Abhishek
Abhishek Dhawan
Assistant Manager – Editorial Content
Updated on Jun 30, 2025 11:04 IST
Indian Institutes of Management collectively has more than 5500 seats for admission. Out of the total seats, 3,491 seats belong to the open category, 809 seats belong to the OBC categories, 538 seats are reserved for SC/ST categories, and the remaining seats are left for EWS and PwD categories.

Competition to secure a seat at IIM is high. IIMs follow a reservation criteria set as per the laws issued by Government of India. Read this article for a clear picture of OBC reserved seats in different IIM colleges.

OBC category seats at IIMs

OBC Seats at IIMs

OBC category seats at IIMs: Indian Institutes of Management collectively has more than 5500 seats for admission. Out of the total seats at IIMs, 3,491 seats belong to the open category, 809 seats belong to the OBC categories, 538 seats are reserved for SC/ST categories, and the remaining seats are left for EWS and PwD categories.

Explore colleges based on CAT

Ahmedabad
#1 NIRF
₹12.00 L
Bangalore
#2 NIRF
₹20.00 L
Kozhikode
#3 NIRF
₹14.00 L
Pune
₹9.50 L

Want better recommendations?

There is a 90% more chance of getting best college recommendations by sharing preferences.
Delhi
#4 NIRF
₹12.00 L
Indore
₹12.50 L
Lucknow
#5 NIRF
₹12.60 L
Gurgaon
₹86.00 K
Kolkata
#7 NIRF
₹27.00 L
Mumbai
#6 NIRF
₹14.00 L
Confused about which college or exam to opt for?assitentRcpRhsImage
  • Chat with our counselor
  • Get your personalised list of colleges & exams matching your preferences
View allCollections

With a highly competitive exam, candidates having a valid category certificate have a better chance of securing seat reserved under a category for admission based on the CAT exam. Taking this into consideration, Shiksha is back with an updated list on the seats available in the PGP programs of the IIMs for Other Backward Caste (OBC) candidates. 

Q:   Can an average student get into an IIM?
A:

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.

Q:   How can I get into IIM Visakhapatnam without CAT?
A:

To qualify for IIM Visakhapatnam admission to the MBA programme, CAT is mandatory. So getting into IIM Visakhapatnam without CAT is not possible. Overall candidates need to acquire a valid CAT score in order to apply to PGP or MBA programme. Candidates seeking admission to PGP at IIM Visakhapatnam are first required to apply for the CAT exam. Candidates must visit the official website of CAT to register. The registration process requires to upload required documents and submitting a fee of INR 1,200 for SC/ ST/ PwD category candidates and INR 2,400 for other category candidates. 

Q:   How can I join IIM Amritsar?
A:

Candidates willing to take admission in courses offered at IIM Amritsar must fulfil the required eligibity criteria for that particular course. IIM Amritsar courses admissions are completely entrance exam based. 

IIM Amritsar offers a two-year full-time MBA programme. Candidates aspiring to take admission in MBA programme at IIM Amritsar must possess a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 50% aggregate (45% for reserved categories). Also, candidates should have a valid CAT score based on which they will get shortlisted for the personal interview (PI) round.

Selected candidates will have to report to the admission cell at IIM Amritsar for document verification and fee payment for final seat allotment.

IIM Amritsar offers a two-year hybrid mode Executive MBA programme. Interested candidates must have a UG degree in any domain with a minimum of 50% aggregate (45% aggregate for reserved categories). Besides, having UG degree, candidates should also have a three-years of work experience. Also, candidates should have a valid score in CAT/ GRE/ GMAT/ GATE exam followed by a PI round. Candidates can also appear for IAAT conducted by IIM Amritsar EMBA. For other courses, admission is based on entrance-exam.

Although we have tried to be as much precise as possible, there may be few cases where seat availability could slightly vary. Such IIMs are yet to update exact figures for the upcoming session. We have put to use the government quota norms and have tried to update equivalent seats for OBC category students in PGP program.

Check Category Wise IIM Seats 2024
Total IIM Seats for General Category Total IIM Seats for General Category Total IIM Seats for SC/ST Category

Let’s begin with IIM Ahmedabad. Widely acclaimed for producing top business leaders and entrepreneurs, the Post Graduate Master’s Degree Program offered by the college has always been top priority for aspirants.

