IIMC Entrance Exam 2026: Dates, Application Form, Pattern, Syllabus, Eligibility, Question Paper

IIMC Entrance Exam is now only conducted for select programmes. The admission for most courses at IIMC is now based on CUET-PG scores. The institute offers several MA and PG Diploma courses in Mass Communication. Since 2022, the entrance tests for these have converged with CUET-PG. The National Testing Agency conducts Common University Entrance Test (PG) every year.

IIMC still conducts the IIMC Entrance Exam, but only for the PG Diploma in Journalism in 4 regional languages. These are Urdu, Marathi, Odia, and Malayalam. Candidates who wish to get admission at Indian Institute of Mass Communication for these PG diploma journalism in these four languages must apply for IIMC exam.

The IIMC entrance exam includes MCQs and Objective Types Questions. Students who pass the written test are eligible to participate in Personal Interview (PI) and IIMC Counselling based on their preferred courses. Candidates who clear all these rounds are given admission to applied course offered at IIMC.

Check out the table below to know the courses offered at IIMC and their respective number of seats available. Also, find out which IIMC campus offers these courses.

Popular Film & Media Competitive Exams:

• ACJ Entrance Exam
• FTII JET
• JMI Entrance Exam

Some key information about IIMC Entrance is provided in the table below. 

Also read: IIMC Important Dates

The applications for CUET-PG has been released at exams.nta.nic.in/cuet-pg/. IIMC aspirants looking for admission based on CUET PG scores can now submit online form on or before last date. As per official notification by NTA, the last date to fill CUET PG application form is January 14, 2026. As per IIMC official notification, only Indian nationals can appear for IIMC entrance exam. But, IIMC offers five additional seats for each programme for NRI or NRI sponsored kids. 

The application process for IIMC entrance exam is shared here.

Register for IIMC (CUET PG)

Candidates must register for Online Application Form and note down system generated Application Number. They must give required details while filling Online Application Form. They are also needed to create a password, choose a Security Question and enter an Answer. After successfully submitting personal details, an Application number is generated, which is used to complete remaining Steps of Application Form.

The application number is used for all future reference/ correspondence (admit cards, results, etc.). It is also used/ referred for both Sessions of CUET (PG) 2026. For subsequent logins, the candidates can log in directly with the system-generated Application Numbers and created Passwords.

Fill Application Form for IIMC (CUET PG)

The candidates must log in with system-generated Application Number and pre-created Password to complete Application Form including filling up personal details, applying for the Paper, choosing the Examination Cities, providing the details of Educational Qualifications, and uploading the images and documents (if any). The applicants are required to fill out only one form, indicating all of their course choices, making a combined/ cumulative payment of application fee.

Upload Required Documents

Candidates must upload their scanned images of the Photograph and Signature according to rules mentioned below.

• Recent photograph should be either in colour or black & white with 80% face (without mask) visible including ears against a white background.
• Scanned photograph and signature should be in JPG/ JPEG format (clearly legible).
• Size of scanned photograph should be between 10 kb to 200 kb (clearly legible).
• Size of scanned signature should be between 4 kb to 30 kb (clearly legible) 

Note: In case, it is found at any time in the future that the Candidate has used/ uploaded the photograph and signature of someone else in his/ her Application Form/ Admit Card, or he/ she has tampered with his/ her Admit Card/ Result/ Score Card, these acts of the candidate shall be treated as Unfair Means (UFM) Practices and he/ she shall be subject to actions as contemplated under the provisions of the Information Bulletin relating to Unfair Means Practices.

Pay Application Fee

After filling required details, the candidates have to pay requisite examination fee. The fee should be submitted only online through Net Banking, Credit Card, Debit Card, or UPI Services. Processing charges and GST as applicable are chargeable to candidate (in addition to the examination fee) by the concerned Bank/ Payment Gateway Integrator. The expected examination fee details for CUET PG are as follows.

The Confirmation Page of online Application Form is generated only after the application fee has been successfully paid. In case the Confirmation Page is not generated after payment of the fee, then the candidate must approach the concerned Bank/ Payment Gateway (on their helpline number and/ or e-mail) to ensure the successful payment or to obtain the refund of duplicate/ multiple payments. 

