IIMA-Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad  ,Vastrapur

IIM Ahmedabad Shortlist & Admission Criteria 2027-2029 (Released): Check CAT Cut Offs 2026 & PI Weightage

Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
5 mins readUpdated on Sep 10, 2026 22:01 IST
IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria for 2027-2029 PGP/MBA batch is determined by the institute. Check weightage of CAT 2026 AWT-PI and Graduation marks. Candidates who will meet the qualifying cut off, will be eligible for IIM Ahmedabad MBA admission. Read all about IIM Ahmedabad admission and selection process 2027.

IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria 2026-2028 includes 95 percentile as minimum CAT cut off. Check the weightage of CAT 2025, AWT-PI and graduation marks as well as key parameters for MBA admission 2026.

IIM Ahmedabad Admission Process 2026-28

IIM Ahmedabad Admission Process 2026-28

IIM Ahmedabad admission criteria for 2027-2029 MBA batch has been released. The qualifying CAT cut off for MBA 2027 is 95 percentile, same as last year. Until 2025, the qualifying CAT cut off percentile was 80 for General category candidates. But since last year, it has become tougher to qualify for IIM Ahmedabad. The admission process further includes Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI). Candidates who wll met the qualifying CAT cut off, will be eligible for IIM Ahmedabad admission.

However, to be eligible, candidates need to apply for CAT 2026 and select IIM Ahmedabad as a preferred college in the CAT registration form 2026. Read all about IIM Ahmedabad admission and selection process 2027-2029 in this article.

Table of contents
  • IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria 2027-2029
  • IIM Ahmedabad Selection Criteria: CAT cut offs 2026
  • IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria 2027-2029: Rating of Academic Scores
  • IIM Ahmedabad Selection Criteria 2027-2029: Final Merit List
  • IIM Ahmedabad Selection & Admission Criteria 2026: Important Points
  • Campus-wise IIM Admission Criteria & Selection Process

IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria 2027-2029

The selection process of IIM Ahmedabad will include two phases:

  • Shortlisting candidates for AWT and PI on the basis of CAT 2026 score
  • Final selection of candidates for admission

IIM Ahmedabad Selection Criteria: CAT cut offs 2026

For the preliminary screening, i.e. shortlisting candidates for AWT and PI, the institute has fixed qualifying CAT cut offs (2027-2029 batch) for all the categories. These qualifying cut off are CAT percentile required to be eligible for AWT-PI round of IIM Ahmedabad admissions. Candidates must note that the final CAT cut offs will be higher.

 

Category

Non-PwD CAT Cut Off

PwD CAT Cut Off

Overall percentile rank (PT)

Sectionwise percentile rank (PVARC, PDILR, PQA)

Overall percentile rank (PT)

Sectionwise percentile rank (PVARC, PDILR, PQA)

General/ EWS

95

85

85

75

NC-OBC

90

80

80

70

SC

85

75

75

65

ST

75

65

65

55

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IIM Ahmedabad Admission Criteria 2027-2029: Rating of Academic Scores

Below are the ratings of academic scores for Class 10 and 12. These scores will be taken into consideration at the time of PI shortlisting as well as final shortlisting.

Rating of score in Class 10

Score in Class 10 (in per cent)

Rating Score: A

Less than or equal to 55

1

55-60

2

60-70

3

70-80

5

80-90

8

More than 90

10

Rating of score in Class 12

         Science Stream

      Commerce Stream

            Arts Stream

Score in Class 12 (in per cent)

Rating Score: B

Score in Class 12 (in per cent)

Rating Score: B

Score in Class 12 (in per cent)

Rating Score: B

Less than 55

1

Less than 50

1

Less than 45

1

55-60

2

50-55

2

45-50

2

60-70

3

55-65

3

50-60

3

70-80

5

65-75

5

60-70

5

80-90

8

75-90

8

70-85

8

More than 90

10

More than 90

10

85

10

Check CAT Cut offs and predict calls from IIMs and other Top MBA Colleges, whether your CAT score is 70 percentile, 80 percentile or 90 percentile. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and eligibility of all MBA Colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict IIM & Non IIM Calls

Rating of score in Graduation

Check the table below for rating scores in Graduation for various streams of education.

