MBA Eligibility Criteria 2026: Qualification, Percentage, Entrance Exams, Age Limit & Admission Process

MBA Eligibility Criteria: Highlights

The qualification for doing MBA is having a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from an approved university and a valid score in any of the national or state-level entrance exams, such as CAT, CMAT, MAT, NMAT, XAT, MAH MBA CET, TANCET MBA or any others. Some of the top MBA colleges in India include IIM, IIT and other private and government institutions. The reserved category candidates can apply for the MBA courses with a relaxation of 5% marks as compared to the general category.

Management of Business and Administration is a 2-year postgraduate programme offered by around 5500+ best MBA colleges in India. The below table illustrates the MBA course details, MBA eligibility criteria, selection process, fees and placements in the below table.

MBA Programme: Main Features

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MBA Eligibility IIM

About 21 IIMs are available in India for MBA aspirants who wish to do MBA / PGDM programmes. IIM admission criteria are based on the performance of candidates in the CAT exam and interview rounds.

• Candidates must pass the 10+2 examination with a minimum aggregate of 60% marks from an approved university.
• A bachelor’s degree from a recognised university with at least 50% marks.
• Eligible candidates can apply for the CAT or GMAT exam.
• MBA eligibility criteria for a 5-year integrated MBA programme at IIMs are based on JIPMAT or IPMAT (Indore or Rohtak) scores.

Also Read:

• IIM Admission: Eligibility Criteria, Cut off, Selection Process, Top Colleges List
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MBA Admission through Entrance Exam

Interested candidates can apply for the MBA courses offered by the various institutes based on their performance in the MBA entrance exams accepted by the colleges. Candidates can check out the links below to choose the best MBA colleges based on the cutoff marks.

MBA Eligibility in India

To pursue an MBA from top B-schools in India or abroad, the candidates must meet the eligibility requirements initially. MBA aspirants must have a 3-year bachelor's degree from a recognised university or institute to apply for any MBA courses. The MBA eligibility criteria for different types of MBA are mentioned here.

MBA Eligibility for Regular MBA

• Bachelor’s degree from an approved university with an aggregate of 50% or 60% marks in a relevant field.
• Candidates must have passed the entrance exam and meet the MBA cutoff requirements set by the MBA colleges.
• Candidates who meet the MBA cutoff marks in the entrance examinations will be called for the next level of selection criteria.

MBA Qualification and Minimum Percentage Required

The minimum eligibility criteria for MBA is Bachelor's Degree from a recognized University with 50% aggregate (45% for SC/ST/PwD). MBA eligibility percentage criteria vary from college to college.

MBA Eligibility in DU

• The minimum eligibility requirements for MBA (Business Economics) and MBA (Finance) Programmes are: Graduate (under 10+2+3) in any discipline with at least 50% marks, from the University of Delhi or any other University recognised as equivalent thereto, with Business Mathematics/ Mathematics at Class 12 level.
• Students appearing for the final year of Bachelor's degree can also be eligible to apply for an MBA at DU.

Executive MBA Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates who completed a bachelor's degree (Engineering/B.Sc./BBA/B.Com) from an approved university with 50% marks in aggregate are eligible to apply for the Executive MBA courses.
• The candidates must have work experience of 2 to 5 years to apply for the executive MBA programmes.
• A valid score in any of the entrance exams, such as CAT, XAT, CMAT, GMAT, NMAT or any other tests, is considered for the MBA selection process.

Distance MBA Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates with a bachelor's degree in any discipline are eligible to apply for the distance MBA courses.
• There is no age limit to apply for the distance MBA programmes.
• The distance MBA programmes are offered with or without entrance exams.

Online MBA Eligibility Criteria

• Candidates must have passed a bachelor’s degree from an approved university with a minimum aggregate of 50% marks.
• Candidates must have qualified in any of the MBA entrance exams like XAT, CAT, MAT, CMAT, and SNAP.
• Candidates with work experience will get the preference during the time of admission over others.
• There is no age limit to apply for the online MBA programmes.

MBA Eligibility Criteria for Abroad

• A bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
• Valid score on the GMAT exam.
• Candidates must have 3 to 5 years of work experience are eligible to apply for the MBA abroad courses.
• Candidates must attend and obtain valid marks in the language proficiency test such as IELTS or TOEFL depending on the country and university chosen.

MBA Eligibility After 12th

Candidates must have completed Class 12 from a recognized board or institute. Candidates should have minimum 60% marks in HSC/ Class 12. Most of the MBA courses after 12th require candidates to appear for an MBA entrance test.

MBA Eligibility Age

Any student can apply for MBA admission, but some universities like IITs and IIMs require applicants to have a three-year undergraduate degree. Although MBA students can be of any age, some MBA colleges require applicants to be at least 21 years of age when applying for PGDM/ MBA admission.

MBA Entrance Exam

MBA aspirants who are planning to pursue the PGDM/ MBA course should appear in the MBA entrance exams like CAT, NMAT, CMAT, IIFT, MAT, XAT, SNAP, MAH CET, IBSAT, etc. Top MBA Entrance Exam like SNAP, IBSAT, CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT will be conducted in November to April. Other top state-level MBA entrance exams like MAH-CET, OJEE, KMAT, AP ICET, TS ICET, GMAT, MAT, ATMA, etc. exams will be conducted in February to May.

Candidates can go through the below links to choose the best MBA from any of the institutes mentioned in the table below.

MBA Fees

The following is the list of the top MBA colleges with the list of courses offered, entrance exams accepted and MBA fees structure.