Note:

• Candidates are required to Download, save and print a copy of the Confirmation Page of the Application Form (which is downloadable only after successful remittance of fee) for future reference. 
• Candidates are also requested to download and install the SANDES application as a secondary channel to receive time-to-time notifications from NTA. SANDES APP can be downloaded and installed on Mobile Devices from the Google Play Store.
• NTA facilitates all candidates with an additional Umang and DigiLocker platform to download their documents like the Confirmation Page, Admit Card, Score Cards, etc. Instructions are provided in subsequent phases. Candidates are advised to visit the NTA Website and check their e-mails regularly for the latest updates.

Indian Institute of Mass Communication releases the eligibility requirements for admission to the offered courses on its official website. Check IIMC eligibility criteria for academic session 2026-27 here.

• For MA Programmes: Indian nationals with a Bachelor's Degree awarded by a recognised university are eligible to apply for IIMC entrance exam. Students who have appeared or are appearing for Final year/ semester examination of their Bachelor's Degree are also eligible to apply.
• For PG Diploma: Graduates of any discipline are eligible to apply for IIMC entrance exam.

If such candidates are selected, their admission will be confirmed if they at least give a Provisional mark sheet/ Certificate in original from their college/ university by September 30, 2026. The date to submit these documents will be extended only if the institute believes their case to be genuine. Once candidate's course is completed, the Diploma will be awarded only if the Original Degree Certificate is produced for verification at IIMC's office.

Check IIMC Fee Structure

IIMC Entrance Exam 2026 Age Limit

Indian Institute of Mass Communication also defines age limit for admission to various courses. Check here for course wise age limit.

IIMC Entrance Exam 2026 - Nationality

Below mentioned are the nationality requirements for a candidate to apply for admission at Indian Institute of Mass Communication through IIMC entrance exam.

• All Indian nationals can apply for admission if they meet the age limit. 
• NRIs and NRI-sponsored candidates have to apply separately. 
• 5 seats are reserved for NRI and NRI-sponsored applicants for each course.

IIMC Entrance Exam Reservation Criteria 2026

Indian Institute of Mass Communication follows Central Educational Institutions (Reservation of Seats) Act 2006, Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, and The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 to determine IIMC entrance exam reservation criteria.

Each category mentioned above will have 5% reservations for the candidates with 40% or more disability as defined in Sections 2 (r) and 2(zc) of the Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016.

Also Read: IIMC Admission Through CUET PG

IIMC offers admission to MA and PG Diploma in Journalism in different specializations based on IIMC entrance exam and PG Diploma in Journalism in Regional Languages (Odia, Marathi, Malayalam and Urdu) through IIMC entrance exam. The exam pattern for both is different. National Testing Agency releases exam pattern for CUET PG and Indian Institute of Mass Communication releases IIMC Entrance Exam Pattern.

Students will be given two hours to attempt 100 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) on General Knowledge & General Aptitude including a few general questions from the field of Media & Communication. Each question will carry one mark. Check details here.

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication has specified some broad topics for entrance exams. Get detailed information about IIMC Entrance Exam syllabus and prepare for the exam accordingly. The MCQs will cover following topics/ subjects.

• General Awareness of the Indian Political and Economic Environment.
• International Developments (Political and Entertainment)
• Information Communication Technologies and its Application in Media Industry.
• Indian History and Social Science
• Awareness of current Public issues.
• Mass Media and Society
• Creative writing and essay writing
• Analytical and comprehensive questions

While preparing for the IIMC entrance exam, candidates need to have a plan in mind. This is how candidates should prepare for the IIMC entrance exam.

• Have a proper preparation strategy in place.
• Know the IIMC entrance exam pattern thoroughly.
• Go through sample papers and syllabus for the entrance exam.
• Practice mock tests.
• Pick the best journalism test books to prepare.
• Focus on your time management skills and improving the speed of answering questions based on English and General knowledge.
• Solve as many sample papers and previous years' IIMC question papers as possible to know your strong and weak areas for the exam.