                  AC-1

                  AC-2

             AC-3 & AC-5

Score in Graduation (in per cent)

Rating Score: C

Score in Graduation (in per cent)

Rating Score: C

Score in Graduation (in per cent)

Rating Score: C

Less than 55

1

Less than 50

1

Less than 55

1

55-60

2

50-53

2

55-60

2

60-62

3

53-55

3

60-65

3

62-65

5

55-57

5

65-70

5

65-70

8

57-63

8

70-80

8

More than 70

10

More than 63

10

80

10

                            AC-4, AC 7

                                AC-6

Score in Graduation (in per cent)

Rating Score: C

Score in Graduation (in per cent)

Rating Score: C

Less than 60

1

Less than 50

1

60-65

2

50-55

2

65-70

3

55-60

3

70-75

5

60-65

5

75-85

8

65-75

8

More than 85

10

More than 75

10

AC-1: Medicine and Surgery based subjects

AC-2: Selected Professional Degrees (Chartered Accountancy, Cost and Works Accountancy, Company Secretaryship)

AC-3: All Commerce, Economics, Finance and Management Related Degrees

AC-4: All Engineering, Technology and Architecture related Areas

AC-5: All Arts/Humanities Related Degrees, Design, Education, Fashion Technology, Law and Rural Studies

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   What is the difference between qualifying CAT cut off and final CAT cut off?
A: 
Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of an IIM is the minimum percentile (sectional as well as overall) required by candidates to be eligible for the Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI round. These are only eligibility score and not the score for selection. The final CAT cut off percentiles are the scores on the basis of which a candidate is actually selected for the What-PI round. The qualifying CAT cut offs are released publically before the CAT exam and result as a part of selection criteria for the MBA/PGP batch of that year. The qualifying cut offs for CAT are release category wise - General, NC/OBC. General-EWS, SC/ST, PwD. The qualifying cut offs percentiles of General category candidate is higher than then rest. The final CAT cut offs are not released publically. The cut offs are estimate on the basis of candidate's selection for What-PI. The final CAT cut offs for General category candidate is also higher than then rest.
Q:   How many CAT mock tests to practice to score 99 percentile?
A: 
Experts recommend that aspirants must practice at least 40 CAT mock tests to score above 99 percentile well in the exam. Most of the CAT test takers take up to 50 mock tests of various types and difficulty level. CAT toppers in previous years have practiced even up to 80 mock tests during their preparation. However, candidates must decide the number of CAT mock tests depending on their control and confidence on topics as the exam day comes closer. Mock tests are the best way to judge your performance viz. The important topics of CAT. The more one practices CAT mock tests, the more accurate they get in solving questions from all subjects. It is very important to know which formula to apply to which type question to solve the problem accurately. Mock tests help candidates in this aspect which is why practicing mock tests is most important in CAT preparation.
Q:   Which MBA colleges are available with 70 percentile in CAT?
A: 
A good number of private MBA colleges accept CAT score of 70 percentile in CAT. We have listed some of the colleges in which admission is possible with 70 percentile. Amity University AIMS Institutes (AIMS), Bangalore Amrita School of Business - Bangalore Acharya Bangalore B-School Asian Business School (ABS), Noida Amrita School of Business, Kochi Bengal Institute of Business Studies (BIBS), Kolkata Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani Christ Institute of Management, Pune Doon Business School (DBS), Dehradun Eastern Institute For Integrated Learning In Management, Kolkata FOSTIIMA Business School, Delhi International Institute of Business Studies, Noida International School of Business and Media (ISB&M) Bangalore JK Lakshmipat University-Institute of Management, Jaipur National University (JNU), Jaipur JRE Group of Institutions (JRE), Greater Noida Lotus Business School, Pune Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar MATS University, Raipur IIKM Business School, Calicut IILM Institute for Higher Education, Delhi For full list, click here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/colleges-accepting-cat-scores-range-70-to-80-percentile-blogId-11956.
Q:   Which MBA colleges are available with 80 percentile in CAT?
A: 
There are quite a few MBA colleges who accept CAT score of 80 percentile and above for admission. The admission process for these colleges include group discussion and Personal Interview . Fore School of Management Goa Institute of Management International Management Institute, Delhi Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal Indian Institute of Management, Visakhapatnam Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Chennai Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli Praxis Business School, Kolkata Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management development & Research, Bangalore Shiva Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research TA Pai Management Institute Trinity College for Management and Technology, Ghaziabad Click on this link for more: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/colleges-accepting-cat-scores-range-80-to-90-percentile-blogId-11981.

