MBA Entrance Exam 2025 Reservation Criteria & Guidelines for Reserved Category Students
Get all the information related to reservation criteria and guidelines for applying for top MBA entrance exams under Reserved categories.
Eligibility Criteria for MBA Course
The admission process and criteria for various MBA entrance exams 2025 are different. Some MBA exams have different eligibility criteria, application fees, and number of seats reserved for each category such as General category, SC, ST, etc. Some exams, on the other hand, don’t follow the quota system. For example, MBA exams like CAT, CMAT and IIFT exam fees for Reserved category students is 50 per cent less than of the MBA fees for General category students. Still, the XAT and SNAP exam fee is the same for all students.
Similarly, in CAT and MAH CET, seats are reserved for candidates belonging to different categories as per the Reservation guidelines of the Government of India. On the other hand, in private MBA exams like SNAP and MICAT, there is no reservation of seats.
- MBA Reservation
- Reservation Criteria for MBA Admissions
- Top MBA Entrance Exams: Eligibility Criteria for Reserved category students and application fee
- Top MBA Colleges in India with NIRF Ranking 2024
MBA Reservation
Some of the common reserved categories in MBA exams are:
- Schedule Caste (SC)
- Schedule Tribe (ST)
- Physical Disabled (PD)/ Person with Disability (PwD)
- Other Backward Classes – Non- Creamy layer (NC-OBC)
A few MBA entrance exams have reservations for categories like Jammu & Kashmir Migrants, state-specific reservations, wards of defence personnel, etc. There are two key points that every aspirant applying under the reserved category must check before applying for any MBA exam:
1. The applicant must have a valid certificate attested by the concerned authority, otherwise the candidates will be considered as General category candidates.
2. The candidates must also verify before filling up the application form that it is important to check the eligibility criteria of the respective exam and individual institutes under the exam.
Reservation Criteria for MBA Admissions
Take a look at the detailed category requirements meant for different MBA exams:| Exam Name |
Categories |
Seats Reserved in Institutes |
Certificates Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Person with disability (PwD)/ Differently Abled (DA) are divided in three categories: a) Low vision blindness b) Hearing impairment c) Loco-motor disability/cerebral palsy 2. Other Backward Classes: Non- Creamy layer (NC-OBC) 3. Schedule Caste (SC) 4. Schedule Tribe (ST) |
SC: 15% ST: 7.5% NC: OBC- 27% EWS: 10% PwD/DA: 5% |
1. NC-OBC Certificates 2. SC/ST certificates 3. Certificate for Persons with Disabilities |
|
| No reservation |
NA |
NA |
|
| 1. Schedule Caste (SC) 2. Schedule Tribe (ST) 3. Physical Disabled (PD) |
- |
1. Caste Certificate 2.Physical Disabled Scribe Form |
|
| 1. Scheduled Caste (SC) 2. Scheduled Tribes (ST) 3. Differently Abled Category (DAC)
|
SC: 15% ST: 7.5% DAC: 3% Kashmiri Migrants: 2 seats per programme International Candidates: 1 % |
- |
|
| No reservation |
- |
- |
|
| No reservation |
- |
- |
|
| No reservation |
- |
- |
|
| No reservation |
- |
- |
|
| No reservation |
- |
- |
|
| 1. Maharashtra candidates 2. All India candidates (for MS and OMS candidates) 3. Jammu & Kashmir Migrant candidates 4. Foreign Nationals/Persons of Indian Origin/Children of Indian workers in the Gulf countries candidates 5. Ward of NRI candidates 6. Institute Level Seats 7. Minority candidates*
|
Maharashtra Seats: 85% All India Seats (for MS and OMS candidates): 15% Jammu & Kashmir Migrant Seats: 1 seat over and above the sanctioned intake capacity in each management institute Foreign Nationals/Persons of Indian Origin/Children of Indian workers in the Gulf countries Seats: 15% Ward of NRI Seats: 5% Institute Level Seats: 20% Reservation for EWS Candidate: 10% Reservations for Orphan Candidates: 1% *Reservation for Backward Class Category Candidates (belonging to Maharashtra State): 66% |
1. Candidates belonging to SC, VJ/DT (NT(A)), NT(B), NT(C), NT(D), OBC and SBC categories should produce “Caste Validity Certificate” issued by Scrutiny Committee of Social Welfare Department 2. The Candidate belonging to ST category should submit “Tribe Validity Certificate” issued by Scrutiny Committee of Tribal Department 3. Candidates belonging to VJ/DT (NT(A)), NT(B), NT(C), NT(D), OBC and SBC categories should produce “Non Creamy layer Certificate” issued by Sub Divisional Officer / Deputy Collector of the district in addition to the caste certificate |
- Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Castes Converts to Buddhism (SC ): 13%
- Scheduled Tribes (ST): 7%
- Vimukta Jati & Denotified Tribes (VJ/DT) i.e. NT (A): 3%
- Nomadic Tribes: 1 (NT-B): 2.5%
- Nomadic Tribes: 2 (NT-C): 3.5%
- Nomadic Tribes: 3 (NT-D): 2%
- Other Backward Classes (OBC): 19%
- Socially and Economically Backward Classes: 66%
Since MAT is an entrance exam for post graduate level management courses, the minimum eligibility criteria for MAT exam is graduation. Candidate should have completed graduation in full-time or part-time mode in Arts, Commerce or Science from a recognised university. The eligibility criteria for MAT PBT, CBT and IBT are the same. Final year graduation students who will be giving their final exam or awaiting results are also eligible to appear in MAT. There is no minimum score requirement in MAT. Candidates need to have passing marks in graduation.
