CAT 2025 Cutoff for IIMs and Top Colleges: Check Category-wise Cut offs

Common Admission Test 2026 ( CAT )

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CAT 2026 application start date

3 Aug '26

Abhishek Dhawan
Updated on Jul 28, 2026 23:57 IST

By Abhishek Dhawan, Deputy Manager - MBA & BBA Content

CAT cutoffs 2025 for top IIMs such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, IIM Lucknow and IIM Kozhikode are 99.97+ percentile for General category students For SC/ST/PwD category candidates the CAT 2025 cutoffs are slightly lower. For non-IIMs, the minimum CAT cutoff 2025 are around 94 percentile. In Tier 2 MBA colleges, CAT cutoffs are around 70-80 percentile and above and in Tier 3 MBA colleges the CAT cutoffs usually around 60-70 percentile and above. Read below all about CAT 2025 cutoffs.

Table of contents
  • Factors Determining CAT Cut Offs 2025
  • CAT 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule
  • CAT 2025 Cut Offs for IIM Admission
  • CAT Cut Offs 2025 for Top MBA Colleges (Non-IIM)
  • CAT Cut Off 2025: Score vs Percentile
  • Previous Years' CAT Cut Off of Top IIMs
  • CAT Cutoffs 2025: IIM Admission and Selection Criteria
  • FAQs on IIM CAT Cutoff
View More
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Factors Determining CAT Cut Offs 2025

CAT cutoff percentiles for MBA/PGP programmes at every institute are determined based on various factors that influence the exam results. Some of the factors that determine IIM cutoffs, are mentioned below:

  • Difficulty level of the CAT exam

  • Number of aspirants who appeared for the exam 

  • Number of aspirants who cleared the exam

  • Previous years' trends of CAT cutoff
  • Number of seats in a particular institute

  • All India ranking of the institute

CAT cutoffs never fall drastically. For example, in top-rated colleges like IIMs, the cutoffs have always been above 99.95 percentile for GEM candidates. In colleges like SPJIMR, MDI or FMS, the cutoffs have remained between 95-97 percentile. In tier 2 colleges, the CAT cutoffs remain in 70-80 percentile range, year on year. 

CAT 2026 Exam Dates & Schedule

Take a look at the table below for the complete schedule of CAT 2026 exam

DatesUpcoming Exam Dates
Dec ' 26

CAT 2026 result announcement

TENTATIVE
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CAT 2025 Cut Offs for IIM Admission

The CAT qualifying cut offs are the minimum score requirement for PI shortlisting. For all IIMs the qualifying cut offs are same this year. But, IIM Ahmedabad CAT 2025 cut off has increased from 80 percentile to 95 percentile.

IIM

Qualifying CAT cut offs 2025

IIM Ahmedabad

95

IIM Bangalore

85

IIM Calcutta

85

IIM Lucknow

90

IIM Indore

90

IIM Kozhikode

85

IIM Amritsar

90

IIM Nagpur

94

IIM Sambalpur

94

IIM Trichy

94

IIM Raipur

94

IIM Ranchi

92

IIM Kashipur

94

IIM Vizag

82

IIM Udaipur

94

IIM Bodhgaya

94

IIM Shillong

75

IIM Sirmaur

94

IIM Rohtak

95

IIM Mumbai

85

IIM Jammu

94

What is IIM CAT qualifying cut off?

CAT qualifying cut off is the minimum percentile required for PI-WAT round. Candidates who meet the qualifying cut off, are eligible for selection to the WAT-PI round. Actual selection is done on higher cut offs. The qualifying CAT cut off is much lower than final cut off. For example, the qualifying CAT cut off for IIM Bangalore is 80 percentile but the final CAT cut off is 99.95 percentile and above.

IIM CAT Cut Offs (Final)

Final cut offs for 2026 batch admission were released after the announcement of CAT 2025 result. The final CAT cut offs are however not revealed publically. Presented below are the estimated CAT cut off percentiles for General category students for admission to the top 21 IIMs. These cut off percentiles should be seen as reference only.

