IIM A Admission 2026: CAT Cutoff 95%ile
Eligibility, selection weights, important dates and batch profile
IIM A Admission 2026-27 — Eligibility, Cutoffs, Selection Process & Important Dates
IIM Ahmedabad runs three flagship programmes — the 2-year PGP (MBA), the 1-year PGPX (Executive MBA for 4+ yrs of experience), and the FPM doctoral programme. Admission to the flagship PGP is via CAT (~2.5L applicants → ~1,000-1,200 shortlisted → 414 seats, roughly 8-10% PI call rate and 4-5% final admit rate). For the 2026-28 batch, IIMA has raised its published CAT cutoff dramatically from 80 to 95 percentile (General) — the largest single-cycle revision in recent history. The selection process is a two-stage composite: shortlisting uses 65% CAT + 35% Application Rating; final selection after AWT-PI uses PI 50% + CAT 25% + AR 15% + AWT 10%. Realistic CAT scores for General-category shortlists remain 98+ percentile despite the higher published floor.
Programmes & fees (PGP 2025-27 admit data)
- PGP (MBA) — flagship
- 2-year residential · 414 seats · CAT 2025 entry · ₹27.50 L total (Tuition ₹20.10 L + Other academic ₹7.15 L) · for international students: US$ 50,000 all-inclusive
- PGPX (Executive MBA)
- 1-year residential · ~60-80 seats · GMAT/GRE (sometimes CAT) · ₹35-37 L (₹35 L single, ₹37.10 L married housing) · min 4 yrs work-ex, min age 25
- PGP-FABM
- 2-year residential · 46 seats · CAT 2025 entry · ₹27.50 L · only tier-1 Indian agri-business management MBA
- FPM (Doctoral)
- 4-5 years · fully funded with stipend ₹42,000-50,000/month · CAT/GMAT/GRE accepted · Master's with 55% min
CAT 2025 cutoffs — PGP 2026-28 (raised from 2025-27)
- General / EWS
- Published min 95 %ile overall · 85 %ile sectional (each of VARC, DILR, QA) · realistic shortlist: 98-100 %ile · jumped from 80/70 in 2025-27
- NC-OBC
- Published min 90 %ile overall · 80 %ile sectional · realistic 95-98 %ile
- SC
- Published min 85 %ile overall · 70 %ile sectional · realistic 85-92 %ile
- ST
- Published min 75 %ile overall · 60 %ile sectional · realistic 75-85 %ile
- PwD
- Published min 45 %ile overall · 40 %ile sectional
- Why so much higher this year
- Raising the General cutoff from 80 to 95 reduces the eligible pool from ~30-40K to ~12-15K, making shortlisting administratively cleaner. Below 95, candidates were almost never shortlisted anyway — the new published cutoff just matches reality.
Shortlisting formula — Stage 1 (Composite Score = CAT × 0.65 + AR × 0.35)
- CAT 2025 score
- 65% of composite. Same calendar-year CAT only — previous-year scores not accepted.
- Application Rating (AR)
- 35% of composite. AR is built from Class 10 + Class 12 + Graduation + Work-Ex + Gender Diversity (see breakdown below).
- Class 10 (B10)
- Normalised by board pool & category. ~20% of AR.
- Class 12 (B12)
- Normalised by stream (PCM/Commerce/Arts) and regional board. ~20% of AR.
- Graduation (C)
- ACRC academic-category grouping — your marks compared to 80th percentile benchmark within your stream (engineering vs commerce vs humanities). ~30% of AR.
- Work Experience (D)
- Formula: D = 0.20 × (months − 11) for 12-36 months · D = 0 for <12 months (freshers get zero credit on this) · D = 5 capped for >36 months. Sweet spot: 24-36 months. ~20% of AR.
- Gender Diversity (E)
- 3 points for non-male candidates (raised from 2 in previous cycle). ~10% of AR. IIMA targeting 50% gender diversity (currently 30.6%).
- Shortlist call ratio
- ~1,000-1,200 PI calls for 414 PGP seats — roughly 3:1 shortlist-to-seat. From an applicant pool of ~10-15K, that's an 8-10% PI invite rate.
