CAT 2025 Cut-Off for Top MBA Colleges in India
The CAT 2025 cutoff for top MBA colleges in India is expected to be issued in January/ February 2026 after result declaration. The CAT cutoff is the minimum percentile or score you need to secure to be eligible for subsequent rounds in admission process.
The CAT 2025 cutoff for top MBA colleges in India, along with the IIMs, will be declared around January or February 2026. For the older and highly ranked IIMs, the expected cutoff for General category applicants is likely to fall between the 98 and 100 percentile range. Students applying through reserved categories can expect comparatively lower cutoff requirements. On the other hand, the younger IIMs generally keep their cutoffs much more flexible. As per early trends, the CAT 2025 qualifying percentile for the newer IIMs may lie anywhere between 75 and 90 across institutes.
The CAT cutoff simply refers to the minimum percentile an aspirant needs to obtain to earn MBA admissions at their chosen colleges. Clearing this benchmark is only the first stage of the selection journey. You must remember that meeting the CAT 2025 cutoff alone doesn’t guarantee admission. In this article, we’ve included the essential details regarding the CAT 2025 cut-off for top MBA colleges in India to help students aiming for MBA admission through the CAT exam !
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CAT 2025 Cutoff: Highlights
Each IIM will release the CAT qualifying percentiles/ cutoff marks on its official website soon after the
CAT result
declaration. Both the overall cutoff and sectional cutoff are included in the
CAT 2025 cutoff
for IIMs. Most top-ranked IIMs require a very high percentile, while newer IIMs may accept around 85-90. For Tier 1 IIMs like IIM Calcutta, IIM Bangalore, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Lucknow, and IIM Kozhikode, you can anticipate that the CAT 2025 cutoff will be 99+ percentile. The CAT Cutoff for Tier 2 colleges, however, typically stays in the 80-85 percentile range.
The CAT exam cutoff has several characteristic features that you need to be aware of:
- The qualifying cutoff is often announced before the release of the results, while the final cutoff is usually announced after the result announcement.
- The IIM CAT cut off is divided into two categories: qualifying cutoffs and final cutoffs.
- The cutoffs are made public by IIM.
- To be selected for the IIM selection round, it is crucial to achieve the minimum CAT Cutoff.
CAT 2025 Final Cutoffs for Selection in IIMs (Expected)
CAT is one of the most popular MBA entrance exams in India . All of the top Indian B-Schools accept CAT scores for admissions. Once the CAT exam results are announced, top management colleges in India start releasing their respective cutoffs, which are the minimum percentiles required by a candidate to be eligible to apply to the respective college. Management aspirants can find the CAT 2025 cutoffs for top MBA colleges in India given in the table below.
Name of the Institute | CAT 2025 Final Cutoff (Expected) |
99-100 | |
99-100 | |
97-99 | |
99 | |
97-98 | |
99 | |
97-98 | |
94-95 | |
95 | |
92-94 | |
94-95 | |
94-95 | |
94-95 | |
90 | |
92-94 | |
90 | |
92-95 | |
92-95 | |
92-94 | |
92-94 | |
90 |
Also Read :
CAT 2025 Qualifying Cutoffs for Selection in IIMs (Expected)
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Candidates are required to obtain the minimum required scores to seek admission to the IIMs that have been mentioned in the table below:
Name of the IIM | CAT 2025 Qualifying Cut Off (Expected) |
IIM Ahmedabad | 85 |
IIM Bangalore | 85 |
IIM Calcutta | 85 |
IIM Lucknow | 90 |
IIM Sambalpur | 93 |
IIM Trichy | 93 |
IIM Indore | 90 |
IIM Kozhikode | 85 |
IIM Amritsar | 90 |
IIM Nagpur | 85 |
IIM Jammu | 93 |
IIM Raipur | 93 |
IIM Ranchi | 90 |
IIM Kashipur | 94 |
IIM Vizag | 80 |
IIM Udaipur | 93 |
IIM Bodhgaya | 93 |
IIM Shillong | 75 |
IIM Sirmaur | 93 |
IIM Rohtak | 95 |
IIM Mumbai | 96-98 |
Note : Some of these are perceptual estimates only. Actual cutoffs may vary according to colleges' discretion.
CAT Sectional Cutoff 2025 (Expected)
Clearing the sectional CAT Cutoff is one of the requirements for receiving a call for PI from the institutes, in addition to the overall CAT Percentile. The following section discusses the IIM Sectional Cutoff for CAT considered to choose candidates for Personal Interviews from the General category:
Name of the Institute | CAT Cutoff Percentile for Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension | CAT Cutoff Percentile for Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning | CAT Cutoff Percentile for Quantitative Ability |
IIM Bangalore | 80 | 75 | 75 |
IIM Calcutta | ≥80 | ≥80 | ≥75 |
IIM Ahmedabad | 70 | 70 | 70 |
IIM Bodh Gaya | 70 | 70 | 70 |
IIM Amritsar | 75 | 75 | 80 |
IIM Lucknow (PGP) | 85 | 85 | 85 |
IIM Nagpur | 72 | 72 | 72 |
IIM Indore | 80 | 80 | 80 |
IIM Jammu | 70 | 70 | 70 |
IIM Kozhikode | 75 | 75 | 75 |
IIM Raipur | >=70 | >=70 | >=70 |
IIM Ranchi | 80 | 80 | 80 |
IIM Sirmaur | >=70 | >=70 | >=70 |
IIM Tiruchirappalli | >=70 | >=70 | >=70 |
IIM Sambalpur | 70 | 70 | 70 |
IIM Udaipur | 70 | 70 | 70 |
IIM Visakhapatnam | 70 | 70 | 70 |
Also Read : What is a Good Percentile in CAT 2025?