For MAT CBT, candidates will be allotted a test centre in the city they shall have selected as preference in the, MAT application form. Candidates can appear for MAT from home in only IBT mode. MAT CBT is held in the followimg cities: Agra, Ahmedabad, Asansol, Bareilly, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Delhi, Ernakulam - Kochi, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hubballi (Hubli), Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Madurai, Meerut, Mumbai, Mysuru (Mysore), Nashik, Noida, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Rourkela, Shillong, Shimla, Silchar, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Vellore and Vijayawada
Top MBA Entrance Exams: Eligibility Criteria for Reserved category students and application fee
Listed below in the table is information on eligibility criteria and application fees of top MBA entrance exams for SC/ST/PwD candidates.
| Exam Name |
Eligibility |
Application Fees |
|---|---|---|
| The minimum aggregate required in graduation for SC/ST/PwD candidates is 45% For the General category, it is 50% |
The application fee for SC/ST /PwD candidates is INR 1,250 Application fee for General & NC-OBC candidates is INR 2,500 |
|
| Minimum 50% aggregate in graduation for all candidates |
Application fee for all students is INR 2,200 |
|
| Minimum 45%aggregate in graduation for Reserved category 50% for aggregate General category candidates |
Application fee for reserved category students is INR 1250 Application fee General Category students (Female) is INR 1250 Application fee General Category students (Male) is INR 2500 |
|
| Minimum 45% aggregate in graduation for Reserved category 50% for General category |
Application fee for all students is INR 2,250 |
|
| Minimum 50% aggregate in graduation for all |
Application fee for all students is INR 3000 plus taxes |
|
| No minimum marks are required to apply |
Application fee for all students is INR 2200 for all candidates (One attempt) |
|
| Minimum 50% aggregate in graduation for all |
Application fee for all students is INR 2000 for all candidates 25% concession for women candidates and 50% concession for candidates belonging to the seven northeastern states |
|
| Minimum 50% aggregate in graduation for all |
Application fee for all students is INR 1800 |
|
| Minimum 50% aggregate in graduation for all |
Application fee for all students is INR 2100 for all candidates |
|
| Minimum 45% aggregate in graduation for candidates of backward class categories and PwD belonging to Maharashtra State only) 50 per cent marks for General category |
Application fee for General Category Maharashtra State, Outside Maharashtra State and J&K Migrant candidates is INR 1000 Application fee for Reserved Category & Physically Handicapped Candidates belonging to Maharashtra State is INR 800 |
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Top MBA Colleges in India with NIRF Ranking 2024
Candidates can refer the table below to know the list of Top MBA colleges in India with NIRF ranking along with the MBA entrance exam score accepted:
| College Name | NIRF 2024 | MBA Exam Score Accepted |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Ahmedabad | 1 | CAT |
| Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Bangalore | 2 | CAT |
| Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Kozhikode | 3 | CAT |
| Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Delhi | 4 | CAT |
| Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Calcutta | 5 | CAT |
| IIM Mumbai (formerly known as NITIE) | 6 | CAT |
| Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Lucknow | 7 | CAT |
| Indian Institute of Management, (IIM) Indore | 8 | CAT |
| XLRI-Xavier School of Management | 9 | XAT |
| Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | 10 | CAT |
For admission to top MBA institutes in India candidates must ensure to fulfill the prescribe eligibility criteria and provide the required documents in case of reserved category.
MAT score is valid for admission for the same academic year in which the candidate has taken the exam. For example, MAT 2025 score will be valid for admission for 2025-2026 MBA batch only. If a candidate wishes to drop a year after taking the MAT exam, then they will have to appear for the exam once again next year. They should however check the eligibility or selection criteria to have a clarity of MAT score of which session/phase is valid for admission in which academic year. For example, for 2025 academic session MAT September and MAT December scores will be valid for admission to some MBA colleges who have the admission cycle of January-February. Whereas, colleges who conduct admission in March-May accept MAT February exam scores for admission. To simplify, MAT test takers must not try to use their score for admission more than one year after appearing for it. They should appear for it again and use the latest score for admission.
Yes, XLRI Jamshedpur accepts XAT scores for admission to PGDM programmes. Candidates can also apply with a valid socre in GMAT/ GRE for PGDM GM programme. Those who score equal or above XAT cutoff is selected for further rounds. Selected candidates are further called for group discussion and/ or personal interview.
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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Comments
(5)
No, IIMs do not accept MAT score for MBA Admission. They only accept CAT score for admission to their MBA/PGP programmes. However, MAT score is accepted by over 700 MBA colleges in India including: Amity University GL Bajaj Institute of Management & Research Christ University GITAM Institute of Management JIMS Rohini Jain University Taxila Business School, Jaipur SRM University Birla Institute of Management Technology Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Tezpur University Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India IIFM Bhopal YMCA.