Final selection formula — Stage 2 (after AWT + PI)
- Personal Interview (PI)
- 50% of final score · 20-30 minutes · 1-2 faculty interviewers · evaluates academic background, work-ex, general awareness, MBA motivation, leadership, fit · IIMA penalises overconfidence/arrogance, values intellectual humility
- CAT score
- 25% of final score
- Application Rating (AR)
- 15% of final score
- Analytical Writing Test (AWT)
- 10% of final score · 45 min total (15 min read + 30 min write) · 1000-1200 word analytical essay on unseen contemporary topic · computer-typed · evaluated for clarity, structure, argumentation
Eligibility
- PGP
- Bachelor's in any discipline · min 50% (or equivalent CGPA) · min 3-year programme · valid CAT 2025 score from same admissions year · no stream restrictions
- PGPX
- Bachelor's + 15+ yrs formal education · min age 25 by application deadline · min 4 yrs post-graduation work-ex · valid GMAT/GRE (sometimes CAT)
- FPM
- Master's in any discipline with min 55% · valid CAT/GMAT/GRE from same year · written test + PI
Batch profile (PGP 2025-27)
- Size & gender
- 414 students · 30.6% female (~126) · 69.4% male (~288) · steady upward trend in gender diversity
- Background
- 50% engineering · 50% non-engineering (commerce, science, humanities) — meaningful balance maintained
- Work experience
- 73% with work-ex (~302 students) · 27% freshers (~112) · avg 25 months · sectoral: IT/Tech ~40% · Consulting ~20% · BFSI ~15% · Manufacturing ~10% · Others ~15%
- Age & geography
- Avg age ~24-25 yrs · all Indian states represented · 10-15% from tier-2/tier-3 cities · ~2-3% international students
Important dates (PGP 2026-28)
- CAT 2025
- Registration: Aug-Sep 2025 · Exam: mid-Nov 2025 · Score release: early Jan 2026
- IIMA application
- Portal opens: early Jan 2026 · Deadline: early Feb 2026 (5 PM IST, strict) · Shortlist announcement: mid-Mar 2026
- AWT + PI
- Late Feb to Mar 2026 · usually conducted across multiple rounds at IIMA campus
- Results & start
- Result: mid-Apr 2026 · Fee deadline: ~30 Apr 2026 · Document submission: ~15 May 2026 · Programme begins: 1 Jun 2026
Scholarships & finance
- IIMA Special Need-Based
- Gross family income < ₹15 LPA · for PGP and PGP-FABM students · amount varies
- SC/ST Scholarship
- ₹1,500/year (govt-funded, ₹150/month × 10 months)
- Minority Community
- Family income ≤ ₹2.5 LPA · amount varies
- Disability (DA/PWD)
- Meritorious DA/PWD students · family income ≤ ₹6 LPA
- Alumni Endowment Fund
- ₹15,000-3,00,000 range · includes PGP Alumni Endowment, Class of PGP 2001, Shri GC Mital Entrepreneurship Aid, Smt. J Nagamma Memorial Award · applications open Sep-Nov annually
- Education loans
- Partner banks: SBI · Bank of Baroda · PNB · Central Bank · Union Bank · loan up to ₹20-30 L · often no collateral up to ₹20 L for IIM admits · 8-10% p.a. · 5-7 year repayment after course + 6-12 month moratorium
- Living cost (Ahmedabad)
- ₹8,000-15,000/month on-campus (mess + personal) · ₹4,000-7,000/month additional for leisure/travel · campus is largely self-contained
Application & contact
- Application fee
- ~₹2,000-2,500 (varies by category, non-refundable). International candidates ~US$ 75-100. Some categories (SC/ST/PwD) get exemptions/discounts.
- Official site
- www.iima.ac.in — always verify current dates and fees against the official portal
CAT cutoffs (official, by category)
| Category | VARC | DILR | QA | Total |
|---|
| General | 85 | 85 | 85 | 95 |
| EWS | 85 | 85 | 85 | 95 |
| NC-OBC | 80 | 80 | 80 | 90 |
| SC | 70 | 70 | 70 | 85 |
| ST | 60 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| PwD | 40 | 40 | 40 | 45 |
Sectional + total percentile minimums from the official admission policy. Meeting the cutoff is the FIRST gate — final selection depends on the composite score.
How selection works
Stage 1 — Shortlisting for PI
Application Rating (AR) composite35%
Stage 2 — Final selection (post-PI)
Personal Interview (PI)50%
Application Rating (AR)15%
Analytical Writing Test (AWT)10%
Detailed selection process — what to expect at each stage
01
CAT (Common Admission Test)
Computer-based · 120 min · 3 sections (VARC, DILR, QA, 40 min each) · annual exam (Nov-Dec) · same-year score required for 2026 admission (CAT 2025).
Portal opens early Jan 2026 after CAT score release. Upload transcripts, CAT scorecard, ID proof, photo. Respond to essay questions on motivation, career goals, and why IIM-A. Application fee ~₹2,000-2,500.
03
Application Rating (AR) computed
IIMA calculates your AR from Class 10, Class 12 (stream-normalised), Graduation (ACRC academic-category benchmark), Work-Ex formula D = 0.20 × (months − 11) capped at 5, and Gender Diversity (3 points non-male).
Composite Score = (CAT × 0.65) + (AR × 0.35). ~1,000-1,200 of ~10-15K applicants invited for AWT-PI — roughly 3:1 shortlist-to-seat. Announced mid-March.
05
AWT (Analytical Writing Test)
45 min total (15 min read + 30 min write) · unseen contemporary topic · 1000-1200 word analytical essay typed on computer · evaluated for clarity, structure, argumentation. Usually 1-2 days before PI.
06
Personal Interview (PI)
20-30 min · 1-2 faculty interviewers · evaluates academic background, work-ex, general awareness, MBA motivation, leadership, communication, cultural fit. IIMA values intellectual humility — overconfidence is penalised.
07
Stage 2 Final Selection
Final Score = PI × 0.50 + CAT × 0.25 + AR × 0.15 + AWT × 0.10. Merit lists prepared by category. PI dominance (50%) means a weak PI cannot be rescued by high CAT.
Offer letter mid-April · fee payment deadline ~30 Apr · document submission ~15 May · Programme starts 1 Jun 2026. Round 2/waitlist movement possible if initial round under-yields.
IIM A Financial Aid 2026 — Loans, EMI Options & Scholarships
IIM A scholarships — published categories
IIMA Special Need-Based Scholarship
Gross family income < ₹15 LPA · for PGP and PGP-FABM
Varies by need
SC/ST Scholarship
SC/ST category · government-funded
₹150/month × 10 months (₹1,500/yr)
Minority Community Scholarship
Family income ≤ ₹2.5 LPA
Varies
Disability (DA/PWD) Scholarship
Meritorious DA/PWD students · family income ≤ ₹6 LPA
Varies
PGP Alumni Endowment Fund
Merit + need · applications Sep-Nov · funded by alumni
₹15,000 – ₹3,00,000
Class of PGP 2001 Scholarship
Part of Alumni Endowment family · merit-based
Within ₹15K-3 L range
Shri GC Mital Entrepreneurship Aid
Entrepreneurship-leaning PGP students
Within ₹15K-3 L range
Smt. J Nagamma Memorial Award
Specific alumni-funded award · part of endowment family
Within ₹15K-3 L range
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