IIM Lucknow MBA Admission Criteria 2026-2028: PI Calls OUT; Check CAT Cut Off 2025
IIM Lucknow PGP shortlist 2026 is out. The CAT 2025 cut off fixed for IIM Lucknow admission is 90 percentile for MBA and 85 percentile for MBA-ABM and MBA-SM. Check the IIM Lucknow admission criteria 2026-28 below.
IIM Lucknow admission criteria for 2026-2028 is not much different from last year. However, IIM Lucknow has introduced 24 month work experience criteria for MBA-SM programme. The qualifying score required in CAT 2025 to make it to IIM Lucknow’s Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI) round of MBA course is 90 percentile for General category students. For NC-OBC candidates, it is 82 percentile whereas for SC candidates it is 65 percentile and for ST candidates, it is 60 percentile.
IIM Lucknow admission shortlist 2026 has been released. Candidates who selected IIM Lucknow in the CAT 2025 application form, and meet the qualifying cut off, are eligible for shortlisting. Those selected are required to fill the the PI shortlist form at institute website to participate in the selection round.
- IIM Lucknow PI Shortlist 2026
- IIM Lucknow Selection and Admission Criteria 2026-2028
- IIM Lucknow Eligibility Criteria for MBA
- IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria 2026: CAT Cut Offs
- IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria 2026-28: WAT-PI Shortlisting
- IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria: Weights for Composite Score Calculation
- IIM Admission Criteria of Other Campuses
IIM Lucknow PI Shortlist 2026
Check below the process to check the shortlist status and apply for PI round of IIM Lucknow admission 2026.
- Visit the IIM Lucknow website
- Click on Admission Status: WAT-PI Shortlist for MBA 2026-28
- Enter CAT 2025 registration number, email ID, date of birth and CAPTCHA code
- Click on login to check your status and fill the PI form
Commonly asked questions
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.
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)
IIM Lucknow Selection and Admission Criteria 2026-2028
Read below to understand IIM Lucknow selection and admission criteria for 2026-28 batch.
IIM Lucknow offers three MBA programmes.
IIM Lucknow Eligibility Criteria for MBA
- For MBA, the candidate must fulfill the basic eligibility criteria – Graduate in any stream with 50 per cent marks in aggregate or equivalent from a recognized university.
- For MBA-ABM the candidate must possess Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Science/ Agricultural Engineering/Engineering/Technology or allied subjects and MBAP-SM.
- Candidates not having these degrees will have to fill a special form at the time of personal interview, if selected. For MBA-SM, along with Graduation degree, minimum two years of work experience is mandatory.
The IIM Lucknow admission process 2026-28, includes three stages:
- Shortlisting of candidates on the basis of CAT 2025 score
- WAT-PI round
- Final Selection
Commonly asked questions
Minimum qualifying cut off for IIM Ahmedabad is 95 percentile whereas for IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta, it is 85. However final cut offs for these three top IIMs are between 99 to 100 percentile.
On an average, about 10-15 CAT aspirants score 100 percentile. Given below is the data of CAT 100 percentilers of last 4 years:
Exam year | CAT 100 percentilers | State wise numbers |
|---|---|---|
CAT 2025 | 12 | 1- Uttar Pradesh 1- Karnataka 1- Maharashtra 3- Delhi 2- Haryana 2- Gujarat 1- Jharkhand 1- Odisha |
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 |
Students can get admission in IIM Lucknow without CAT score. But only for courses, such as EFPM, FPM, EPGP programmes. Those seeking flagship PGP/ MBA course admission must have valid CAT score. The IIM Lucknow courses for which CAT is not needed are as below:
- IPMX
- PGPX
- FPM
IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria 2026: CAT Cut Offs
The CAT cut off percentiles mentioned in IIM Lucknow selection and admission criteria 2026-2028 are qualifying cut offs final CAT 2025 cut offs are higher. Candidates must treat the qualifying CAT cut offs as the minimum eligibility criteria for IIM Lucknow for the WAT-PI round.
| Cut-off percentile for shortlisting candidates for WAT- PI stage for MBA |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category |
VARC |
DILR |
QA |
Overall |
| General |
85 |
85 |
85 |
90 |
| EWS |
77 |
77 |
77 |
82 |
| NC-OBC |
77 |
77 |
77 |
82 |
| SC |
55 |
55 |
55 |
65 |
| ST |
50 |
50 |
50 |
60 |
| PWD |
50 |
50 |
50 |
60 |
| Cut-off percentile for shortlisting candidates for WAT- PI stage for MBA-ABM |
||||
| Category |
VARC |
DILR |
QA |
Overall |
| General |
80 |
80 |
80 |
85 |
| EWS |
72 |
72 |
72 |
77 |
| NC-OBC |
72 |
72 |
72 |
77 |
| SC |
55 |
55 |
55 |
65 |
| ST |
50 |
50 |
50 |
55 |
| PWD |
50 |
50 |
50 |
55 |
| Cut-off percentile for shortlisting candidates for WAT- PI stage for MBA-SM |
||||
| Category |
VARC |
DILR |
QA |
Overall |
| General |
80 |
80 |
80 |
85 |
| EWS |
72 |
72 |
72 |
77 |
| NC-OBC |
72 |
72 |
72 |
77 |
| SC |
55 |
55 |
55 |
60 |
| ST |
50 |
50 |
50 |
55 |
| PWD |
50 |
50 |
50 |
55 |
IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria 2026-28: WAT-PI Shortlisting
In the second stage of IIM Lucknow admissions, candidates will be evaluated on parameters listed in the below table and consequently shortlisted for WAT-PI round. WAT or the Written Ability Test will be a 30-minute essay writing test on current affairs topics. Maximum weightage is given to scaled CAT score for WAT-PI shortlisting which is 60 points. Check the table below for other parameters that will be taken into consideration:
| Component |
MBA Weight |
MBA-ABM Weight |
MBA-SM Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaled CAT 2025 score |
60 |
60 |
60 |
| Class 12 marks |
10 |
10 |
10 |
| Graduation marks |
10 |
10 |
10 |
| Work Experience |
10 |
0 |
10 |
| Diversity Factor |
5 |
20* |
5 |
| Gender Diversity |
5 |
5* |
5 |
* The maximum marks for the diversity factors (including Gender) cannot exceed 20 for MBA-ABM program.
