IIM Ahmedabad Admission 2025 - Process, Selection Criteria & Eligibility

IIM Ahmedabad admission to its courses is done on the basis of merit and entrance exam scores. IIM Ahmedabad accepts scores of national entrance exams like CAT for MBA. Candidates who have a valid CAT score also need to appear for Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI) for final selection. Apart from this, IIM Ahmedabad admission to other courses like PhD is done on the basis of qualifying exam scores. The college accepts UG scores for PG admission. The detailed IIM Ahmedabad admission process can be checked on this page.

Some Frequently Asked Questions about IIM Ahmedabad Admission:

1. When does IIM Ahmedabad batch start?

The academic year for the IIM Ahmedabad admission usually begins in June or July every year. The classes start around May last week.

2. Which exam for IIM Ahmedabad?

IIM Ahmedabad admission to PGP is primarily through the CAT exam, while GMAT/GRE scores are also accepted for some courses like PGPX.

3. How to get into IIM Ahmedabad?

For IIM Ahmedabad admission, students must clear CAT with a very high percentile (99+), meet eligibility cut-offs, and pass Written Ability Test (WAT) & Personal Interview (PI) rounds.

4. When is IIM Ahmedabad interview?

Interviews for IIM Ahmedabad admissions are typically held between February and March, after the CAT results and shortlisting process.

IIM Ahmedabad conducts admissions as per CAT entrance exam schedule. The important dates related to IIM Ahmedabad admission have been listed below:

IIM Ahmedabad accepts various entrance exams for admission to its courses. The list of entrance exams for IIM Ahmedabad admission is as follows:

IIM Ahmedabad PG Admission goes through various processes, starting from the application process to seat allotment. The step-by-step process of PG admission for IIM Ahmedabad is given below:

Step 1: Preliminary Screening

Candidates who have appeared for CAT and applied to IIMA will undergo preliminary shortlisting. Only those who achieve minimum sectional and overall percentile cut-offs in CAT and obtain a positive score in all sections (QA, DILR, VARC) will be considered.

Step 2: Application Rating (AR) Score

At various stages, IIMA uses the Application Rating (AR) Score to evaluate candidates. The AR score includes:

• A: 10th Standard Marks
• B: 12th Standard Marks (stream-specific evaluation: Science, Commerce, Arts/Humanities)
• C: Bachelor’s Degree Marks (discipline-specific categories AC-1 to AC-6)
• D: Work Experience (as of July 31 of current year)
• E: Gender Diversity (0 for males, 3 for all others)

The AR score = A + B + C + D + E. This is then normalized against the top 50 applicants’ AR scores in the pool.

Step 3: Shortlisting for AWT & PI

Shortlisting is conducted in two stages:

Stage 1: Exceptional Performers by Academic Discipline

• Candidates are grouped by academic category (AC-1 to AC-6).
• Top 5% of candidates from each group (subject to upper limits per category) are shortlisted based on their Composite Score (CS).

CS Formula:

CS = (0.35 × Normalized AR Score) + (0.65 × Normalized CAT Score)

Criteria for Shortlisting (C1–C3):

• C1: Meet minimum CAT cut-offs (Table 1).
• C2: Minimum average of 10th & 12th marks (Table 7 – e.g., 80% for General/Science).
• C3: Bachelor’s marks ≥ 80th percentile within respective academic group.

Stage 2: Additional Shortlisting

After removing Stage 1 candidates, further shortlisting is done based on the Composite Score (CS) with slightly relaxed conditions (C1–C2).

Step 4: Analytical Writing Test (AWT) & Personal Interview (PI)

Shortlisted candidates appear for AWT and PI at one of six centers: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi.

• Analytical Writing Test (AWT): Tests structured thinking, clarity, and written communication.
• Personal Interview (PI): Evaluates communication skills, academic background, work experience, general awareness, and overall personality.

Step 5: Final Selection

The Final Composite Score (FCS) determines admission. The weightage is:

• Personal Interview (PI): 50%
• Analytical Writing Test (AWT): 10%
• CAT 2025 Score: 25%
• Application Rating (AR): 15%

FCS Formula:

FCS = (0.50 × Normalized PI Score) + (0.10 × Normalized AWT Score) + (0.25 × Normalized CAT Score) + (0.15 × Normalized AR Score)

Candidates must also be at least 19 years of age by June 30 of the admission year.

As per Government of India norms, IIMA reserves seats as follows:

• NC-OBC: 27%
• SC: 15%
• ST: 7.5%
• PwD: 5%
• EWS: Up to 10%

Candidates can fill out the IIM Ahmedabad application form in online or offline modes. The admission form can be downloaded from the college website. The step-by-step process to fill out IIM Ahmedabad application form is explained below:

Step 1: Visit the official website at iima.ac.in. Go to the “Admissions” section and click on the “Application Form” link.

Step 2: Download the application form. Save the PDF form on your device and take a printout.

Step 3: Fill in the personal details. Enter your full name, date of birth, gender, contact number, email ID, and address as per your official documents.

Step 4: Fill in academic qualifications. Provide information about your qualifying exam, including board name, year of passing, marks obtained, and subjects.

Step 5: Attach required documents. Photocopy the necessary documents, such as:

• Class 10 & 12 mark sheets
• Admit card/ rank card of the respective exam
• Caste certificate (if applicable)
• Domicile certificate
• Passport-sized photographs

Step 6: Submit the application.

Step 7: Keep a copy for future reference.