Saumya
Saumya Jain
Assistant Manager- Content
Updated on Oct 14, 2025 17:01 IST
CAT 2025 results will be released online. Students who appeared for the CAT exam may face concerns about the sectional cutoff. But worry not. In this article, Shiksha has listed down the top MBA colleges in India which give admission to the MBA programme without sectional cutoff. Read the article below to know more.

CAT 2025 results will be released online. Students who appeared for the CAT exam may face concerns about the sectional cutoff. But worry not. In this article, Shiksha has listed down the top MBA colleges in India which give admission to the MBA programme without sectional cutoff. Read the article below to know more.

MBA colleges in India with no sectional cutoff: CAT is one of the most popular MBA entrance exams in India. The CAT exam is the first stepping stone for students embarking upon the MBA journey. Every year lakhs of students appear for the CAT exam, with a dream to get into the top B-school in India. But all of them do not achieve it. But it does not mean it is the end of the road of getting into a good B-school.

CAT 2025 will be conducted on November 30, 2025, by the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode. The CAT response sheet was also released on the official website of CAT. Traversing the intricate aspects of the CAT exam presents challenges other than the overall CAT percentile. Many students who appeared for the exam may face concerns about sectional cutoff. But, there are many top MBA colleges in India without sectional cutoff which offer admissions into the MBA programme. In this article, Shiksha has listed down the MBA colleges in India with no sectional cutoffs.

Table of contents
  • What is Sectional Cutoff?
  • Is the Sectional Cutoff Important?
  • List of MBA Colleges in India with No Sectional Cutoffs
  • Advantages of MBA Colleges in India With No Sectional Cutoff

What is Sectional Cutoff?

CAT is divided into three sections, i.e. Quantitative Aptitude, Verbal Ability and Reading Comprehension and Data Interpretation and Logical Reasoning. The sectional cutoff is the minimum score decided by the institutes. The minimum score or the sectional cutoff is based on factors such as the difficulty level of the exam, the number of applicants, available seats, etc. These cutoffs are set for each section of the CAT exam and serve as qualifying criteria for admissions to the institutes. 
Many management colleges consider sectional cutoffs for admissions, in addition to the overall percentile for admissions, hence, maintaining a good sectional score is important. Meeting the sectional cutoff will enhance the chances of the students to get into their dream B-school. Usually, a score of 70-80 percentile in VARC and DILR and 60-70 percentile in QA is good score. However, various MBA colleges in India also take other factors into consideration such as work experience, academic profile, PI performance.

Also Read:

Is the Sectional Cutoff Important?

CAT is a highly competitive exam and the sectional cutoff is important in the way that many institutes determine the minimum score needed for the students to qualify for admission. The CAT sectional cutoff can change from one institute to another and one programme to another. Scoring well in all the sections is importnat for achieving a good overall CAT percentile.

Q:   What is the average number of CAT 100 percentilers every year?
A:

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
2- Delhi
1- Haryana
1-Kerala
5- Maharashtra
1- Odisha
1- Rajasthan
2- Telangana

CAT 2023

14

1 – Andhra Pradesh
1 - Delhi
1 – Gujarat
1 – Jammu & Kashmir
1 - Karnataka
1 - Kerala
4 – Maharashtra
1 – Tamil Nadu
2 - Telangana
1 - Uttar Pradesh

CAT 2022

11

2 - Delhi

1 - Gujarat

1 - Haryana

1 - Kerala

1 - Madhya Pradesh

2 - Maharashtra

2 - Telangana

1 - Uttar Pradesh

 

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:   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.

Most of the tier I colleges focus on the overall cutoff as well as the sectional cutoff, but a majority of the tier II and tier III colleges focus only on the overall cutoff. 
IIMs and top business schools in India release their sectional and overall CAT exam cutoff after the CAT results are announced. The CAT result 2025 will likely be released in the third week of December 2025. So, scoring well only in one section is not enough to grab a seat in a top tier B-school. Scoring well in all the three sections of the CAT exam is imperative.

Also Read: CAT Score vs Percentile

Check CAT cut offs and predict calls from IIMs and Non-IIMs accepting CAT score for admission. Check Fees, Placement Reviews, Admission, Shortlist Criteria and Eligibility of all CAT participating colleges by clicking the link below:

Predict CAT Admission Calls

List of MBA Colleges in India with No Sectional Cutoffs

The following table depicts the list of MBA colleges in India with no sectional cutoffs with their overall expected CAT cutoff 2024:

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Choosing MBA colleges with no sectional cutoff can be advantageous in the way that these colleges look at the overall performance of the aspirants rather than focusing on a particular section. Colleges that do not impose sectional cutoffs in entrance exams, such as the CAT for MBA programmes, offer several advantages to candidates.

  • Broad Evaluation: Students are evaluated comprehensively, i.e. they are selected on the basis of the overall marks and percentile. Such colleges do not solely focus on one section. This gives way to a fairer evaluation and allows for a more nuanced consideration of the performances of the students. 
  • Diverse Skill Sets: Students with diverse skills get the change to apply to their dream college even if they have not cleared the sectional CAT cutoff. Students from non-traditional academic or professional backgrounds will find it easier to qualify, as their unique skills and experiences can be taken into account. The focus on rigid benchmarks can be taken off. 
  • Flexibility: Students have the option to emphasize on their strengths and work on their weaknesses in sections where they scored low.

It is important to note that while these advantages exist, candidates should still strive for a balanced performance across all sections to enhance their chances of success in the competitive admission processes.

Read More:

CAT Percentile predictor prepared by Shiksha.com helps students to get their predicted CAT 2023 percentile on the basis of their expected exam score. So, predict your CAT 2023 score by clicking the link below:

CAT Percentile Predictor
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 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:   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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About the Author
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Saumya Jain
Assistant Manager- Content

Saumya Jain is an English Literature graduate from University of Delhi. She brings over 8 years of editorial and content writing experience. At Shiksha.com, she has spent over six years creating research,

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Answered Yesterday

CAT cut offs do not flutuate much. For the past few years, the CAT exam cut offs for IIMs or other top colleges have not seen much change. If there is any change at all, it is in decimals. However, that decimal point too can make or mar admission chances. CAT cut offs for 2026 admission will largely

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CAT cut offs for IIM admission 2026 batch will not change. They will remain high between 92-100 percentile. Top 6 IIM cut offs will be between 98-100, while the cut offs for rest of them will be between 92-97.

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Esha Singh

Contributor-Level 6

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There will be no option of result evaluation in CAT 2025. Candidates cannot challenge the scorecard. Marks and percentiles printed on CAT 2025 result cum scorcard will be final.

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Manisha Singh

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CAT result is not released offline. Candidates have to download it from the iimcat.ac.in website only. The scorecard is available for download for 1 year. 

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Pallavi Gupta

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As the Manipal University CAT Cutoff 2025 is not out yet, according to the Manipal University CAT Cutoff 2024, the qualifying cutoff was 25 percentile for General category candidates under the All India quota. The CAT cutoff for 2023 was also the same. So, going by the previous years' cutoff trends,

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Neerja Rohatgi

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Answered 3 days ago

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