Some of the alumni of IIM-A include Raghuram Rajan (Former RBI Governor), K.V Kamath (Chief of BRICS Bank), and Ajaypal Singh Banga (CEO of Mastercard) among many other eminent names. Not only in India but the premier institute is one of the top ranked B-schools worldwide. It has 104 seats in PGP (now rechristened MBA) program reserved for OBC candidates.

Explore more MBA exams with upcoming dates

JAGMAT result declaration

16 Jan '26

NMAT 2025 Exam Date (Additiona...

13 Jan '26 - 17 Jan '26

XAT 2026 result

17 Jan '26

MU BAAT 2026 Round 3 Exam

29 Nov '25 - 19 Jan '26

XIM MBA Registration via other...

30 Sep '25 - 20 Jan '26

SP JAT 2026 Registration

22 Jan '26

SRCC GBO Registration 2026

15 Dec '25 - 23 Jan '26

Amrita CAT 2026 Registration Dates

6 Oct '25 - 26 Jan '26

OJEE 2026 registrations

31 Jan '26

Moving to our next IIM in the list, let’s talk about another top ranked oneIIM Bangalore. Located in one of the most beautiful cities of India, IIM Bangalore has always been among the favourite business schools for aspirants. The college has an outstanding placement record and has seen many business tycoons as its alumni.

Some of the alumni of IIM-B include K. Radhakrishnan (Former ISRO Chairman), Ravi Subramanian (Author of many bestsellers), and Nila Madhab Panda (Film Producer) among many others. It has 103 seats reserved for OBC candidates in the PGP (now called MBA) program, almost equal to its peer - IIM Ahmedabad.

Next in the list comes the IIM with the largest number of seats among all 20 campuses – IIM Calcutta. The college is placed among top 3 business schools, IIM ABC, in India. It has impeccable placement records. The institute has produced some of the best brains in business world.

Some of the alumni of IIM-C include Ajith Balakrishnan (Founder of Rediff), Indra Nooyi (Former CEO of Pepsi), and Amish Tripathi (Author of many bestsellers) among many others. It has 125 seats reserved for OBC candidates in the flagship PGP (now renamed MBA) program.

IIM-Wise OBC Seats

Go through the list given below to have detailed information on the OBC seats in different IIM colleges:

IIMs

Seats for OBC candidates

IIM Lucknow

113

IIM Indore

122

IIM Kozhikode

102

IIM Shillong

32

IIM Ranchi

32

IIM Rohtak

32

IIM Raipur

32

IIM Trichy

28

IIM Udaipur

32

IIM Kashipur

25

IIM Nagpur

33

IIM Vishakhapatnam

37*

IIM Sambalpur

37*

IIM Sirmaur

17*

IIM Jammu

38*

IIM Amritsar

33*

IIM Bodh Gaya

33*

Total

1110

Asterisk (*) has been put on the number of seats to give a clear picture about colleges wherein number of seats can vary slightly.

Total Seats at IIMs

The table below mentions the total seats offered by all the IIMs:

Name of IIM Total number of Seats
IIM Ahmedabad (IIM A) 385
IIM Amritsar 240
IIM Bangalore (IIM B) 565
IIM Bodh Gaya (IIM BG) 120
IIM Calcutta (IIM C) 462
IIM Indore (IIM I) 450+150
IIM Jammu 120
IIM Kashipur 210
IIM Kozhikode 525
IIM Lucknow (IIM L) 490
IIM Mumbai 550
IIM Nagpur 240
IIM Raipur 210
IIM Ranchi 210+150
IIM Rohtak 240+60
IIM Sambalpur 120
IIM Shillong 180
IIM Sirmaur 170
IIM Tiruchirappalli 210
IIM Udaipur 150
IIM Vishakhapatnam (IIM Vizag) 120

Hopefully, the list will be helpful for those OBC candidates who have been doing all sorts of research in order to have an idea of seat availability in different IIM colleges. For such IIM updates, stay tuned to Shiksha.

