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IIM Selection Criteria 2026-28 outline the requirements that you must meet to get MBA admission into the IIMs. These include your CAT score, academic record, work experience, diversity, written ability test, group discussion, and personal interview performance. IIM admission criteria differ for each IIM institute, depending on the CAT score and academic requirements. The IIM selection criteria also change based on the yearly performance of the institute and admission statistics of the previous year. Candidates who qualify the CAT 2025 exam and meet the qualifying cutoff set by individual IIMs are selected for the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI). The IIM selection criteria also include meeting the final CAT cutoff 2025 requirements.

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List of Top IIMs in India 2026: First established in 1961, the Indian Institute of Management, or IIMs, are some of the best MBA colleges in India. At present, there are a total of 21 IIMs in India across all the states. As per the latest IIM rankings by NIRF, the list of top 10 IIM colleges in India 2026 includes IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, etc (based on NIRF 2025 rankings). Being top-tier B-schools in the country, IIMs in India have a reputation for having excellent faculties, rich academic facilities, and vibrant campus culture, making them the dream destination for most MBA aspirants. Admission to the top IIMs, however, is highly competitive as most of them accept CAT scores above the 99th percentile. You can check your CAT 2025 percentile from the official website as the CAT result 2025 have been announced on December 24, 2025. If you are aiming to build a career in management and wish to pursue your postgraduate degree from one of the top IIMs in India, it is important to be familiar with the list of IIM colleges in India, their fee structure, and placement highlights. All these details have been covered for you in the article below.

The IIM CAT 2025 cutoff marks can range from 90 to 100 percentile, depending on the IIM college you wish to take admission to. First, the IIM qualifying cutoff scores are announced before the CAT results, which have been released on Decemeber 24, 2025. For admission to some of the top IIM colleges in India, like IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Calcutta, through the CAT exam, students will require a qualifying CAT percentile of 80-85. The final IIM CAT Cutoff 2025 will usually lie in the range of 99 to 100 percentile. The IIM cutoff scores and percentiles differ from category to category. The overall and section-wise cutoff scores are released by the Indian Institute of Management separately. Students appearing for the CAT exam must note that IIM colleges release two types of cutoff scores for MBA admissions.

IIM Shortlist 2026: If you are planning to pursue your MBA degree from one of the prestigious IIMs in India, you are required to ensure that to make the IIM shortlist 2026. The IIM Common Admission Process (CAP) 2026 involves mainly 3 stages: the CAT 2025 exam, the Written Ability Test (WAT), and the Personal Interviews. Based on your overall performance in all these rounds, all the IIMs release their separate shortlist featuring the names of the qualified students for admission to the respective institutes. For the 2026-28 session, the CAT 2026 exam will be held on November 30, 2026. The WAT is expected to be held in January. Based on your scores in the CAT exam and WAT, IIMs will call you for the PI round, which will be held from February to April 2026. Once all the rounds are completed, the IIM Shortlist 2026 will be released. In this article, we have provided the detailed information and the IIM admission process, including important dates.

When you prepare for the CAT exam aiming for an IIM, it is important to understand the difference between IIM eligibility cutoff and IIM call cutoff. The eligibility cutoff is the minimum score needed to apply for admission, while the call cutoff is the score you must exceed to get an interview invite. Generally, the eligibility cutoff is lower to allow more candidates into the admission process. For example, in top IIMs like Ahmedabad, the eligibility cutoff is around 80 percentile, but to receive a call for an interview, you usually need to score above 99 percentile. Similarly, IIM Bangalore and Calcutta require around 85-90 percentile to be eligible, but final call cutoffs tend to be near 99-100 percentile. The CAT 2025 exam will take place on November 30, 2025, with CAT 2025 results expected by early January 2026. This timeline marks the beginning of the IIM shortlisting and selection process. Being clear about these cutoffs can help you plan your preparation and set realistic goals for admission.​

CAT OBC Reservation Criteria for Admission to IIMs indicate how many seats are distributed for the OBC category for the CAT 2025 admission cycle, as per the Government of India’s reservation policy. Out of roughly 5,500+ seats offered by various IIMs, around 3,491 seats fall under the open category, nearly 809 are reserved for OBC candidates, and close to 538 seats are allotted to the SC/ST category, with the remaining seats assigned to EWS and PwD applicants.