Commonly asked questions
To get admission in IIM Lucknow, students have to check the eligibility first. Eligible students can then apply online. The institute selects students on an entrance basis. For PGP/ MBA courses, students need to submit CAT scores. The college then conducts other selection rounds, such as interview and Group Discussion. Selected students have to report at the institute and pay the admission fees.
Yes, it is possible to score 99.99 percentile in CAT in first attempt. Many toppers of previous years' are such candidates. One must study in a focussed manner and do a lot of mock test practice. Exam day strategy is also crucial for better performance.
IIM Lucknow Admission Criteria: Weights for Composite Score Calculation
For the final score calculation more weightage has been allotted to WAT and PI than CAT score. While CAT score has weightage of 30-35; the WAT and PI together have weightage of 50. Candidates must score a minimum of 12 out of 40 in the PI round to be considered for final selection.
| Component |
Weight |
|
|---|---|---|
| MBA & MBA-SM |
MBA-ABM |
|
| CAT 2025 |
30 |
35 |
| Academic Performance |
5+5 |
5+5 |
| Diversity Factor |
5 |
5 |
| Work Experience |
5 |
NA |
| Writing Ability Test (WAT) |
10 |
10 |
| Personal Interview (PI) |
40 |
40 |
| Final Score |
100 |
100 |
PGP-ABM: Academic Disciplines
Candidates applying for PGP-ABM course must not the disciplines that will be considered during the selection process:
| Academic Disciplines (AD) for MBA-ABM Program |
|
|---|---|
| Agriculture |
Science |
| Agriculture, Agronomy, Soil Science, Agricultural Biochemistry, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Extension, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Entomology, Plant Pathology |
Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Biotechnology Engineering, Botany, Home Science, Life Science, Zoology, Veterinary Science, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Dairy Science, Agricultural Engineering, Dairy Technology, Food Technology, Food Technology & Management, Forestry, Horticulture, Rural Studies, Rural Sociology, Rural Cooperatives, Rural Banking |
IIM Admission Criteria of Other Campuses
To read IIM admission and selection criteria for each institute, refer to the table below:
| IIM Admission Criteria and Selection Process |
|
|---|---|
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Contact Details
Address
Indian Institute of Management, Prabandh Nagar, IIM Road.
Lucknow ( Uttar Pradesh)
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 4 weeks ago
Candidates must keep the below enlisted documents ready at the time of IIM Lucknow application process:
- Class 12 marksheets & Certificate
- UG/PG degree marksheets and Certificate
- Entrance exam scorecard & admit cards
- SOP - if applicable
- Aadhaar card or other identity proof
- Caste certificate - if applicable
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
IIM Lucknow conducts the application process online. The step-wise application process is given below:
- Go to the official IIM Lucknow website at iiml.ac.in.
- Go to "Apply".
- Fill the required info, like name, email ID, etc.
- Payment of the application fee.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
IIM Lucknow tuition fee costs around INR 1.7 L – INR 26 L. This fee is exclusive of other components such as examination fee, application fee, hostel fee, security deposit, etc. This fee is taken from the official website. It is subject to change. Hence, it is moderately costly.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
IIM Lucknow offers admission primarily on the basis of the scores obtained in the national level entrance exams including CAT, XAT, GMAT, GATE, etc. To get admission to IIM Lucknow, candidates must fulfil the course-specific eligibility. Candidates can apply to the desired course online on the insti
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
Admission criteria to IIM Lucknow is both, merit and entrance based. The eligibility criteria to get into PG programmes is graduation in any discipline (this may vary from course to course) with a minimum aggregate of 50%, along with entrance exams.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
Admission criteria to IIM Lucknow is both, merit and entrance based. The eligibility criteria to get into PG programmes is graduation in any discipline (this may vary from course to course) with a minimum aggregate of 50%, along with entrance exams.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 weeks ago
IIM Lucknow MBA tuition fee costs around INR 43,400 – INR 3.8 L. This fee is exclusive of other components such as examination fee, application fee, hostel fee, security deposit, etc. This fee is taken from the official website. It is subject to change.
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a month ago
IIM Lucknow fees is different for each programme. Students have to pay the fees to complete the process. The amount can be paid online or offline. The fees is as below:
| Course | Total Tuition Fees |
|---|---|
| PGP | INR 12.6 lakh |
| PGP for Working Executives | INR 11 lakh |
| IPMX | INR 26 lakh |
S
Contributor-Level 10
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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