AC-6: Any other discipline not mentioned in AC-1 to AC-5.

Rating Scores for Work Experience

One of the major parameters of IIM Ahmedabad admission criteria 2026 will be work experience, like every year. Check below the rating scores for work experience. 

Work experience in month Score
<12 months 0
>= 12 months and <=36 months MF * (number of months of work experience – 11)
<36 months 5

Work-experience Multiplication Factor (MF) = 0.20

IIM Ahmedabad Selection Criteria 2027-2029: Final Merit List

The final selection list will be prepared on the basis of candidate's AWT-PI performance. CAT score and other factors will also be taken into consideration for preparing the admission list.

Parameters Weightage
CAT score 25
WAT-PI 60
AR 15

Formula to calculate Final Composite Score:
Final Composite Score (FCS) = 0.50 * Normalized PI Score + 0.10 * Normalized AWT Score + 0.40 * Normalized Composite Score

Selection of candidates for admission will be done category wise and offer will be rolled out basis the Reservation Criteria fixed by the Government of India. Those selected for admission will be sent offer of admission letter by the last week of April 2027.

CAT Percentile predictor prepared by Shiksha.com helps students to get their predicted CAT percentile on the basis of their expected exam score. So, predict your CAT score by clicking the link below:

CAT Percentile Predictor

AWT/PI round will be conducted in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi/NCR, in February 2027. Those shortlisted for final admission, will be intimated by email. The information will also be posted on the official website of IIM Ahmedabad for candidates to check their AWT-PI shortlist status.

IIM Ahmedabad Selection & Admission Criteria 2026: Important Points

1. Percentages of marks of an applicant awaiting final result was computed based on their available marks.

2. For a candidate having cleared CA/ICWA/CS but not completed bachelor’s degree, the average of inter and final examinations’ percentages of marks obtained were treated as their available marks.

Campus-wise IIM Admission Criteria & Selection Process

Given below is the table containing articles on admission criteria of each IIM. Click on the links to read.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   Which MBA colleges are available with 60 percentile in CAT?
A: 
There are a number of private MBA colleges that accept CAT score of 60+ percentile for admission. We have listed some of the colleges below: AIMS Institutes (AIMS), Bangalore Amrita School of Business - Bangalore Acharya Bangalore B-School Asian Business School (ABS), Noida Amrita School of Business, Kochi Bengal Institute of Business Studies (BIBS), Kolkata Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani Christ Institute of Management, Pune Doon Business School (DBS), Dehradun Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management, Kolkata FOSTIIMA Business School, Delhi International Institute of Business Studies, Noida International School of Business and Media (ISB&M) Bangalore International School of Business & Media, Kolkata IIKM Business School, Calicut IILM Institute for Higher Education, Delhi For full list, click here: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/colleges-accepting-cat-scores-range-60-to-70-percentile-blogId-11984.
Q:   What are the qualifying CAT cutoffs for all the IIMs?
A: 

