IIM cut offs for admission to MBA/PGP programmes of top institutes are generally between 98 to 100 percentile. The IIM cutoff 2025 for MBA admission are as expected to be same as IIM cutoff 2024. Check here previous years' and expected CAT cut off for IIMs (general and reserved) categories.
IIM cutoff is the main criterion for selection of candidates for admission to India's premiere MBA institutes – the Indian Institute of Management. Selection of candidates for admission is done on the basis of the minimum percentile that a candidate scores in CAT exam. The minimum score fixed by IIMs, for shortlisting of candidates for MBA/PGP admission is referred to as IIM cut off. These cut offs vary category wise. CAT cut off for IM for General category candidates is higher than Reserved category candidates.
MBA aspirants who score 98+ percentile in the CAT 2025 exam can meet the minimum IIM CAT percentile cut off requirement. The CAT cut offs will be released prior to the second stage of the IIM admission process 2025 i.e. Written Ability Test/Personal Interview (WAT/PI) round. The CAT cut off for IIM is released individually by each campus for the screening of candidates for admission. CAT test takers are invited for WAT/PI round only if they have scored as much or above the minimum IIM cut off percentile in CAT exam set by the admission cell of the institutes. IIM cut off for MBA is always higher than other top B-Schools. In this article, we will provide all the information related to the IIM CAT percentile cut off for MBA admission.
Explore colleges based on CAT
- What is IIM Cut Off?
- IIM Call Cut Off vs Shortlist Cut Off – What is The Difference?
- IIM CAT Percentile Cut Off: Campus Wise
- IIMs with Lowest Cut Offs
- IIM Cut Offs of Previous Years
- IIM Cut Off 2024
- IIM Cut Off 2019 (Bodh Gaya)
- IIM Selection Procedure and Admission Criteria 2026
- Final Selection through IIM CAT Cut Off: Parameters and Weightage
- Campus wise: IIM CAT Cut Off, Shortlist and Admission Criteria
What is IIM Cut Off?
IIM cut off refers to the minimum CAT percentile a candidate has to get as CAT score to be eligible for WAT/PI round of the institutes. The IIM cut offs are different for different categories of students. While the minimum CAT cut off for IIMs for General category is usually 95-100, the cut offs for reserved category students is 85-95. The CAT percentile for IIM admission vary campus wise. IIM BLACKI minimum percentile (CAT 2024) was between 97-100 percentile. Usually, for IIM Ahmedabad, the cut off for General category is 99-100 percentile. For IIM Calcutta, it is around 92-99 percentile (category-wise). However, if your academic record is exceptional, CAT score lower than 95 may get you an IIM.
The CAT cutoff for IIM MBA admissions vary slightly every year. Some of the determining factors that decide IIM CAT cut offs are:
- Difficulty Level of CAT exam – If the standard of the test is difficult then the cut off percentile for that year will be comparatively lower. This happens because of the lower average scores in the examination.
- Number of students who took CAT – The final CAT cut off percentile for IIMs would also depend on the number of students appearing in CAT. Higher the number, higher will be the qualifying CAT cut off, and vice versa.
- Number of seats available – The number of available seats in a particular IIM can vary annually. Any increase or decrease in the number of available seats will directly reflect on the cut-off percentile required for IIM.
For 2026 academic session, selection rounds of IIMs and top B-schools will begin in January 2026. The institutes will select candidates on the basis of their CAT 2025 score and academic record.
Also read:
IIM Call Cut Off vs Shortlist Cut Off – What is The Difference?
IIM aspirants must understand that the institutes release two CAT cut offs for admission to a particular academic year. First IIM CAT cutoff is released as part of IIM admission policy. This cut off is referred to as CAT qualifying cut off or shortlist cut off, as it is meant for shortlisting candidates for WAT and PI. In other words, a candidate must meet the shortlist cut off or the minimum CAT score fixed by an IIM in order to be eligible for WAT and PI rounds. Clearing the shortlist cut off doesn't mean that you will be called for WAT and PI. Your interview call will depend upon whether you meet the IIM call cut off which is always higher than the shortlist cut off and released after the declaration of CAT result. For CAT 2024, the IIM Ahmedabad qualifying cut off was 80 percentile and the final cut off was around 99-100 percentile. For CAT 2025, qualifying IIM Ahmedabad cut off has been fixed at 95 percentile and the final cut off is expected to be 99-100 percentile.
IIM CAT Percentile Cut Off: Campus Wise
The final IIM cut offs are not released public ally by the institutes. Given below are estimated CAT cut offs based on previous years' trends. Nonetheless, candidates can use this table as a reference point to plan their MBA admission.
IIM campus | Expected CAT Cut Off 2024 (in percentile) |
---|---|
IIM Ahmedabad | IIM Bangalore | IIM Calcutta | 99-100 |
IIM Lucknow | IIM Indore | IIM Kozhikode | 97-98 |
IIM Amritsar | IIM Nagpur | IIM Sambalpur | 95-96 |
IIM Trichi | IIM Raipur | IIM Ranchi | IIM Kashipur | 94-95 |
IIM Vizag | IIM Udaipur | IIM Bodhgaya | 92-94 |
IIM Shillong | IIM Sirmaur | 90 |
IIMs with Lowest Cut Offs
In newer IIMs, the CAT cut offs are lower as compared to rest of the campuses. Given below are IIMs with lowest cut offs.
- IIM Ranchi - 92+ percentile
- IIM Raipur - 90 + percentile
- IIM Kashipur - 90+ percentile
- IIM Udaipur - 90+ percentile
Even for Reserved category students, the IIM cut offs don't drop. Which is why it is imperative to score 90+ percentile in CAT for IIM admission.
