XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026 - Check Educational Qualification, Age Limit, Work Experience

Xavier Aptitude Test 2026 ( XAT )

DeskCalelnderRegistration - 10 Jul '25 - 5 Dec '25

Vipra
Vipra Shrivastava
Senior Manager - Content
Updated on Jul 27, 2025 09:01 IST

XAT eligibility criteria is Graduation or equivalent degree from a recognised university. if you are planning to appear for XAT 2026 exam, you must check the minimum eligibility criteria before applying for it. Read here complete eligibility criteria for XAT 2026.

XAT eligibility criteria

XAT eligibility criteria is the minimum academic requirement to be fulfilled by candidates for admission MBA/PGDM courses offered by XLRI Jamshedpur and XAT participating colleges including the XAMI members and other 700 B-Schools. XAT 2026 aspirants must check the eligibility criteria and other academic requirements before preparing and applying. Candidates who will not meet the XAT eligibility criteria (academic requirement) will not be selected for admission, irrespective of whether they have appeared for the exam or not. 

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The XAT eligibility criteria 2026 refers to academic qualification i.e. graduation degree and also, age restrictions, attempts/chances for XAT exam and also eligible documents for appearing in the test. Candidates filling XAT 2026 application form can check here the eligibility criteria and other instructions.

XAT 2026 exam will be conducted by XLRI Jamshedpur on January 4, 2026. The exam will be held in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode at various exam centres in 73 cities across India. XAT 2026 registration started on July 10 and the application submission last date is December 5, 2025. Take a look at detailed XAT eligibility criteria for 2026 batch.  

Table of content
  • XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026
  • Age Limit for XAT 2026
  • XAT Eligibility Criteria for XLRI courses
  • XAT Selection Criteria 2026

XAT Eligibility Criteria 2026

The eligibility criteria of XAT 2026 to fulfill for admission to all XAMI member colleges and other B-schools accepting XAT score are as mentioned below –

  • Candidates must have a three-year bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any discipline from a recognized university
  • Candidates appearing for final year examination of the bachelor's degree course or are awaiting their results can also apply for XAT exam.
  • Candidates appearing in final examination or awaiting results must provide their bachelor's degree certificate and mark sheet by the end of the admission year
  • Some of the XAT accepting colleges may have the minimum score criteria of 50 percent in Graduation (45 percent for Reserved category candidates).

Age Limit for XAT 2026

There is no age limit for XAT and candidates can apply irrespective of their age. Both fresh graduates as well as working professionals can apply for XAT exam.

XAT Eligibility Criteria for XLRI courses

Candidates seeking admission to programmes offered by XLRI can check below eligibility for each course –

Business Management and Human Resource Management

  • Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent of three-year duration in any discipline from any university as recognised by Central or State legislature or from an institute approved by AICTE are eligible to apply.
  • If candidates are appearing for final year examination then their last exam should be over by June 10, 2026.

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General Management

  • Candidates seeking admission to the General Management Programme offered by XLRI must have obtained a three-year bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized University in India or abroad.
  • Candidates should be a full-time employee after completing their bachelor's degree.
  • Candidates must have a minimum of five years of significant managerial experience as on March 31, 2023, in any organisation in either of the sectors i.e. public, private or non-governmental.

XAT Selection Criteria 2026

As per selection criteria  of XAT accepting colleges, candidates will be shortlisted on the basis of exam score and Essay Writing, Personal Interview and Group Discussions. XLRI conducts only Essay Writing and Personal Interview for MBA admission. Besides that, academic qualification, relevant work experience and extracurricular activities will also be considered for preparing final admission list. Candidates meeting all the criteria will be offered admissions for academic session 2026-2028.

XLRI accepts students on the basis of GMAT scores, also. Those who have appeared in GMAT exam need not appear in XAT to be eligible for admission. They can apply for admission to XLRI on the basis of GMAT score.

Also Read:

Eligibility for admission to XLRI courses through GMAT scores

GMAT score is essentially accepted in case of NRI and foreign candidates. Check below detailed XLRI eligibility criteria for admission through GMAT.

  • All NRI and Foreign candidates seeking admissions to XLRI offered courses and other associate B-schools will have to apply through their GMAT exam scores only. The GMAT scores are valid only if obtained between December 01, 2020, and December 31, 2025.
  • However, candidates applying through GMAT scores also need to register for XAT 2026 as it is a mandatory step in admission process
  • Indian candidates seeking admission through GMAT scores are eligible to apply only for General Management programme
  • NRI and Foreign candidates can apply for General Management, Business Management and Human Resource Management offered by XLRI.