IIMs

*CAT cut offs 2025 (percentile)

IIM Ahmedabad

99-100

IIM Bangalore 

99-100

IIM Calcutta

99 

IIM Lucknow

97-98

IIM Indore

97-98

IIM Kozhikode

97-98

IIM Amritsar

95-96

IIM Nagpur

95-96

IIM Sambalpur

95-96

IIM Trichy

94-95

IIM Raipur

94-95 

IIM Ranchi

94-95 

IIM Kashipur

94-95 

IIM Vizag

92-94 

IIM Rohtak

92-94 

IIM Udaipur

92-94

IIM Bodhgaya

92-94 

IIM Shillong

90

IIM Sirmaur

90

IIM Jammu

90

IIM Mumbai

90

 

MBA in Food and Agri Business Management (MBA-FABM) : CAT 2025 Overall Percentile (General-All India)Accordion Icon V3
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MBA in Food and Agri Business Management (MBA-FABM) : CAT 2025 Overall Percentile (General-All India)
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IIM Ahmedabad - Indian Institute of Management9999
IIM Lucknow - Indian Institute of Management9797
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MBA in Food and Agri Business Management (MBA-FABM) in IIMs : CAT 2025 Overall Percentile (General-All India)
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IIM Ahmedabad - Indian Institute of Management999999
IIM Lucknow - Indian Institute of Management979797
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CAT Cut Offs 2025 for Top MBA Colleges (Non-IIM)

The CAT 2025 cut offs for top MBA colleges are lower than the top IIMs but still high at 95 percentile and above. There are some top ranked MBA colleges that have CAT cut offs in 70-80 percentiles too. Presented below are CAT 2025 cut off percentiles for General category students for admission to some of the top MBA colleges (non-IIM) in 2025. 

Top MBA College *CAT 2025 Cut Offs (percentile)

FMS, Delhi

98-99

IIFT Delhi

95-99

SPJIMR, Mumbai

95-99

IMT, Ghaziabad

95-97

JBIMS, Mumbai

96

MDI, Gurgaon

97-99

IMI, New Delhi

90

XIM, Bhubaneshwar

91

GIM Goa

85

K J Somaiya, Mumbai

86

TAPMI, Manipal

80

FORE, New Delhi

85

IFMR, Chennai

80

IRMA, Anand

80

MICA, Ahmedabad

80

LIBA, Chennai

70

XIME, Bangalore

70

 

*Note: These cut offs are based on previous years' trends. CAT cut offs for upcoming session can be higher. 

Check out: Latest CAT Question Papers for Download

List of MBA Colleges - CAT Cut Off Percentile Range

More than 1,300 MBA colleges accept the CAT score. Every college determines CAT cut off for admission individually. You can check the college you are likely to get with your CAT percentile from the links given in the below tbale. 

Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 60-70

Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 70-80

Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 80-90

Colleges Accepting CAT percentile above 85

Colleges Accepting CAT percentile from 50-60

Got a Low Score in CAT, Don't Fret You Can Still Get a Good MBA College

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
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CAT Cut Off 2025: Score vs Percentile

For admission to MBA courses, B-Schools consider CAT percentile. It is calculated from the scaled scores of all test takers. The CAT scaled score is arrived at after normalization of raw scores. Score normalization is done to ensure no candidate across exam shifts has any advantage or disadvantage due to varied difficulty level of the test papers. 

A high CAT score may not convert into high percentile if a large number of candidates have scored the same or higher. However, an estimation can be calculated based on number of test takers and difficulty level of CAT exam for that year. Check the table below to know estimated range of CAT score vs CAT percentile 2025 (courtesy IMS India):

Percentile

VARC Score

DILR Score

QA Score

Overall

99.9

51

46

48

122

99.5

44

39

40

103

99

40

34

33

90

98

34

31

30

81

95

30

26

25

70

90

23

19

18

53

85

19

15

16

45

80

17

13

14

40

75

15

11

12

34

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Previous Years' CAT Cut Off of Top IIMs

Here are previous years CAT cut offs for some of the IIMs. This data has been obtained from official website and through RTI. Over the years, the CAT cut offs have increased for these IIMs. 

CAT 2019 Cut Off

IIM Bodh Gaya's CAT cut off percentiles in 2019 was 91 percentile for General category. Check the table below for CAT sectional cutoffs for IIM Bodh Gaya's WAT-PI round 2019 for all categories:

IIM Bodh Gaya cut off 2019 for male candidates

Category

Overall CAT cut off

QA

DILR

VARC

General

91

80

80

80

EWS

70

60

60

60

NC-OBC

73

60

60

60

SC

50

45

45

45

ST

38

30

30

30

PWD

35

30

30

30

IIM Bodh Gaya cut off 2020 for female candidates

Category

Overall CAT cut off

QA

DILR

VARC

General

88

75

75

75

EWS

70

55

55

55

NC-OBC

70

60

60

60

SC

50

43

43

43

ST

35

30

30

30

CAT 2018 Cut Off

Given below is the CAT 2018 cut off percentiles of some of the top IIMs on the basis of which candidates were selected for admission:

IIMs

CAT 2018 cut off (percentiles)

IIM Ahmedabad

81.53

IIM Bangalore

90+

IIM Calcutta

95+

IIM Lucknow

90+

IIM Indore

90

IIM Kozhikode

95.5

IIM Rohtak

90+

IIM Trichy

96

IIM Udaipur

90

 

The category-wise CAT cut offs for previous years (CAT 2017 and CAT 2016) for each of the top IIMs have been mentioned below. These cut off percentiles have been obtained by Shiksha through RTI filed with each IIM. 