Qualifying CAT cut off percentiles of Iims for Written Ability Test (What) and Personal Interview PI are listed below. Candidates who MET the qualifying CAT cut off, were eligible for What-PI round. These qualifying CAT cut offs are for General Category. The cut offs for Reserved category students are lower:

  1. IIM Ahmedabad: 95 percentile
  2. IIM Bangalore: 85 percentile 
  3. IIM Calcutta: 85 percentile
  4. IIM Lucknow: 90 percentile
  5. IIM Kozhikode: 85 percentile
  6. IIM Indore: 90 percentile
  7. IIM Udaipur: 93 percentile
  8. IIM Shillong: 75 percentile
  9. IIM Trichy: 93 percentile
  10. IIM Visakhapatnam: 80 percentile
  11. IIM Rohtak: 95 percentile
  12. 1IIM Nagpur: 85 percentile
  13. IIM Jammu: 93 percentile 
  14. IIM Ranchi: 90 percentile
  15. IIM Sirmaur: 92 percentile
  16. IIM Bodhgaya: 93 percentile
  17. IIM Sambalpur: 93 percentile
  18. IIM Kashipur: 94 percentile 
  19. IIM Raipur: 93 percentile
  20. IIM Amritsar: 90 percentile

For complete details of IIM selection and admission process read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-shortlist-selection-admission-criteria-blogId-18787.

Q:   What percentile is required for IIM Raipur?
A: 

The general category CAT percentile cutoff at IIM Raipur normally lies between 92 and 95%, though it could differ somewhat depending on the category (OBC, SC, ST) and applicant pool. At somewhat lower percentiles, candidates with a solid academic background and pertinent professional experience may be given consideration. A comprehensive review that takes into account the candidate's performance on the Written Ability Test (WAT), academic background, and personal interview (PI) is required for the ultimate selection. The likelihood of being shortlisted for the following round of the selection process increases with higher scores.

Q:   Who prepares CAT cutoff?
A: 

CAT cut off is prepared by all accepting colleges individually. There is no one authorized body to do so. Even the IIMs determine their admission cut offs separately.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   How is the CAT score used by different IIMs and business schools?
A: 

IMs and top business schools use CAT percentiles and sectional cutoffs to shortlist candidates for selection rounds. For final selection, they assign a 25 per cent to 65 per cent weightage to the CAT score, combining it with academics, work experience, and interviews.

Q:   What is the CAT exam cutoff required to get admission to IIM Bangalore?
A: 

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)
Q:   What is the CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow?
A: 
The CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow is usually around 97-99 percentile. The two courses - PGP Agri-Business Management (ABM) and PGP Sustainable Management (some) are extremely popular among MBA aspirants who wish to make a career in these areas. The institute also offers PGP programme. The qualifying CAT cut off for IIM Lucknow's Written Ability test (What) and Personal Interview PI is 90 percentile for General category students, whereas for SC candidates, it is 70 percentile. For ST and PwD candidates, it is 60 percentile. Given below are the sectional and overall qualifying CAT cut offs for IIM Lucknow PGP course. General category: 85 VARC 85 DILR 85 Quantitative Aptitude 90 (Overall) NC-OBC category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) EWS category: 77 VARC 77 DILR 77 Quantitative Aptitude 82 (Overall) SC category: 55 VARC 55 DILR 55 Quantitative Aptitude 70 (Overall) ST category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) PwD category: 50 VARC 50 DILR 50 Quantitative Aptitude 60 (Overall) Click here for detailed IIM Lucknow admission and selection criteria: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/iim-lucknow-shortlist-admission-criteria-blogId-18509.
Q:   Are CAT cut offs announced along with the CAT result?
A: 

CAT cutoffs are usually not announced with the CAT result. The CAT cutoffs are also not released to the public.

