BIMTECH PGDM Admissions 2026
AACSB Accredited | Highest CTC: 22 LPA
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.
This Story also Contains
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.
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
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
Ranked among top 10 B-Schools in India by multiple publications | Top Recruiters-Google, MicKinsey, Amazon, BCG & many more.
Last Date to Apply: 10th Feb | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Highest Package 27.25 LPA | Top 100 Average package 16.65 LPA | AACSB Accredited | Ranked 52 by QS International
NAAC A++ Grade | MBA program graded A** (National) by CRISIL | AACSB, ACBSP and BGA Member
Assured Placements and Career Support
Phase 02 Applications Window Closing on 23rd January 2026 | 100% Placement Record | Average CTC 12.75 LPA | Highest CTC 40.31 LPA | Median CTC 12.49 LPA