Are you curious about how many students clear CAT exam every year? Here’s what you need to know. The CAT exam does not have any passing marks, which means, to crack the exam, you need to meet the cutoff of your target B-school. Approximately 300,000+ aspirants are expected to appear in the CAT 2025 exam, scheduled to take place on November 30, 2025. Registration is closed, and aspiring students looking forward to getting admitted to some of the country's best public and private colleges, such as IIMs, IITs, or any other institutes, are preparing themselves for this challenging test. Therefore, students eager to know more about the total students appearing in the CAT exam every year can check the number stats, total examinees, etc. 

List of Courses in IIMs in 2026 includes the flagship Post Graduate Programme in Management, along with other options as the PGP in Public Policy and Management and the PGP in Enterprise Management. The full-time MBA, commonly known as the PGP, remains the most popular programme across IIMs. Admissions to these PG courses are granted mainly based on CAT scores.

Apart from the above-listed courses, aspirants can also pursue a five-year Integrated Programme in Management from IIM Indore, IIM Rohtak, IIM Ranchi, IIM Jammu, and IIM Bodh Gaya. Students have to clear the IPMAT (in-house entrance) to join the said integrated management courses. Those who achieve the required entrance exam cutoff for their respective categories secure seats in leading institutes. In this guide, you can explore the list of courses in IIMs in 2026, along with details on the available programmes, top institutes, and specialisations.

Also Read: List of Top IIMs in India 2026

The top 20 MBA colleges in North India 2026 include IIM Lucknow, IIM Rohtak, MDI Gurugram, IIM Indore, and others. Over the past few years, the northern hemisphere has witnessed the rise of other B-schools offering top-class postgraduate management courses. They must crack the management entrance exam to get admission in MBA colleges in North India. Targeting top MBA colleges located near metro cities can enhance students' chances of employability. So, those who are eager to know more about the top 20 MBA colleges in North India can go through the college list, steps to apply, etc. 
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IIM Personal Interview Form for IIM-A, B, C, L, K, S: The IIM Personal Interview (PI) is a crucial part of the IIM selection process. Students who clear the CAT 2025 exam and meet the qualifying cutoff are shortlisted for PI rounds. Shortlisted students must complete the IIM PI form, available on the official websites of the IIMs to which they have applied, providing details such as personal information, academic background, work experience, and career goals. Students eager to know more about the IIM 2025 Personal Interview Form for IIM-A, B, C, L, K, and S can go through the details required, college-wise interview form, etc. 

Applying effective profile-building strategies is essential for cracking MBA admissions 2026 with an average CAT 2025 score. It is often believed that a CAT score below 80 percentile is worthless and only good for B-grade management institutes or lower. However, that is not the case in reality, and there are many Tier 1 B–schools in India that accept students with mediocre CAT scores. That being said, most of these students with average CAT scores that secure admission to top-tier B-schools have an excellent overall profile, which makes them prime applicants.

Let’s be real, choosing an MBA college in India is confusing. You have the elite IIMs on one side and thousands of colleges making tall claims on the other. If you are reading this, you probably missed the CAT cutoffs for the top tier or are looking for a solid backup plan. IBS Bangalore (ICFAI Business School) often pops up in this conversation. But with a price tag crossing INR 12 lakhs, the big question isn't just "Is it good?" but "Is it worth the money?"

Selecting the right business school is something like figuring out a Mumbai local at 9:00 AM. It is quick and jam-packed, and each choice feels heavy. If you plan to attend IBS Mumbai for the 2026-27 academic year, you are most likely weighing the "ICFAI" brand against the fact of living in the most expensive city in India. Is a PGPM here a genuine launchpad for your corporate career, or is it just an expensive two-year stay in Powai? With rising fees and a massive batch size, the question of whether it’s "worth it" depends entirely on your own career goals and how much you're willing to hustle.

Also Check - Is IBS Hyderabad worth it for MBA? Placements and ROI Insights

NTA is expected to release the CMAT City Intimation Slip 2026 in the third week of January 2026, usually around 10 to 15 days before the CMAT exam date 2026. Once released, the slip will be available on the official CMAT website at cmat.nta.nic.in. 

IBS Hyderabad is considered by many to be a practical, industry-orientated B-school instead of just an exam-centric brand. It provides regular campus placements, a broad pool of recruiters, and average salary outcomes that are quite acceptable for a private MBA institute. Nevertheless, the question of whether IBS Hyderabad is “worth it” or not is contingent largely upon the individual. Your career aspirations, strategy for financing the education, approach to learning, and extent of your active involvement in campus activities such as internships, live projects, and skill training will have a greater impact than rankings alone.