SC & ST Category Seats in IIMs for MBA
Common Admission Test 2026 ( CAT )
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29 Nov '26
Getting into an IIM is a primary goal for many MBA candidates, though only a small percentage secure admission to these prestigious institutions. This guide offers essential details specifically for SC and ST applicants regarding seat allocation across various campuses.
IIM Seats for SC & ST Categories
SC & ST Category Seats in IIMs for MBA: Indian Institutes of Management grant MBA entry using CAT results. All 21 locations adhere to a unified reservation strategy mandated by the Government of India. The proportion of seats for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students remains consistent, regardless of the overall class size. This guide provides the specific distribution of spots for these applicants. While seat counts might fluctuate slightly during different admission cycles based on vacancy shifts, the following data is calculated using current national guidelines. Scroll down for further information on SC & ST Category seats in IIMs for MBA.
| Check Category Wise IIM Seats | ||
| Total IIM Seats for General Category | Total IIM Seats for General Category | Total IIM Seats for OBC Category |
- SC & ST Category Seats in IIMs for MBA
- IIM Reservation Policy
- MBA Admission Process at IIMs
SC & ST Category Seats in IIMs for MBA
IIM Ahmedabad provides 58 spots for SC students and 29 for ST students. IIM Bangalore follows a nearly identical pattern with 57 SC and 29 ST positions. IIM Calcutta, a premier member of the "old IIM" trio, features the largest student intake. Established in 1961, it has produced notable leaders like Sunil Alagh and Ajit Balakrishnan. It offers 69 reserved seats for SC and 35 for ST candidates. Review the campus-wise seat distribution in the table below:
| IIM Institute |
Seats for SC candidates |
Seats for ST candidates |
|---|---|---|
| 58 |
29 |
|
| IIM Bangalore |
57 |
29 |
| IIM Calcutta |
69 |
37 |
| 63 |
32 |
|
| 68 |
34 |
|
| 56 |
28 |
|
| 18 |
10 |
|
| 18 |
10 |
|
| 18 |
10 |
|
| 18 |
10 |
|
| 15 |
8 |
|
| 18 |
10 |
|
| 14 |
7 |
|
| 18 |
9 |
|
| 20 |
10 |
|
| 20 |
10 |
|
| 9 |
5 |
|
| 21 |
11 |
|
| 18 |
9 |
|
| 18 |
9 |
|
| Total |
614 |
317 |
Asterisks (*) indicate campuses where specific seat numbers may experience minor adjustments.
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IIM Reservation Policy
The distribution of seats across categories is governed by these percentages:
| Category |
IIM Reservation Criteria |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Castes (SC) |
15 |
| Scheduled Tribes (ST) |
7.5 |
| Other Backward Classes – Non-Creamy Layer (OBC-NCL) |
27 |
| Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) |
10 |
| Total |
59.5 |
Understanding these figures is vital for estimating required CAT cutoffs for different institutes.
MBA Admission Process at IIMs
The first step towards getting into the IIMs is taking the CAT exam. The next steps are Written Ability Test (WAT) and Personal Interview (PI). The WAT and PI are the main selection criteria of IIM MBA admission. Candidates who meet the CAT cut off, are shortlisted for WAT and PI. Final selection for IIM admission is based on candidate's overall profile - CAT exam score, academic score, work experience, category and WAT and PI score.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 14 hours ago
The registrations for the exam generally start from the month of August and continue till September. The admit cards are released by November. Exam is conducted usually by last week of November. Students can download their results by December.
B
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
Yes, COEP, Pune does accept CAT score to admit candidates for MBA admissions. During CAP rounds, if candidates have a valid score in CAT, they will be chosen based on those scores only. Thus, such candidates are not required to reappear for MAH-CET.
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 2 days ago
No, to gain admission to the MBA course at this university, candidates have to either attempt the CAT or other accepted exams (MAT, SUAT, etc.) and then appear in the Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) rounds.
Students are shortlisted for the GD and PI rounds based on their performa
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
IIT Madras CAT cutoff 2025 is generally not released to the public and is instead only visible to students with login credentials.
Based on the previous year's estimated CAT cutoff for the General AI category, the overall CAT percentile was 85.11.
Note: The cutoff data provided is not official. It i
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 5 days ago
No, you cannot get direct admission to the MBA course based on the CAT score. A valid CAT score only gets you eligible to apply for the management course.
To secure your spot for the course, you have to first attain the accepted CAT cutoff and get shortlisted for the multi-stage selection process, wh
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 6 days ago
No, CAT is not a mandatory entrance exam for MBA admissions at Pratibha Institute of Business Management. Candidates who want to apply for MBA courses cal also appear for MH -CET, XAT, MAT, GMAT and CMAT. However, appearing in any one of these exams is a mandatory requirement for MBA at Pratibha Ins
S
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
To get admission at IIT Kanpur for the MBA/PGDM course, candidates have to secure a CAT percentile of at least 90 if they belong to the General AI category.
Candidates who clear the exam cutoff are then eligible to take part in the Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). Students who pass
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
IIT Kanpur provides the MBA course based on the student's performance in the CAT exam. In 2025, the overall CAT percentile was 90 for the General AI category candidates. For more information, refer to the table below. The cutoff provided below is for the General AI category.
| Section | IIT Kanpur MBA cutoff 2025 |
|---|---|
| Overall | 90 |
| Quants | 50 |
| VA-RC | 50 |
| DI-LR | 50 |
Note: The cutoff provid
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
No, to get admission at IIT Roorkee for the MBA/PGDM course, students have to first attempt the CAT entrance examination and attain a valid percentile. Those students who clear the cutoff are then eligible to move to the second round of admission, which involves PI (Personal Interview).
Students who
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
Aspirants must have more than 70 percentile in CAT for admission in MBA programme of Department of Management Studies, NALSAR University. Such aspirants do not have to appear for NMET (PG) conducted by DoMS for admission.
N
Guide-Level 15
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
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