IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026-2028: PI Shortlist OUT and check CAT Cut Off 2025

Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
5 mins readUpdated on Jan 13, 2026 22:21 IST
IIM Bangalore Admission Criteria 2026 includes CAT cut off percentile, PI process and other parameters for admission. The first round of selection is based on CAT 2025 cut offs. Read all about IIM Bangalore admission and shortlist process 2026. Also know the WAT-PI process.

IIM Bangalore has released the PI shortlist calls. Candidates who meet the minimum CAT cut off stand a chance to get selected for WAT-PI round of IIM Bangalore. Check below IIM Bangalore Admission Criteria 2026-2028.

IIM Bangalore admission

IIM Bangalore admission criteria for MBA 2026-2028 - The minimum CAT cut off required for being eligible for IIM Bangalore’s Written Ability test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) was 85 percentile for General category students. For the final selection, weightage allotted to CAT exam score is 25 points and to PI is 40 points. WAT is allotted 10 points. For PI shortlisting the weightage is 55 Points, whereas academic record has 30 points. 10 points is for Work Experience and 5 points is for diversity. 

IIM Bangalore shortlisting process for admissions 2026 has begun with the release of PI shortlist. The PI shortlist will be based on CAT 2025 cut offs. Those who meet the IIM Bangalore cut off, can apply for the PI shortlisting round. 

Table of contents
  • IIM Bangalore PI Shortlist 2026: Check Status and Apply
  • IIM Bangalore Selection and Admission Process 2026
  • IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026: CAT Cut Offs
  • Parameters for IIM Bangalore WAT-PI Shortlisting 2026
  • IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026: WAT-PI
  • IIM Bangalore Admission Process: Final Selection 2026
  • IIM Admission Criteria of Other Campuses 2026
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IIM Bangalore PI Shortlist 2026: Check Status and Apply

Candidates who selected IIM Bangalore as their preferred institute in the CAT 2025 application form, are eligible to apply for PI shortlisting. Given below is the process to register for IIM Bangalore PI calls:

  • Visit IIM Bangalore website
  • Click on 'Admissions' tab
  • Click on 'PGP 2026 Call for Interview Shortlist
  • Enter CAT application number and email address
  • Fill the form with relevant details and submit it

The IIM Bangalore PI round will be held in February-March. Those selected, will be informed about the PI schedule via email. Candidates will have to participate in the WAT-PI round in person. 

IIM Bangalore Selection and Admission Process 2026

The selection process of IIM Bangalore for 2026-2028 MBA batch includes three steps:

  • Shortlisting of candidates based on CAT score
  • WAT and PI
  • Final selection for admission

IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026: CAT Cut Offs

The CAT 2025 cut offs mentioned below are only the qualifying cut offs i.e. minimum percentile required to be eligible for the WAT-PI round of IIM Bangalore admission. For example, if a General category candidate scored 85 percentile in CAT exam, he/she was eligible for the Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) round. 

Category

VARC

DILR

QA

Overall

General

80

75

75

85

NC-OBC

70

65

65

75

EWS

70

65

65

75

SC

60

60

60

70

ST

55

60

60

70

PWD

50

50

50

60

Eligible candidates will have to fill the IIM Bangalore shortlist form on the institute website to be selected for the WAT-PI round. Invitation for WAT-PI will be sent to shortlisted candidates via email. 

Parameters for IIM Bangalore WAT-PI Shortlisting 2026

Weightage for CAT score for WAT-PI shortlisting is 55 points. Candidates were evaluated on the parameters mentioned in the below table for selection to the WAT-PI round:

IIM Bangaore PI Shortlisting Parameters

Weight

CAT score

55

Class 10 Board

10

Class 12 Board

10

Bachelor's degree

10

Work experience

10

Gender Diversity

5

CAT VARC, LRDI & QA Weightage

The 55 points for CAT 2025 score will be further divided into the following sections.

CAT Subjects

Weight

Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC)

19

Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation (LRDI)

21

Quantitative Aptitude (QA

15

Total

55

IIM Bangalore Admission Process 2026: WAT-PI

In the second phase of IIM Bangalore admission, the candidates will have to appear for WAT which is a 30-minute essay writing test on topics from socio-political, economic and business affairs, sports, etc. In the PI, each candidate will be evaluated on the basis of his/her communication ability, academic background, quality of work experience and other personal traits.

During the PI, all candidates will be required to provide two reference letters from their employers or from teachers in the academic institutions where they had been students previously. These reference letters will also be used in candidate’s evaluation.

IIM Bangalore Admission Process: Final Selection 2026

In the final phase of IIM Bangalore Admission process, candidates will be evaluated on their WAT and PI performance as well as his/her academic background, quality of work experience and other personal traits. After WAT and PI, each selected candidate’s Composite Score will be calculated on the basis of the following parameters:

IIM Bangalore Final Selection Parameters

Weight

CAT score

25

WAT

10

PI

40

Class 10

5

Class 12

5

Graduation score

5

Weighted Work Experience/Professional Qualification

10

Total

100

The gender diversity component will be applicable only for computing the pre-PI score for deciding on interview calls, and will be applicable for phase 2 of the admissions process leading up to final selection.

