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

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:

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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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Questions related to CAT

On Question asked by student community

Have a question related to CAT ?

Hello,

Here are some top colleges accepting XAT and CAT exams :

Top colleges accepting CAT:

  • IIMs (All Indian Institutes of Management)

  • FMS Delhi

  • SPJIMR Mumbai

  • MDI Gurgaon

  • IIT Bombay (SJMSOM)

  • IIT Delhi (DMS)

  • IIFT

  • IMT Ghaziabad

  • JBIMS Mumbai

Top colleges accepting XAT:

  • XLRI Jamshedpur

  • XIMB Bhubaneswar

  • IMT Ghaziabad

  • Great

Hi there,

A female candidate with a CAT percentile of 67.97 and low sectional scores should target private and tier-2/3 B-schools that accept overall CAT scores in the 60–70 percentile range and have flexible sectional criteria.

Some suitable options include AIMS Institute Bangalore, Doon Business School Dehradun, Christ Institute of

Hi there,

Yes, you are eligible for XISS Ranchi with a CAT percentile of 67.60.

According to recent admission trends, the CAT cutoff for the PGDM in Human Resource Management for the general category has been around 60 percentile. For other programs such as Marketing, Finance, and Rural Management, the

Hi there,

Careers360 offers a wide range of eBooks and study materials to assist with CAT preparation. You can access past CAT question papers with solutions to understand the exam pattern and difficulty level. Additionally, there are quantitative aptitude handbooks, cheat sheets, and section-specific practice sets for arithmetic, algebra, and

Hi there,

The minimum eligibility criteria for a general candidate to receive a call from IIM Sambalpur are as follows:
VARC: 65%ile
QUANTS: 65%ile
LRDI: 65%ile
Overall: 90%tile
Keep practising and aim to improve your score. You can also focus on other management exams where you may secure a strong