CAT Qualifying Cutoff Vs CAT Final Cutoff
IIM qualifying cutoffs and final CAT cutoffs (IIM call cutoff) are the two different categories of cutoffs. The differences between the IIM Eligibility Cut Off vs IIM Call Cut Off are mentioned in the table below:
CAT Qualifying Cutoff | CAT Final Cutoff |
It is also referred to as the IIM eligibility cutoff or the IIM shortlist cutoff and is the minimum required score to qualify for an interview call from the IIMs for the WAT/GD-PI phase. | The minimum score specified by the IIMs for choosing candidates for the WAT/GD-PI phase is known as the IIM call cutoff. |
The candidate may still not be chosen for the WAT/GD-PI round despite meeting the qualifying cutoff. | Meeting the final CAT cutoff does not guarantee admission for the applicant. |
Before the CAT results are announced, the qualifying cutoff is determined. | After the CAT results are announced, the CAT final cutoff is determined. |
Each campus releases the qualifying CAT cutoff percentiles along with their announcement of the admission requirements and selection process for that academic year. | No IIM or even other top MBA institutions formally publish the final CAT cutoffs. |
| Most IIMs have qualifying CAT cutoffs in the 85-90 percentile range, while newer IIMs may keep them around 75-80 percentile. | For all prestigious IIMs, the final CAT cutoffs continue to be as high as 99+ percentile, and for new IIMs, 95+ percentile. |
The CAT qualifying cutoff is fixed for each category. The cutoff for students in the general category is high (90), but it is low for those in the reserved group (70 and below). | The CAT final cutoff is fixed for each category. In comparison to students in the reserved categories, female students, and those without an engineering background, the final cut off is higher for general category male students with engineering backgrounds. |
CAT Cutoff 2025 for Top Non-IIM MBA Colleges (Expected)
The CAT 2025 cutoff percentiles for General category students for admission to top non-IIM MBA colleges are listed below:
Name of the Institute | CAT 2025 Cutoff (Expected) |
85 | |
70 | |
80 | |
90-95 | |
95-99 | |
91 | |
90 | |
90 | |
93+ | |
98-99 | |
96 | |
86 | |
85 | |
80 | |
80 | |
70 |
Students must remember that these are not the cutoffs set by the respective institutes. These numbers have been formulated after detailed research and analysis of CAT cutoffs in the past few years. Also, having scored the minimum cutoff does not ensure admission to the respective colleges. Other criteria, such as past academic performance, work experience, educational background, and gender diversity, also play an important role in the selection process.
Factors Affecting CAT 2025 Cutoff
The following list includes the factors that influence the CAT Cutoff:
The level of difficulty for the CAT 2025 exam
Number of applicants who took the CAT exam
Availability of seats at a particular institute
Ranking of the specific institution
CAT Cutoff 2025: Score vs Percentile
Check out the table below to evaluate your performance and possibilities of getting admission to a top MBA college by knowing the range of CAT scores vs. CAT percentile:
CAT Percentile | QA Score | VARC Score | DILR Score | Overall CAT Score |
99.5 Percentile | 48 | 45 | 33 | 104 |
99 Percentile | 42 | 41 | 29 | 97 |
98 Percentile | 37 | 37 | 26 | 86 |
95 Percentile | 28 | 32 | 21 | 72 |
90 Percentile | 23 | 27 | 17 | 59 |
85 Percentile | 19 | 23 | 15 | 52 |
80 Percentile | 16 | 21 | 13 | 44 |
Also Read : CAT 2025 Reservation Policy
How to Meet the CAT 2025 Cutoff?
To meet the CAT 2025 cutoff, it's essential to understand the specific requirements or criteria involved. Once you have a clear understanding of the expected cutoff/ percentile, set a strategic preparation plan focusing on target areas that need improvement or attention. This might involve dedicating certain hours of study, training, or practice, depending on your knowledge level. Additionally, seeking advice or mentorship from someone who has cleared CAT previously can provide invaluable insights and practical tips tailored to your specific goals. Implementing a regular review and assessment of your progress allows for adjustments to be made in your approach, ensuring you're always on the most efficient path toward meeting the cutoff. Stay disciplined, motivated, and open to feedback, and you'll significantly increase your chances of success.
Aspirants belonging to categories other than the general category must contact the college to get an estimate of the CAT qualifying percentile before applying. MBA admissions are done based on the overall profile, and what a student may lack in one area may be compensated for by another criterion. So, it is important to do a detailed analysis of the selection criteria and weightage set by the respective colleges and create an application accordingly. You must target your colleges smartly, as both time and money are important assets. Apply only to those colleges for which you have qualified the minimum eligibility criteria and the estimated CAT cutoff.
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You can even check our CAT 2025 College Predictor and CAT 2025 Percentile Predictor tools to get an idea of your results based on your performance in the CAT 2025 exam. If you have any doubts related to the CAT 2025 cutoff, you can ask them in the Collegedekho Q&A zone .