IIM Ahmedabad CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT 2017 cut off (percentile) CAT 2016 cut off (percentile)

General

100

100

NC-OBC

100

99.99

SC

99.82

99.97

ST

99.92

99.88

DA

99.28

99.97

IIM Bangalore CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

90.72

92.48

NC-OBC

81.48

81.14

SC

75.22

76.35

ST

70.01

75.22

DA

64.21

76.21

IIM Kozhikode CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

95.16

94.82

NC-OBC

80.19

81.14

SC

65.03

65.56

ST

55.28

55.23

DA

56.02

55.86

IIM Indore CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

90.05

90.01

NC-OBC

80.05

80.08

SC

50.19

50.03

ST

60.16

61.38

DA

50.87

50.59

IIM Trichy CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT 2017 cut off (percentile) CAT 2016 cut off (percentile)

General

95

96

NC-OBC

78 (78.01)

78

SC

60 (60.01)

60

ST

40 (40.01)

42 (42.07)

DA

40 (40.16)

40 (40.19)

IIM Raipur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

95

96

NC-OBC

78.01

78

SC

60.01

60

ST

40.01

42.07

DA

40.16

40.19

IIM Rohtak CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

95

96

NC-OBC

78.01

75.36

SC

60.01

65.05

ST

40.01

42.12

DA

40.16

40

IIM Udaipur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

95

96

NC-OBC

78.03

78

SC

64.14

61.16

ST

54.10

46.60

DA

43.46

41.91

IIM Sirmaur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

95

81.23

NC-OBC

78.01

76.54

SC

60.01

69.61

ST

40.01

61.81

DA

40.16

72.81

IIM Nagpur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

90.09

90.08

NC-OBC

81.89

81.48

SC

65.48

79.78

ST

45.09

73.73

DA

66.4

NA

IIM Vishakhapatnam CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

90.09

90.02

NC-OBC

80.01

80.04

SC

75.03

75.12

ST

56.92

55.26

DA

57.3

59.58

IIM Amritsar CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

94.76

94.9

NC-OBC

85.35

75.09

SC

71.92

55.42

ST

43.19

36.26

DA

35.58

35.33

IIM Sambalpur CAT cut off (2017, 2016)

Category CAT cut off 2017 (percentile) CAT cut off 2016 (percentile)

General

95

NA

NC-OBC

78

NA

SC

60

NA

ST

40

NA

DA

40

NA

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CAT Cutoffs 2025: IIM Admission and Selection Criteria

Candidates who will meet the required CAT 2025 cut off will be eligible to apply for WAT/GD-PI round. The IIM selection process includes screening of candidates based on CAT score, WAT/GD-PI round and final selection. Most of the IIMs conducted WAT and PI rounds from February to April while 'offer of admission' letters are issued to successful candidates in May.

On receiving invitation for WAT/GD-PI round, the candidate must present the following documents for confirming participation:

  • Original and self-attested photocopies of marksheets of Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation.

  • Original and self-attested photocopies of caste/class and/or disability certificate in case of SC, ST, NC-OBC and PwD candidates.

  • Candidates appearing for the final-year bachelor's degree exam or equivalent must present an original certificate from the Principal/Registrar/Director of the university/institution certifying that the candidate has obtained a minimum of 50 per cent aggregate or equivalent (45 per cent in case of the candidates belonging to SC, ST, and PwD categories) based on latest available grades/marks.

Also Read:

What is IIM SAP 2026?

What is IIM CAP 2026?

All about IIM Selection and Admission Process 2026

The IIM final offer of admission will be based on the Composite Score of a candidate that takes into account the factors mentioned below:

  1. CAT score: Sectional and overall percentile scored in CAT exam    
  2. WAT/GD-PI score: Points scored in the WAT/GD-PI round
  3. Class 10 score: Percentage scored in Class 10 or equivalent
  4. Class 12 score: Percentage scored in Class 12 or equivalent
  5. Graduation score: Aggregate of a three-year bachelor's programme or equivalent
  6. Gender diversity: 0-5 extra points are given to female/transgender candidates
  7. Academic diversity: 0-5 extra points are given to candidates belonging to academic background other than Engineering
  8. Work experience: 0-5 extra points are given to candidates having relevant work experience at executive or managerial level

Each MBA college announces its admission process and selection criteria beforehand. It includes the qualifying CAT 2025 cut offs, which are the minimum scores required for PI shortlisting. You can check the selection criteria at Shiksha college pages or from the official website of each institute/college.