Read More:

Videos you may like
About the Author
author-image
Abhishek Dhawan
Assistant Manager – Editorial Content

Abhishek is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He completed his graduation from University of Delhi with a BA Degree. At Shiksha.com, he handles content for MBA, BBA, an

Read Full Bio
Download Important Dates for MBA/PGDM Exams

News & Updates

Latest NewsPopular News

Explore Other Exams

Jan '26

XAT 2026 result

Jan '26

XAT 2026 Cut Offs Release

9 Jan '26

SNAP 2025 result announcement

20 Dec '25

SNAP 2025 session 3

13 Jan '26 -

17 Jan '26

NMAT 2025 Exam Date (Additiona...

5 Jan '26 -

10 Jan '26

NMAT 2025 Scheduling (Addition...

17 Oct '24 -

5 Dec '24

IIFT 2025 registration and app...

23 Feb '26

MAT Feb 2026 PBT Registration ...

26 Feb '26

MAT Feb 2026 PBT admit card

14 Feb '26 -

22 Feb '26

IBSAT 2025 Selection Process

30 Dec '25

IBSAT 2025 Result

25 Jan '26

CMAT 2026 exam

26 Nov '25 -

28 Nov '25

CMAT 2026 form correction

10 Jan '26 -

12 Feb '26

MAH MBA CET 2026 registration

7 Apr '26 -

8 Apr '26

MAH MBA CET 2026 exam

Jan '26

TANCET registration window

Mar '26

TANCET admit card download

Mar '25

IRMASAT 2025 Final Result Anno...

Feb '25

IRMASAT Personal Interviews

The list of exams are recommended based on what other exams do the students in your area show interest in
qna

Student Forum

chatAnything you would want to ask experts?
Write here...

Answered 9 hours ago

GIBS (GIBS Business School) encourages people who have completed either the National Level Entrance Exam (or all of these exams) and taken other state-level exams - such as the CAT, XAT, MAT, CMAT, GMAT, ATMA, and the State CET exam - to apply for PGDM (Post Graduate Diploma in Management) and MBA (

...Read more

M

Mohammed Maqsood

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 10 hours ago

No, CAT is not mandatory for School of Business and Management, Christ University MBA admissions. Students can alternatively submit scores of other national-level management exams. These include MAT/ XAT/ CMAT/ ATMA and GMAT/ GRE are also accepted.

S

Sanjana Srivastava

Contributor-Level 10

Answered 4 days ago

You can download your CDAC C-CAT 2026 response sheet by logging in to the official C-DAC Candidate Portal using your form number and password.

R

Rashmi Karan

Contributor-Level 9

Answered 5 days ago

Yes, JAGSoM accepts CAT scores as part of its multi-stage admission process. Candidates are shortlisted for selection rounds based on their entrance exam scores.

B

Bhumika Sharma

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a week ago

No, CAT scores are not important for admission to the MBA course at the School of Business, Sushant University. As per the info. taken from the website of the university, it conducts its own entrance exam for enrollment into the MBA course.

 
 

C

Chanchal Gaurav

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

RGIPT allows admission without CAT/XAT/GMAT/CMAT/MAT/CUET-PG score under two circumstances. First, you should be a company-sponsored candidate. Second, if you belong to part time registration category. You will still have to fulfil the remaining eligibility criteria. 

J

Jaya Sharma

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

Candidates with a valid score of CAT/ GMAT/ GRE score are exempted from the written test. These candidates still need to complete the form by paying the application fees. However, these aspirants may get called for the IIM Trichy - Chennai campus PGPBM interview round. 

A

Aishwarya Kumari

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

CAT is one of the accepting exams for admission to PGDM at IPE Hyderabad. Candidates with a good score in CAT can also get a scholarship. However, CAT is not mandatory. Aspirants with a score in MAT, XAT, ATMA, GMAT or CMAT exams can also get admission in the PGDM course.

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered a week ago

No, candidates who wish to apply for the Global MBA course at Lexicon MILE are required to clear the LAT conducted by Lexicon MILE. The CAT exam score at Lexicon MILE is only used for deciding the PGDM admissions along with several other entrance exams.

S

Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a week ago

CAT is one of the accepting exams for MBA admission at Karunya School of Management. However, it is not compulsory. Aspirants can also apply through XAT, MAT or KMAT scores. Candidates must also complete graduation to apply for MBA at KSM Coimbatore.

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15