Read More:

XAT Question Paper PDFs

XAT Exam Syllabus 2026

XAT Exam Pattern 2026

XAT Preparation 2026

XAT Mock Tests for Practice

XAT Preparation Books

Q:   What is the XAT eligibility criteria?
A:

Since XAT is a post-graduation course exam, the minimum eligibility criterion is bachelor’s degree. There is no minimum marks requirement in graduation for XAT. All that a candidate need is a bachelor’s degree of minimum three-year duration or equivalent in any discipline from a university recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Students in their final year of bachelor's degree or awaiting their results are also eligible to appear for the XAT exam. Working professionals having graduation or post-graduation degree and candidates with professional degrees (CA/CS) are also eligible to apply.

However, candidates must note that colleges accepting XAT score for admission have the eligibility criteria of minimum 50 per cent in graduation (45 per cent for Reserved category students). Thus, aspirants, must aim to score above 50 percent in their bachelor’s degree programme.

Q:   How can I apply for XLRI Delhi Campus BM programme?
A:

Candidates can apply for XLRI Delhi's Business Management programme on the official website by selecting the course and campus option while filling the XAT application form which is released in the first week of August every year. If they do not mention XLRI Delhi has their preferred exam in the XAT application form, they will not be eligible for admission to the institute. Candidates must remember that there is no separate application form for XLRI PGDM programmes, so they need to make the selection of institute in the XAT application form only. There is no option to edit the field in the form later so candidates must mention the institute in the XAT application form. There is no provision of filling the admission form after the exam or after result announcement.

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Answered 3 weeks ago

XLRI Jamshedpur considers XAT scores for admission to PGDM programmes. Those who are seeking admission in PGDM BM, PGDM HRM and Double Masters Degree in Supply Chain Management and logistics (PGDM & MS) requires XAT scores. Aspirants can also apply for admission to General Management programme (PGDM

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Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered 3 weeks ago

Candidates who are applying for XAT have to pay an application fee. Aspirants have to pay INR 2,200 to apply for XAT. Candidates can pay the fee via any of the online payment modes. Aspirants have to pay INR 200 each for every additional programme of XLRI. 

N

Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered 3 weeks ago

XLRI Delhi accepts XAT scores for admission to PGDM programme. Aspirants seeking admission in PGDM Business Management are offered seat only via their XAT scores. For PGDM IEV, candidates can also take admission without XAT based on their scores in CAT, MAT, GMAT, etc. Candidates have to register on

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Nishtha Shukla

Guide-Level 15

Answered 3 weeks ago

No, you cannot use the score of XAT 2025 for admission to 2026 batch at XLRI as the validity of exam score is one year only. Thus, you will have to appear for XAT 2026 exam if you plan to pursue MBA from XLRI in 2026. The registration process for XAT 2026 is open and the last date to apply is Decemb

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Aarushi Hazarika

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 weeks ago

The total course fee of full time MBA at XLRI is INR 28 Lacs according to Shiksha. The fee is to be paid semester wise. The first installment is to be paid at the time of admission. The XLRI course fee includes tuition fees, hostel and mess charges, caution money, library chargers and other miscella

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Nishtha Shukla

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 3 weeks ago

There is no process of applying for multiple XAT accepting colleges through one form because there is no common counselling for XAT. Candidates have to apply to the colleges of their choice individually. They must keep in mind the application last date so they don't miss out on it. Also, they must c

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Anya B

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

No, the XAT entrance exam 2025 has already been concluded for PGDM admissions at SOIM. However, the registration dates for the XAT 2026 entrance exam are soon getting announced. Candidateswho are interested in appearing for XAT to gain admissions in the PGDM course at SOIM are advised to visit the o

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Saurabh Khanduri

Contributor-Level 10

Answered a month ago

XAT cut off different for male and female candidates to promote diversity in the candidate pool. However, the difference in cut offs is not too big. There's usually a difference of 1 or 2 percentile between XAT cut offs for male candidate and female candidate. Infact, the difference is not limited t

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Esha Singh

Contributor-Level 6

Answered a month ago

XAT score is the only examination score accepted for domestic candidates for admission to full-time MBA programmes offered by XLRI Jamshedpur. Check below the stages of XLRI MBA admission through XAT.

1. Apply for XAT exam

2. Appear for XAT exam

3. Participate in AEW/PI round

3. Final selection list rel

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Manisha Singh

Contributor-Level 6

Answered 2 months ago

Yes, you can apply for Jagannath University, Haryana MBA 2025 using XAT scores. Students first need to ensure that they qualify for the eligibility criteria for MBA programme and XAT exam. Secondly, register yourself for the XAT exam. Generally, the registration window starts in July and is availabl

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Ms Shruti Gupta

Contributor-Level 10