Is your CAT score 85 percentile? Don't worry, you can still get a good MBA college in your preferred location. Check the list of top MBA colleges with CAT score 85 percentile and above.
An excellent CAT score only way to get into a top institute for an MBA/PGDM programme. Not really. If you don't have 99 percentile, even then you can get a good MBA college. Candidates who score between 90-100 CAT percentile can get admission into the IIMs and other top MBA institutes. But, these colleges are out of reach for candidates who score less than 90 percentile in the CAT exam (unless they belong to Reserved category). So, what if your CAT score is less than 90 percentile? Don't worry, there are a large number of reputed B-schools with good placement, that accept 85 percentile in CAT. So, CAT 2025 qualifiers must focus on college selection for admission. And the first thing to do is to check the CAT cut off and admission criteria of the colleges/institutes of preference.
- Is 85 percentile good in CAT?
- MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT and Above
- MBA Admission and Selection Criteria: An Overview
Is 85 percentile good in CAT?
Yes, 85 percentile is good in CAT, if you're not targetting only the IIMs. MBA aspirants with 85 percentile in CAT can get through many reputed government and private MBA colleges with great pedagogy and placement record. In this article, we have shared admission details of some of the popular MBA colleges accepting 85 percentile in CAT and above. Do take a look at the list and fill the admission form accordingly.
Also Read: What after CAT Result 2025?
MBA Colleges Accepting 85 Percentile in CAT and Above
Take a look at some of the popular MBA colleges in India accepting CAT score 85 percentile and above. Candidates who score as much and more in CAT exam stand a chance of getting admission into these colleges. Check the list and make a choice.
| CAT 85 percentile colleges |
Total Fees (approx.) |
|---|---|
| INR 18.60 lakh |
|
| INR 16.00 lakh |
|
| INR 15.75 lakh |
|
| INR 19.40 lakh |
|
| INR 18.27 lakh |
|
| INR 16.44 lakh |
|
| INR 18.89 lakh |
|
| INR 9.45 to 11.45 lakh |
|
| INR 17.34 lakh |
|
| INR 15.17 lakh |
|
| INR 26.00 lakh |
|
| KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai |
INR 11.69 lakh to 18.78 lakh |
| INR 9.68 lakh to 16.25 lakh |
|
| INR 16.50 lakh |
|
| INR 2.48 lakh to 10.28 lakh |
|
| INR 98,900 to 2.41 lakh |
|
| INR 22.00 lakh |
|
| INR 10.31 lakh to 25.00 lakh |
|
| INR 1.26 lakh to 17 lakh |
|
| INR 8.31 lakh |
|
| INR 14.27 lakh |
|
| INR 28,200 to 2.39 lakh |
|
| INR 3.02 lakh |
|
| INR 1.33 lakh |
|
| INR 13.07 lakh |
*MICA, Ahmedabad accepts CAT score to screen candidates for its own entrance exams – MICAT. Candidates applying to MICAT must note that having CAT score will not make them eligible for admission. They will have to appear for these in house exams to be able to qualify for Group Discussion and Personal Interview.
Also Read:
Explore colleges based on CAT
MBA Admission and Selection Criteria: An Overview
Selection criteria and admission process of most of these institutes includes three steps:
- Inviting application forms and screening of candidates on the basis of CAT 2025 result
- Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD/PI)
- Final selection of candidates
Inviting Application Forms
B-schools start inviting applications for admission from September onwards. Some institutes, on the other hand, invite applications only after the declaration of CAT result, i.e. in January. The process of filling up the application form typically includes, online registration on the official website, filling up the online application form and payment of application fee.
Personal details to be filled in MBA admission forms:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Residential address
- Parents/Guardian name
- Family income
- Domicile
- City
- State
- Nationality
Academic details to be filled in MBA admission forms:
- Class 10 marks
- Class 12 marks
- Graduation marks
- CAT score (incase application process begins after CAT result declaration)
- Choice of course
- Work experience (if applicable)
- SOP/LOR (if applicable)
After the application process gets over, a list of selected candidates is made and calls are made to each candidate for participation in Group Discussion and Personal Interview.
Group Discussion and Personal Interview (GD/PI)
Group Discussion and Personal Interview are basically personality assessment tests. They are conducted to judge the candidate’s communication skills, knowledge, personality, confidence, presence of mind, aptitude, leadership qualities, etc. Every candidate is required to be present in person to participate in the GD/PI, as the final selection is majorly based on candidate’s performance in this round.
Final Selection of Candidates
Final selection for MBA admission is based on the candidate’s overall performance in academics, CAT exam and GD/PI. However, it may be noted that every institute has its own parameters to select candidates for admission. MBA aspirants must check individually, the admission criteria of each of the institutes they are targeting. They must fill the form of only those colleges whose minimum eligibility criteria they meet.
