Great Lakes - PGDM & PGPM Admissions 2026
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
CAT Admit Card Date:12 Nov' 25 - 30 Nov' 25
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.
Admissions Open | Globally Recognized by AACSB (US) & AMBA (UK) | 17.8 LPA Avg. CTC for PGPM 2025
Ranked No. 3 Business School in India and no.35 in world by Financial Times MiM 2025 Ranking | Highest CTC: INR 89 LPA
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)
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.
For non-IIMs, the CAT cut-off 2025 is to be in the range of 70-99 percentile.
Some of the reputed non-IIM MBA colleges include SPJIMR Mumbai, MDI Gurgaon, FMS Delhi, IITs, and IMI accepting CAT 2025 scores.
On Question asked by student community
You can get the previous year's CUSAT CAT papers in pdf format sample papers from careers360 article. Follow the link given below from careers360 to get the the CUSAT CAT previous years question papers.
Link- https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/cusat-cat-sample-papers
Hello,
Since the CAT application form correction window is closed, you must contact the CAT help desk immediately to explain the situation, as you can't edit a wrong date of birth after submission. If it's a major error like date of birth, you may need to go to the exam center with proof and the correct admit card, although getting it corrected before the exam date is the most important first step.
I hope it will clear your query!!
Hi there,
You have to apply separately for each symbiosis college, like SIBM Pune, as they as not automatically included. The CAT form automatically includes many IIMs, but the SNAP exam is a separate test that is given for admission to Symbiosis Institute, which requires its own separate application and fee.
Hope it helps!!!
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Hello,
To get admitted to the Institute of Management Studies (IMS), BHU, for an MBA in 2026, you must clear the CAT entrance exam. For that you need to fill out the application form of the CAT in August 2026, which you can get on the Official CAT website
I hope it will clear your query!!
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