Candidates making it to the final admission list of IIM Bangalore MBA batch of 2026-2028 will be intimated through email by April 2025. Selected candidates will be required to confirm their admission by submitting offer acceptance form and requisite fee.

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Q:   Can an average student get into an IIM?
A:

The answer to this question of whether an average student can get into IIM can be both yes and no depending on the definition of an average student.

  • Based on Academics (Class 10/ Class 12/ Graduation): While a student with average scores in Class 10, Class 12 and graduation with a good CAT score certainly has good chances of getting a call from IIM-A, chances are less for someone with an average CAT score.
  • Based on student category (General or Reserved): While it is tough for a General category average student to grab a seat at IIM due to high score requirements, a reserved category student can get admission being at average scores as well.
  • Based on past work experience, diversity and other factors: Gender and academic diversity is also a factor on which students are shortlisted at IIM. IIMs judge the past academic category based on the degree obtained by the students before MBA and then a weightage is allotted based on that. For Engineers, the percentage for scoring the highest marks is higher as compared with other streams
  • Performance in selection rounds: Once you make it to the final selection rounds, i.e., AWT/PI process, it can be considered a fresh start. At this stage, students can forget their past average-ness but definitely require good grasp over the past subjects as academics-related questions are asked in the interview.

Based on the above factors, it can be considered that while getting into top Management institutes, such as IIM is extremely tough, the past performance, CAT performance, student category and a lot of factors can be the reasons for a student to receive that final call.

Q:   Is CUET mandatory for BBA admissions at IIM Bangalore?
A:

No, the CUET-UG is not a mandatory entrance exam for BBA admissions at IIM Bangalore. Aside from the CUET-UG, candidates can also apply through the scores obtained in the JEE Mains. If the candidate has failed to appear for either of the aforementioned exam, they can still apply through the IIMB DBE Entrance Test.

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:   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 admissions for BBA courses at IIM Bangalore open in 2026?
A:

No, the BBA admissions at IIM Bangalore are not for 2026 yet. Usually, the institute begins the application process for the BBA course in the month of April. Candidates can apply for the BBA admissions until the month of June. Candidates get until the month of August to decide whether to enroll in the BBA course offered by IIM Bangalore.

Q:   Are registrations open for any accepted entrance exams for BBA admissions at IIM Bangalore?
A:

Yes, the CUET-UG is an accepted entrance exam for BBA admissions at IIM Bangalore, whose registrations are currently open. Candidates registered for CUET UG are only eligible to appear in the entrance exam, which will be held between May 11,n 2026 to May 31, 2026

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Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content

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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Answered 3 weeks ago

Candidates who are applying for BBA admissions at IIM Bangalore will need to provide online copies of the documents required for the application process. The IIM Bangalore's website metions the documents mentioned below as required for the BBA admission process:

  • ID & address proof 
  • Category recognitio

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

Yes, the CUET-UG is an accepted entrance exam for BBA admissions at IIM Bangalore, whose registrations are currently open. Candidates registered for CUET UG are only eligible to appear in the entrance exam, which will be held between May 11,n 2026 to May 31, 2026

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

No, the BBA admissions at IIM Bangalore are not for 2026 yet. Usually, the institute begins the application process for the BBA course in the month of April. Candidates can apply for the BBA admissions until the month of June. Candidates get until the month of August to decide whether to enroll in t

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

No, candidates cannot get direct admissions into the BSc (Hons) courses offered by IIM Bangalore. Candidates need to clear any one state/national level exam such as the CUET-UG or JEE Mains in order to qualify for the IIM Bangalore BSc (hons) admissions. candidates can also appear for the IIMB Entra

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

No, the CUET-UG is not a mandatory entrance exam for BBA admissions at IIM Bangalore. Aside from the CUET-UG, candidates can also apply through the scores obtained in the JEE Mains. If the candidate has failed to appear for either of the aforementioned exam, they can still apply through the IIMB DBE

...Read more

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

Special category candidates at IIM Bangalore are only required to pay 50% of the BBA fees charged from the general category candidates. The general category candidates are charged INR 4.5 Lacs in tuition fees for the BBA course. Thus, special category candidates are only required to pay INR 2.25 Lac

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

IIM Bangalore only mentions the application fees and tuition fees for BBA students. However, the website also mentions the payment of the fee of the first term which is likely the BBA admission fees at IIM Bangalore. For more details, candidates need to contact the admission desk of IIM Bangalore.

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 3 weeks ago

IIM Bangalore BBA admissions for the academic year 2026 have not been opened yet. Thus the schedule for the acceptance of BBA admissions is yet to be revealed. Generally, candidates can communicate their acceptance for IIM Bangalore admissions until the month of August.

To accept the offer letter for

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10