ISB MBA Admission 2026 Through CAT, GMAT, GRE: Dates (OUT), Selection Criteria & Process

CAT 2026 exam

29 Nov '26

Assistant Manager- Editorial

Updated on Dec 22, 2025 12:05 IST

ISB MBA application form 2026 for round 2 has released. Candidates seeking admission to Post Graduate Program YL (akin to MBA) can apply online before the last date. Check detailed ISB admission 2026 eligibility criteria, registration steps and admission process here.

ISB MBA application form 2026 for round 2 has been released. Candidates seeking admission to Post Graduate Program YL (akin to MBA) can apply online before the last date. Check detailed ISB admission 2026 eligibility criteria, registration steps and admission process here.

The Indian School of Business has commenced ISB MBA admission 2026 registration for its Young Leaders Programme (YLP) phase 2. Candidates aspiring for admission to the Post Graduate Programme in Management, equivalent to an MBA, must complete the online application form before the deadline. The ISB MBA admission process 2026 will be conducted in three rounds. ISB will conduct ISB MBA admission 2026 interview round for first phase.

Candidates applying for ISB MBA admission 2026 through CAT, GMAT, GRE must make sure to fulfil the prescribed eligibility criteria. As per the criteria, candidates must have a completed bachelor’s degree in any discipline and a valid GMAT/GRE or CAT score. Applications failing to meet the criteria will be rejected.

The ISB MBA (PGP) is a residential, full-time program offered at the ISB Hyderabad campus. The program duration is 20 months, designed for young professionals aiming to build leadership and business management skills early in their careers.

Table of contents

ISB MBA 2026 Highlights
ISB MBA Admission 2026 Important Dates
ISB MBA 2026 Admission Eligibility Criteria
ISB MBA Admission 2026 Application Form
ISB MBA 2026 Admission Process
ISB MBA 2026 Selection Criteria
ISB MBA 2026 Merit List

ISB MBA 2026 Highlights

Check the table below to know the ISB PGP 2026 admission highlights:

Features	Details
Name of program offered	Post Graduate Program in Management for Young Leaders
Name of Institute	Indian School of Business
Mode of program	Residential, Full-time
Duration of program	20 months
Required work experience	0-2 years
Accepted scores	CAT, GRE and GMAT
Course Level	Post Graduation
Entrance test score compulsory?	Yes
Official website	https://www.isb.edu/programmes/post-graduate-programmes/pgp-yl

Commonly asked questions

Q: What is the process to select CAT test city for exam centre allotment?

There are over 170 cities where CAT exam is held. These 170 cities are spread across India consist of metropolitan cities, capital cities, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Candidate can select up to five cities for allotment of test centre. The process of test city selection is a part of CAT application process. In the CAT application form, there is a field in which candidates have to select the cities. They need to select the city of preference in order of 1 to 5. The examination authorities will try to allot the test centre in the city of first preference. Thus, candidates must fill all the five cities carefully. They must choose their home city of city of current residence as the first preference. The test city option can only be changed during the form correction window. After that, the request for change of the city will not be accepted by the exam authorities.

Q: Is CAT fee refundable?

CAT fee is non-refundable. Candidates must note that under no circumstances will the CAT fee be refunded to any candidate. The fee amount of INR 2600 (INR 1300 for Reserved category students) once paid cannot be claimed for refund.

Q: Which MBA colleges are available with 70 percentile in CAT?

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

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)

ISB MBA Admission 2026 Important Dates

ISB MBA admission 2026 dates have been announced for MBA class of 2028. Candidates can check the table below to know important dates for ISB MBA admission 2026:

Events	Dates
CAT 2025 registration begins	01-Aug-2025
Last date to apply for CAT 2025	20-Sep-2025
ISB MBA 2026 Application Form round 1	Ended
ISB MBA 2026 Round 1 last date to apply	14-Dec-2025
ISB MBA 2026 Application Form round 2	15-Dec-2026
ISB MBA 2026 Round 2 last date to apply	22-Feb-2026
ISB MBA 2025 interview round 1	First week of February 2026 to Second week of March 2026
ISB MBA 2025 interview round 2	First week of April 2026 to Last week of April 2026
ISB PGP 2025 admission result round 1	Mid-March 2026
ISB PGP 2025 admission result round 2	Mid-May 2026

Also Read:

CAT Syllabus

CAT Exam Pattern

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ISB MBA 2026 Admission Eligibility Criteria

Candidates applying for ISB MBA programme for Young Leaders must ensure to fulfil the below-mentioned eligibility criteria:

Academic Criteria

The candidate must have obtained a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline.
Applicant must mention details on academic accomplishments from class 12^th to graduation, post graduation (if any) and certifications.

Entrance Test Score Requirement

To apply for ISB PGP 2026 programme for Young Leaders, candidates must have a valid score in any of the following tests:

GMAT or GRE (only test centre scores): Scores must be less than five years old from the application deadline.
CAT 2025 scores

Note: Candidates whose undergraduate instruction was not in English must have a compulsory TOEFL/IELTS score.