IIM Cut Offs of Previous Years
Those who shall have an idea of their performance in the CAT exam and know the expected score, they can guess which IIMs will take them in. The knowledge of CAT cut off for IIM is of great help in this process. It allows students to make an informed decision when the application window for WAT and PI rounds opens. In case you want to calculate your expected CAT score, use this CAT Percentile Predictor by Shiksha. Download Institute and category-wise CAT cut off PDF
IIM Cut Off 2024
Given below are the qualifying CAT cut offs and final cutoffs (estimated) for all IIMs, for 2025 batch. CAT cut off for IIM MBA batch 2026 are expected to be same.
IIM |
Qualifying CAT Cut Off for IIM |
Final CAT Cut Off for IIM |
---|---|---|
80 |
99-100 |
|
85 |
99-100 |
|
85 |
98-99 |
|
90 |
97-99 |
|
90 |
97-98 |
|
85 |
97-98 |
|
75 |
90 |
|
92 |
92-94 |
|
95 |
96-97 |
|
80 |
94-95 |
|
93 |
94-95 |
|
92 |
94-95 |
|
85 |
94-95 |
|
90 |
94-95 |
|
92 |
94-95 |
|
92 |
95-96 |
|
92 |
94-95 |
|
85 |
95-96 |
|
92 |
94-95 |
|
92 |
94-95 |
IIM Cut Off 2019 (Bodh Gaya)
Of the 21 IIMs, IIM Bodh Gaya released official CAT cut offs publicly in 2019. Check the tables below for section-wise cut offs for male and female candidates.
IIM Bodh Gaya cut off for male candidates |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Category |
Overall |
QA |
DILR |
VARC |
General |
91 |
80 |
80 |
80 |
EWS |
70 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
NC-OBC |
73 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
SC |
50 |
45 |
45 |
45 |
ST |
38 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
PWD |
35 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
IIM Bodh Gaya cut off for female candidates |
||||
Category |
Overall |
QA |
DILR |
VARC |
General |
88 |
75 |
75 |
75 |
EWS |
70 |
55 |
55 |
55 |
NC-OBC |
70 |
60 |
60 |
60 |
SC |
50 |
43 |
43 |
43 |
ST |
35 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
IIM Cut Offs 2018
IIMs |
CAT cut off 2018 (in percentile) |
---|---|
IIM Ahmedabad |
98 |
IIM Bangalore |
99 |
IIM Calcutta |
98 |
IIM Lucknow |
97 |
IIM Indore |
92 |
IIM Kozhikode |
95.5 |
IIM Rohtak |
94 |
IIM Kashipur |
93 |
IIM Shillong |
92 |
IIM Trichy |
93 |
IIM Udaipur |
94 |
On an average, about 10-15 CAT aspirants score 100 percentile. Given below is the data of CAT 100 percentilers of last 3 years:
Exam year | CAT 100 percentilers | State wise numbers |
---|---|---|
CAT 2024 | 14 | 1- Andhra Pradesh |
CAT 2023 | 14 | 1 – Andhra Pradesh |
CAT 2022 | 11 | 2 - Delhi 1 - Gujarat 1 - Haryana 1 - Kerala 1 - Madhya Pradesh 2 - Maharashtra 2 - Telangana 1 - Uttar Pradesh |
While filling out the CAT application form candidates need to keep some documents with them which are required to be uploaded to complete the CAT application process. Here is the list of those required documents.
- Class 10 mark sheet
- Class 12 mark sheet
- UG degree
- Work experience certificate
- Adhaar Card
- Date of Birth proof
- Address proof
- Caste category certificate (if applicable)
- Scanned images of photograph and signature
- Credit/Debit card or Internet banking details for fee payment.
IIM Cut Offs 2017 and 2016
IIM | CAT cut off 2017 (in percentile) | CAT cut off 2016 (in percentile) |
---|---|---|
IIM Ahmedabad | 100 | 100 |
IIM Bangalore | 90.72 | 92.48 |
IIM Kozhikode | 95.16 | 94.82 |
IIM Indore | 90.05 | 90.01 |
IIM Trichy | 95 | 96 |
IIM Raipur | 95 | 96 |
IIM Rohtak | 95 | 96 |
IIM Udaipur | 95 | 96 |
IIM Sirmaur | 95 | 81.23 |
IIM Nagpur | 90.09 | 90.08 |
IIM Visakhapatnam | 90.09 | 90.02 |
IIM Amritsar | 94.76 | 94.9 |
IIM Sambalpur | 95 | NA |
*These cut-off scores have been obtained by Shiksha through Right To Information Act.
Yes, CAT is accepted for IIML PGPWE course. Admission to PGPWE course is entrance-based. CAT is not compulsory to get admission in this course. Along with CAT, the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow also accepts GRE, GMAT and GATE scores for providing admission. After passing any of the required entrance exams, candidates can apply for admission by visiting the IIML official website.
IIM Ahmedabad admissions is based on entrance. Therefore, candidates must qualify the eligibility criteria and secure valid scores in CAT entrance exams. Moreoever, candidates ae required to apply for admission through the official website of IIMA. The percentile of CAT for IIM Ahmedabad reached up to 99.6 in the past years which shows how rigorous it is for a student to get admission to this Institute. Candidates are shortlisted for these programmes based on course-specific entrance exams, followed by shortlisting processes which generally comprise a Personal Interview (PI) round.
To conclude, seeking admission to IIM Ahmedabad is challenging but not difficult.
IIM Selection Procedure and Admission Criteria 2026
The three main criteria for selection are CAT score, WAT/GD-PI, academic record. IIM admission process includes selection in three phases. Check below:
- First phase: Shortlisting of candidates on the basis of CAT score
- Second phase: Conduct of WAT and PI
- Third phase: Final selection on the basis of performance in CAT exam, WAT-PI, academics, etc.
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