Can I Do MBA with Less Than 50% in Graduation? Colleges & Eligibility Explained

Can I Do MBA with Less Than 50% in Graduation? Colleges & Eligibility Explained

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Himanshu ShekharUpdated on 12 Sep 2025, 03:27 PM IST

MBA is one of the popular postgraduate programmes that the majority of undergraduates wish to do. Is it possible to get an MBA with less than 50 in graduation in India? Yes, a few of the institutes, like the Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi and NIILM University, offer admission to the MBA courses for graduates with less than 50%. Generally, MBA aspirants who wish to do an MBA from the top b-schools in India must score at least 50% marks in a minimum bachelor’s degree from an approved university. The MBA colleges in India offer MBA/PGDM admission to graduates with at least 50% marks from UGC-approved universities. Read this careers360 article to know about the MBA colleges that don't require 50 percent in graduation.

Can I do MBA with less than 50% in graduation?

Can I Do MBA with Less Than 50% in Graduation? Colleges & Eligibility Explained
MBA with Less than 50% in Graduation

As per the UGC guidelines for MBA admission, candidates having 50% marks of minimum aggregate in a 3-year bachelor’s degree are only allowed to apply for the MBA programmes and permitted to attend the MBA entrance exams. For the top B-schools like IIMs or IITs, a minimum of 60% is required for MBA admission. Candidates from reserved categories like (SC/ST/PwD) can only apply for the management programmes with a 45% minimum aggregate.

MBA Colleges Accepting Less than 50% in Graduation: Eligibility Criteria

MBA aspirants should follow the below MBA eligibility criteria to obtain seats for the management studies.

  • A bachelor’s degree in any discipline with 50% of the minimum marks is the eligibility to apply for the MBA courses.
  • For the reserved category, a minimum of 45% in a 3-year bachelor’s degree from an approved university.
  • Based on the MBA admission criteria of the institutes, applicants must qualify in any of the state-level or national-level entrance exams such as CAT, MAT, XAT, ATMA, CMAT, GMAT, and NMAT.

MBA with Less than 50 Percent: Overview

The main highlights of the MBA with less than 50 in graduation in India are mentioned below.

Particulars

Details

MBA Course Duration

Two years

MBA Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must pass a bachelor's degree in any specialisation from an approved university with a minimum aggregate of 50 per cent. (45% for the reserved category)

Entrance Examinations

CAT, MAT, XAT, ATMA, CMAT, GMAT, NMAT

MBA Specialisations

MBA in Digital Marketing, MBA in Finance, MBA in Business Analytics, MBA in Marketing, MBA in Sales, MBA in Human Resources

Average MBA fees

Government colleges: Rs 50,000 to Rs 4 lakh

Private colleges: Rs 20 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh

Average MBA Salary Packages offered

Rs. 12 LPA

MBA aspirants can also search for:

List of MBA Colleges Accepting Less than 50% in Graduation

Candidates who failed to score 50% in graduation can also apply for the MBA/PGDM programmes offered by the institutes mentioned in the table below. Some of the MBA colleges accepting below 50% of graduation along with the course and fees are listed here.

Top MBA Colleges in India Accepting Below 50% in Graduation

Top MBA Colleges Accepting Below 50 Percentile

Courses

Course Fees

MBA Healthcare Management/ MBA in Business Management

Rs. 10 lakhs

Rs. 1 lakhs

Also Read:

Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026

Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025

IBSAT 2025-ICFAI Business School MBA/PGPM 2026

IBSAT 2025-Your gateway to MBA/PGPM @ IBS Hyderabad and 8 other IBS campuses | Scholarships worth 10 CR

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is the minimum GPA for top MBA?
A:

Most top MBA programs look for a GPA of at least 3.5, which reflects the level of academic excellence that top business schools.

Q: What is the minimum graduation percentage for MBA?
A:

Candidates who wish to pursue an MBA from the top B-schools must have a minimum aggregate of 50% or 60% marks in 3 years bachelor’s degree from an approved university.

Q: How to do an MBA with a low percentage in graduation?
A:

To do an MBA with a low graduation percentage, one must focus on high MBA entrance exam scores (like CAT or GMAT) and gain significant work experience to demonstrate one's aptitude. 

Q: Which MBA colleges accept less than 50 in graduation?
A:

Candidates with having less than 50% in their Undergraduate (UG) level might wonder which MBA colleges accept less than 50% marks in graduation. There are colleges like Manipal University, KIIT, and Fore School of Management, among others, that accept students with below 50% percentile in UG. 

Q: Which MBA colleges accept less than 50 in graduation?
A:

Candidates with having less than 50% in their Undergraduate (UG) level might wonder which MBA colleges accept less than 50% marks in graduation. There are colleges like Manipal University, KIIT, and Fore School of Management, among others, that accept students with below 50% percentile in UG. 

Q: Is MBA at 30 too late?
A:

It's never too late to embark MBA journey. One can pursue an MBA course whenever they want.

Q: Is 50% mandatory for an MBA?
A:

Yes, the minimum eligibility criteria required for MBA admission is having a bachelor’s degree with 50% aggregate from an approved university. For the reserved candidates (SC/ST/PwD), 45% is the minimum mark required to apply for the MBA courses.

Q: Can I do MBA with 45% marks in graduation?
A:

Yes, Candidates who secured 45% marks can only apply for the MBA programmes offered by the MBA colleges offer admission with less than 50%. The majority of the institutes accept overall 50% marks in graduation.

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Hey! With an All India Rank (AIR) of 302,821 in NEET and belonging to the BCE category, it is highly unlikely to get a BDS seat in Telangana under the state quota, as the closing ranks for BCE are usually below 50,000. You may consider applying to private colleges under management quota or explore BDS seats in other states, but the chances remain very limited with this rank.

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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.