Work Experience

Candidates must have a maximum of 24 years of experience to apply for ISB PGP for Young Leaders.
Applicants with 0 years of experience can also apply.

Commonly asked questions

Q: How many CAT mock tests to practice to score 99 percentile?

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: I am in the final year of my Bachelor's degree. Am I eligible to take the CAT exam?

Yes, you are eligible to appear for the exam provided your score in the first two years of the degree course is above 50% (or equivalent). In case you belong to SSC/ST/PwD categories, the minimum aggregate should be 45%. Candidates planning to pursue MBA must make sure that they score minimum of 50 per cent in aggregate in every year of their Bachelor's degree programme, so that overall average too is 50 per cent. Those, in the final year of graduation must take care that if they do not have a minimum of 50 per cent in first two years, they need to score much higher in the final year so that their overall score meets the minimum requirement. To have a better chance of being selected by the Iims, candidates must aim for high scores in graduation and not just 50 per cent as academic record is a significant contributor in shortlisting of candidates for admission.

Q: What is the difference between qualifying CAT cut off and final CAT cut off?

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: Are CAT cut offs announced along with the CAT result?

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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ISB MBA Admission 2026 Application Form

The Indian School of Business has released the ISB MBA 2026 application form. Candidates seeking admission to Post Graduate program in management for young leaders must complete the registration process before the deadline.

Candidates must visit the official link to apply for ISB MBA 2026 program. Follow the steps below to apply for ISB PGP 2026:
Go to official ISB link: isb.edu
Click on tab ‘Create your profile’ (first-time user)
Enter below details to complete the registration process:
- Personal email
- Name
- Current country
- Current city
- UG degree completion
- Total work experience
- Designation
- Current organization
- Industry
- Country code
- Mobile number
- Program details
Login with the details created
Complete the ISB MBA 2026 application form
Pay the ISB 2026 PGP registration fee

Candidates must make sure to complete the following ISB PGP YL application components before final submission:

ISB MBA 2026 Admission Process

Check below to know the stages for ISB MBA 2026 admission.

Commonly asked questions

Q: Which MBA colleges are available with 80 percentile in CAT?

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.

Q: Which MBA colleges are available with 60 percentile in CAT?

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?

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:

IIM Ahmedabad: 95 percentile
IIM Bangalore: 85 percentile
IIM Calcutta: 85 percentile
IIM Lucknow: 90 percentile
IIM Kozhikode: 85 percentile
IIM Indore: 90 percentile
IIM Udaipur: 93 percentile
IIM Shillong: 75 percentile
IIM Trichy: 93 percentile
IIM Visakhapatnam: 80 percentile
IIM Rohtak: 95 percentile
1IIM Nagpur: 85 percentile
IIM Jammu: 93 percentile
IIM Ranchi: 90 percentile
IIM Sirmaur: 92 percentile
IIM Bodhgaya: 93 percentile
IIM Sambalpur: 93 percentile
IIM Kashipur: 94 percentile
IIM Raipur: 93 percentile
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?

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.

ISB MBA 2026 Selection Criteria

For admission to ISB PGP for young leaders, candidates will be assessed on the following components:

ISB MBA 2026 Selection Criteria: Application Components

The ISB PGO application consists of six essential components based on which candidate is shortlisted for the interview round.

Academics: Candidate must have detailed the accomplishments from class 12^th to graduation, post graduation and relevant certifications
Work Experience: Candidates must have a maximum of 24 years of experience.
Test Score (GRE/GMAT/CAT): Candidates must have a valid GRE, GMAT or CAT score. Candidate’s GMAT/GRE must be a test centre score and less than five years old from the date of the application deadline. Also, applicants applying through CAT score must submit only CAT 2025 scores.
Awards and Activities: achievements, and community contributions that shaped personal and professional journey
Essays: Candidates must submit three mandatory essays on their:
- Leadership abilities, diversity of thoughts
- Unique ideas or perspectives
Recommendation: Candidates should choose a recommender who can offer valuable insights into academic and professional abilities, placing greater importance on the quality of their perspective rather than their seniority.

Also Read: CAT Counselling

ISB MBA 2026 Selection Criteria: Evaluation Criteria

ISB will focus on three key components of assessment:

Academics
Leadership qualities
Personal qualities

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ISB MBA 2026 Merit List

The Indian School of Business will release the ISB MBA 2026 merit list based on the above criteria in mid-March and mid-May for round 1 and round 2, respectively. Candidates can know the shortlisting status through email at their registered email address.

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About the Author

Shruti Garg

Assistant Manager- Editorial

Shruti Garg is a graduate in English and Education with over 7 years of experience in content writing/editing and education journalism. At Shiksha.com, Shruti covers UG and PG entrance exams like MBA entrance exams,

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