh Gaya.
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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

Name of the IIM

% Weightage for CAT Score

%Weightage for Academics

% Weightage for Work Exp.

% Weightage for Others (Diversity etc)

IIM Ahmedabad PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

65

35

IIM Bangalore PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

55

30 (10+10+10)

10

5

IIM Calcutta PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

56

25

-

4

IIM Lucknow PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

60

20

10

10

IIM Indore PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

55

35

3

7

IIM Kozhikode PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

50

35

5

10/5

IIM Mumbai PI Shortlisting 2026-2028100---

IIM Shillong PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

100

-

-

-

IIM Kashipur PI Shortlisting 2026-2028 (Expected)

100

-

-

-

IIM Raipur PI Shortlisting 2026-2028 (expected)

100

-

-

-

IIM Ranchi PI Shortlisting 2026-2028 (expected)

100

--

--

--

IIM Tiruchirappalli PI Shortlisting 2026-28 (expected)

100

-

-

-

IIM Udaipur PI Shortlisting 2026-2028 (expected)

60

9

9

22

IIM Rohtak PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

100

--

--

-

IIM Amritsar PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

50

25

15

10

IIM Bodhgaya PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

100

-

-

-

IIM Jammu PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

100

-

-

-

IIM Nagpur PI Shortlisting 2026-2028 (expected)

30

35

20

15

IIM Sambalpur PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

40

10 (3+3+4)

15

40

IIM Sirmaur PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

100

-

-

-

IIM Visakhapatnam PI Shortlisting 2026-2028

-

-

-

-

Also Read;

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

CategoryVARCDILRQATotal IIM CAP Call Cutoff
General75757595
EWS55555581
NC-OBC52525281
SC45454566
ST25253042
DAP25253042

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 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: 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 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: For the IIMs not participating in CAP, how will admission be done?
A:

Such IIMs will have their own selection procedure which can be checked on their respective official websites.

Q: How can I get an IIM call?
A:

You will get a call from IIM if you touch 90 percentile or above (except for IIM A which has a lower cut-off).

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 long is an IIM interview?
A:

There is no specific time limit. However candidates can expect it to be a minimum of 10-15 minutes.

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

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

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. 

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.

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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello aspirant,

Your kid has a good profile even in the general category with a BTech from IIT Delhi, three years of excellent job experience in a leading industry, and a 96 percentile in the CAT. He has a strong chance at reputable MBA schools like IIM Shillong, IIM Udaipur, IIM Trichy, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and others, depending on interview performance and profile match, even though the top IIMs often require higher percentiles.

Thank you

Hope it helps you

With 84.91 percentile in CAT (General, male, no work experience), top colleges like IIMs, IITs, FMS, MDI, etc. are not possible. You may get calls from private institutes such as IMT Nagpur/Hyderabad, IMI Bhubaneswar, XIME, SDMIMD, Welingkar (some programs) and similar colleges. Universities like Amity or LPU are also options.

It’s better to choose carefully, as placements and ROI may be average. Reattempting CAT or trying XAT/CMAT could improve options.

Hello,

With a CAT percentile of 88.77 and a strong CGPA of 9.0, you are in a competitive range for newer IIMs (like IIM Amritsar, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Nagpur) and several top non-IIM B-schools such as TAPMI, BIM Trichy, Great Lakes, IMI Delhi, FORE School of Management, and KJ Somaiya. You may not reach the older IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, etc.) since they usually require 98+ percentile, but you have excellent chances at mid-tier and emerging institutes.

For more details access mentioned link below:

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-cutoff-2025-category-wise-iims-iits-top-mba-colleges-cutoff

Hope it helps.

Hello

The expected cutoff for the JAP (Joint Admission Process) is around 90 to 95th percentile, with a minimum sectional cutoff of around 75 percentile in Quantitative Ability. You have scored 82.2% which is very low; that's why you are unlikely to meet the minimum criteria for the JAP IIMs in the general Category.

I hope this information helps you.

Thank you.

Hello,

Here is your IIM Cutoff for Gen/OBC/SC/ST, CS Score Cut Off. I am providing you the link. Kindly open and check it out. From here you can get all the details.

https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-2025-cut-off-live-updates-iim-blacki-expected-cat-cs-score-cut-off-iim-cat-call-cut-off-latest-updates

I hope it will help you.

Thank you.