Also Read:
- Colleges accepting CAT scores from 80-90 percentile
- Colleges accepting CAT scores from 70-80 percentile
- Colleges accepting CAT scores from 60-70 percentile
- Colleges accepting CAT scores from 50-60 percentile
- Top 30 MBA Colleges apart from IIMs accepting CAT
- Top 20 MBA entrance exams you can take this year
- Got a low score in CAT? Don't worry, you can still get a good MBA college
It is mandatory for the candidates to get a minimum perentile of 70 in CAT exam for the admission to MBA course at Great Lakes, Gurgaon.
The CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore hovers between 97-100 percentile. The qualifying CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 85 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST candidates, it is 65 percentile and for PwD candidates it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Bangalore.
- General category: 80 VARC 75 DILR 75 Quantitative Aptitude 85 (Overall)
- NC-OBC category: 75 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- EWS category: 70 VARC 65 DILR 65 Quantitative Aptitude 75 (Overall)
- SC category: 65 VARC 60 DILR 60 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall)
- ST category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 65 (Overall)
- PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall)
FORE School of Management accepts valid CAT score for admission to the MBA/ PGDM courses. Final selection will be based on the CAT/XAT/GMAT score, performance in the Extempore, PI, academic performance and work experience.
FORE School of Management cutoff stood at 85 for the past three years i.e. 2023, 2024 and 2025 for the General All India category students. Considering the previous year cutoff trend, the estimated FORE School of Management CAT cutoff 2026 will be 85 percentile for the PGDM (General specialisation).
There are multiple courses offered by BITS Pilani - Birla Institute of Technology and Science. These courses are offered at the UG and PG levels in the course field, such as Engineering etc.., among others. Check below the table to know the detailed course-wise eligibility for some popular courses:
| Courses | Eligibility & Selection Criteria |
|---|---|
| BE | Class 12 from a recognised board with a minimum 75% aggregate |
| BPharma | Class 12 from a recognised board with a minimum 75% aggregate |
| MSc | BSc or equivalent with a minimum 75% aggregate |
| ME | ME/ MPharm from a recognised institute/ university with a minimum of 60% aggregate |
| MPharm | ME/ MPharm from a recognised institute with a minimum of 60% aggregate |
| MBA | BE/ BTech/ BPharm/ BArch/ MCA/ MSc or ant first-degree course with 60% aggregate |
| PhD | MBA or equivalent two-year Management course with a minimum aggregate of 65% |

Vipra Shrivastava is MA in English Literature from Delhi University with extensive experience in content writing of over 14 years. She has been handling content for Management, Accounting and Commerce streams for 8
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Student Forum
Answered Yesterday
Yes, JAGSoM accepts CAT scores as part of its multi-stage admission process. Candidates are shortlisted for selection rounds based on their entrance exam scores.
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 days ago
Candidates seeking admission to GIBS Bangalore's PGDM and MBA programs can use the results of a variety of national and international management entrance tests including CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, ATMA, and GMAT. All applicants will be reviewed based on their academic record, performance in group discussi
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Answered 3 days ago
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RGIPT allows admission without CAT/XAT/GMAT/CMAT/MAT/CUET-PG score under two circumstances. First, you should be a company-sponsored candidate. Second, if you belong to part time registration category. You will still have to fulfil the remaining eligibility criteria.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
Candidates with a valid score of CAT/ GMAT/ GRE score are exempted from the written test. These candidates still need to complete the form by paying the application fees. However, these aspirants may get called for the IIM Trichy - Chennai campus PGPBM interview round.
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Contributor-Level 10
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CAT is one of the accepting exams for admission to PGDM at IPE Hyderabad. Candidates with a good score in CAT can also get a scholarship. However, CAT is not mandatory. Aspirants with a score in MAT, XAT, ATMA, GMAT or CMAT exams can also get admission in the PGDM course.
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Guide-Level 15
Answered 6 days ago
No, candidates who wish to apply for the Global MBA course at Lexicon MILE are required to clear the LAT conducted by Lexicon MILE. The CAT exam score at Lexicon MILE is only used for deciding the PGDM admissions along with several other entrance exams.
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Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
CAT is one of the accepting exams for MBA admission at Karunya School of Management. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also apply through XAT, MAT or KMAT scores. Candidates must also complete graduation to apply for MBA at KSM Coimbatore.
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Guide-Level 15
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Contributor-Level 10
UBS Chandigarh accepts CAT score percentile for admisison to MBA and MBA in Human Resource Management. The cutoff was released as percentile, for different categories belonging to the All India quota. For the General AI category candidates, the cutoff percentile for MBA in Human Resource Management was 85. Therefore, it is difficult to get admission to MBA in HRM at 80 percentile among the General AI category candidates.