They are published after a few days of the result announcement when the IIMs and other colleges start their shortlisting process. The IIMs opens their shortlisting window based on the CAT cut-offs two to three days after the result announcement. The CAT percentile of candidates shortlisted for the Written Ability Test (WAT), Group Discussion (GD), and Personal Interview (PI) can be considered the cut-off for that IIM. For example, if a candidate with a CAT percentile of 99 belonging to the General category is selected for the WAT/GD-PI of IIM Calcutta, then the CAT cut-off for IIM Calcutta is 99 percentile. Only those candidates who make it to the WAT/GD-PI round of IIMs will get to know the cut-offs.

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Contact Details

Address

Indian Institute of Management,
Sargam Marg, Vastrapur

Ahmedabad ( Gujarat)

Email

cao@iima.ac.in

(For general enquiry)

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(For admission related enquiry)

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Answered a month ago

IIM Ahmedabad MBA tuition fees ranges between INR 20.1 lakh-INR 27.5 lakh. The fee is quite high. As per the sources on web, the fees is high as it operates autonomously without direct funding from government. IIMA relies on expensive global learning resources and maintain a high-end campus infrastr

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Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

Yes, IIM Ahmedabad is a premier tier-1 college. It is widely regarded as the top Management institute of India. It has been ranked at '1' in NIRF 2025 rankings under the 'Management' category. The institute also made its place in QS World University MBA rankings 2026 at '59' globally. The institute

...Read more

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

Candidates must pass bachelor's degree from a recognised university with at least 50% aggregate (45% aggregate for SC, ST and PwD) to apply for MBA programme at IIM Ahmedabad.

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

Yes, IIM Ahmedabad refunds MBA fees in case of withdrawal of admission after deducting a processing fees of INR 1,000. The refund is done as per the notification from MHRD, Department of Higher Education, Govt. of India. The refund is released to the same account from which amount was received.

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

IIM Ahmedabad fees varies course-wise. Students selected for admission have to pay the course fees to confirm their seat. In case of withdrawal of admission, the institute refund fee after deduction of INR 1,000 towards processing charges. Check below IIMA course-wise fees:

CourseTotal Tuition Fees
MBA
INR 20.1 lakh-INR 27.5 lakh
MBA-PGPX
INR 35 lakh
e-PG Diploma in Advanced Business Analytics
INR 12 lakh
Blended PGP
INR 20 lakh
Blended PGP in BA & AI
INR 20 lakh

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

IIM Ahmedabad reserves seats as per the Government of India norms. The institute reserves maximum (27%) seats for OBC-NCL category students. 15% and 7.5% seats are reserved for SC and ST aspirants, respectively. 5% seats are reserved for PwD and 10% for EWS category candidates.

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

Aspirants need to complete a bachelor's degree/ CA/ CS/ ICWA/ CMA or equivalent in any discipline with a minimum of 50% aggregate to apply for Blended PGP programme at IIM Ahmedabad. Aspirants must have a minimum of three-year full-time work experience after graduation to apply.

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a month ago

IIM Ahmedabad offers Exit Scholarship to MBA students who wish to go for Entrepreneurship, Not for Profit organisation or doctoral studies. Below is the criteria in detail:

GP/ PGP-FABM courses from the institute can apply for below IIM Ahmedabad scholarships:

ScholarshipScholarship Criteria
IIMA Special Need-Based Scholarships

Gross annual family income should be below INR 15 Lacs during previous financial year

Must submit proof of family income, amount of educational loan taken, candidate's past earnings, etc.

IIMA Exit Scholarships (for students who go for entrepreneurship)

Students get monthly stipend of INR 20,000 for at most three consecutive years

It is offered to 2 students from every batch

IIMA Exit Scholarships (for students who join 'Not-for-Profit' organisation)

2 students from every batch get this scholarship for 3 consecutive years

Amount of scholarship ranges between INR 3 lakh-INR 4 Lacs per year per student

IIMA Exit Scholarships (for students who pursue doctoral studies)

2 students from every batch get this scholarship for 3 consecutive years

Amount of scholarship ranges between INR 3 lakh-INR 4 Lacs per year per student

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15