Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Final Application Deadline: 15th March | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are widely regarded as the most prestigious MBA institutes in India. Most of the aspirants who want to pursue an MBA degree aim to secure a place in IIMs by cracking the CAT exam. However, the limited number of seats in IIMs makes it very challenging for candidates to get into IIMs. Fortunately, there are many well-known MBA colleges to consider beyond the IIMs. Apart from offering high-quality education and skill development programs, these non-IIM institutes also conduct on-campus placements and help students get higher salary packages.
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Qualifying for the CAT 2025 is a pre-requisite for individuals who wish to join postgraduate management programs offered by IIMs. Also, more than a thousand MBA colleges in India consider applications from candidates with good CAT scores. Some of the reputed non-IIM MBA colleges include MDI Gurgaon, SPJIMR Mumbai, FMS Delhi, IITs, and IMI. Additionally, there are many reputed institutes that admit candidates with relatively low CAT scores.
Admission in MBA colleges in India depends on the prerequisites for the CAT exam and other exam rounds. To get a seat in a non-IIM top institute, candidates must fulfil the following eligibility criteria:
Candidates belonging to the general category should have obtained a minimum of 50% (45% for the reserved category) in graduation from a recognised university or college.
Minimum 50% in 10th and 12th standards, from a recognised board.
A valid CAT 2025 score is the minimum cut-off declared by an individual institute.
Although there is no age limit and it is not mandatory, many business schools prefer applicants with substantial work experience.
Final Application Deadline: 15th March | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
400+ Company Visits | Highest CTC Offered: 21 LPA | Average CTC Offered: 8.65 LPA | 100% Placement Assurance
Along with the IIMs, 86 non-IIM institutions will also accept CAT 2025 scores for admission to their management programs. According to the CAT toppers list, 14 students scored 100 percentile, 29 students scored 99.99 percentile, and 30 students scored 99.98 percentile in CAT last year.
There are more than 50 colleges that accept CAT scores for their admission process. We have compiled the names of the top 20 non-IIMs that accept CAT scores for their MBA programs. These colleges are equally renowned as IIMs in offering MBA/PGDM courses. A list of MBA colleges accepting the CAT score for MBA admissions 2026, along with their minimum or expected cutoff and NIRF ranking 2025, is given below.
S. No. | CAT 2025 Accepting Colleges | CAT 2025 Cutoff (Expected) | NIRF Ranking 2025 |
1 | 99+ | - | |
2 | 95-96 | 20 | |
3 | 95-96 | 9 | |
4 | 88-90 | 40 | |
5 | 90+ | 39 | |
6 | 85 | 59 | |
7 | 75 | 61 | |
8 | 83-86 | 65 | |
9 | 85-95 | 37 | |
10 | 91 | 45 | |
11 | BHU Varanasi | 85 | 60 |
12 | 90 | 43 | |
13 | IMT Nagpur | 85-90 | 99 |
14 | 95 | - | |
15 | 92-95 | - | |
16 | NIRMA | 80-83 | 53 |
17 | 70 | - | |
18 | 94-96 | 10 | |
19 | 92-95 | 30 | |
20 | 70 | - |
IITs are known as premier institutions for both academic excellence and successful placements. Some of the IITs started the admission process for their management programs and some IITs will begin the application process soon. The following table lists the top IITs that accept CAT-qualified candidates for MBA programs:
CAT 2025 IIT Colleges | CAT 2025 Cutoff (Expected) | NIRF Rank 2025 |
98 | 4 | |
90 | 12 | |
96 | 13 | |
99 | 14 | |
94 | 22 | |
94 | 27 |
The CAT 2025 cut-off accepting colleges with low fees are given below.
6.5 Lakh | |
FMS Delhi | 2.45 Lakh |
9.5 Lakh | |
9 Lakh | |
9.5 Lakh | |
50,000 | |
4 Lakh | |
8.45 Lakh | |
3.80 Lakh | |
9.5 Lakh | |
10 Lakh |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Some of the reputed non-IIM MBA colleges include SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi, IITs, and IMI accepting CAT 2025 scores.
For non-IIMs, the CAT cut-off 2025 is to be in the range of 70-99 percentile.
Symbiosis does not consider CAT scores for their MBA admissions process. SIBM Pune, along with other Symbiosis institutes, primarily relies on the SNAP exam for admission to their MBA and other postgraduate programmes.
Yes. SP Jain accepts CAT and GMAT. Both fresh graduates and candidates with a maximum of five years of work experience can apply for MBA programme.
Top-ranked Bschools such as MDI, IITs, NMIMS, FMS, SPJIMR, IIFT, LIBA, GIM, GLIM, and many more accept CAT scores for MBA admission.
On Question asked by student community
FMS Udaipur admission for 2026 is not open. The MBA 2026 admission will likely commence in May 2026. You can keep checking the official website of FMS.
Hi admission to the courses offered at CUSAT is based on the CUSAT CAT results, relative performnace of the students and the number of applications for each course. Please check CUSAT CAT cutoff 2025 to know in detail about the cutoff score for Electrical and Electronic branch in previous years.
Yes, it is possible. If you have received a PI call from IIM Sambalpur with a 75 percentile in CAT, you have a chance to convert the call. However, the final selection will depend on multiple factors such as your personal interview performance, academic record, and overall profile.
All the
Hello
If you are looking to take admission in the MBA programme with a CAT score of 73, check out the list of MBA Colleges accepting 70-80 percentile .
All the best!
You can find all the information here:
CAT- https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/cat-exam-dates
SNAP- https://bschool.careers360.com/articles/snap-exam-dates
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Final Application Deadline: 15th March | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
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