Also read: Procedure for admission in Top MBA colleges in India

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

CAT Percentile Predictor
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FAQs on IIM CAT Cutoff

Check some frequently asked questions related to CAT cutoff below:

Q:   Is CAT cutoff higher for non-IIMs?
A: 

CAT cut offs for non-IIMs is usually lower than IIMs.

Top MBA College

CAT Cut Offs (percentile)

FMS, Delhi

98-99

IIFT Delhi

95-99

SPJIMR, Mumbai

95-99

IMT, Ghaziabad

95-97

JBIMS, Mumbai

96

MDI, Gurgaon

97-99

IMI, New Delhi

90

XIM, Bhubaneshwar

91

GIM Goa

85

K J Somaiya, Mumbai

86

TAPMI, Manipal

80

FORE, New Delhi

85

IFMR, Chennai

80

IRMA, Anand

80

MICA, Ahmedabad

80

LIBA, Chennai

70

XIME, Bangalore

70

Q:   Which are the top private MBA colleges accepting 85 percentile in CAT?
A: 

The top private B-schools with CAT cutoff of 85 percentile are listed below:

  • Goa Institute of Management
  • LIBA Chennai
  • Great Lakes Institute of Management Chennai
  • TAPMI Manipal
  • KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research Mumbai
  • BITS Pilani Department of Management Studies
  • IMI Delhi 
Q:   What is the IIM WAT/PI process?
A: 
Written Ability Test or WAT is a 30-minute essay-writing test on topics from fields like socio-political, economic and business affairs, sports, etc. PI refers to Personal Interview held on the same day as WAT. The WAT-PI round of all IIMs is conducted after CAT result declaration. The shortlisting for WAT-PI is done on the basis of CAT cut off, which is fixed by the institutes. The IIM cut offs range between 95-100 percentile, which means candidates scoring in this range get shortlisted for WAT-PI. The CAT cut offs for Reserved category students are lower. In the WAT round, candidate has to write a short essay of about 250 words on a given topic. The topics can be from any field. For example, one candidate at IIM Ahmedabad got 'writer was facing some health issues, he got cured because of laughing' as a WAT topic this year. The purpose of Written Ability Test is to assess the candidate's general awareness, clarity of ideas and ability to make a convincing argument. The Personal Interview or PI is all about personality assessment. In PI, a panel of professors and admission officials meet the candidates one by one. They assess the on their knowledge, confidence, communication skills, managerial skills and leadership qualities, etc.
Q:   What is IIM CAP process?
A: 
IIM CAP is a common selection process for newer Iims. Under the CAP candidates eligible for admission to the nine new Iims - IIM Bodhgaya, IIM Kashipur, IIM Sambalpur, IIM Sirmaur, IIM Jammu, IIM Ranchi, IIM Trichy and IIM Udaipur are shortlisted for What-PI round by a single IIM, the one who is given the responsibility to conduct the CAP round in a particular academic year. CAT cut offs, admission parameters and their weightage are same for all CAP Iims. The participating Iims send the list of candidates shortlisted by them for the What-PI process to the institute conducting CAP. The CAP conducting IIM conducts the What-PI round for all the participating Iims. The IIM CAP conducting institute then share the What-PI scores and results of the candidates with the participating institutes. Those institutes then prepare the final shortlist for admission. Those who are selected for admission are informed by the Iims via email. The offer of admission is sent to selected candidates which they have to accept within the given time limit. For more details of IIM CAP, read this article: https://www.shiksha.com/mba/articles/what-is-iim-cap-know-admission-process-selection-criteria-and-participating-institutes-blogId-51225.
Q:   Which MBA college accepting 85 percentile in CAT has the lowest fee?
A: 

The MBA institute with an 85 percentile CAT cutoff that has the lowest fee is Delhi School of Economics. The fee is INR 30,000 for two years. The course fee is low in this institute because it is a government aided institution. DSE is a highly reputed for Economics and MBA programmes and provides excellent placement opportunities to its students.

Q:   Apart from the CAT percentile, what are the other factors that are considered for the final admission in MBA?
A: 

Apart from the CAT scores, B-schools consider candidates' written and spoken communication skills through Written Ability Test or Essay Writing, Group Discussion and Personal Interview rounds. The B-schools also consider candidates' overall profile such as past academic records, work experience and extracurricular activities or abilities. Candidates Class 12 scores and overall academic profile plays a decisive role in selection as institutes look for consistency in excellence.

Q:   Which are some of the top MBA colleges for 85 percentile in CAT?
A: 

Some of the top CAT 85 percentile colleges are mentioned below:

·       IIM Amritsar

·       IIM Bodh Gaya

·       IIM Nagpur

·       VGSoM IIT Kharagpur

·       Department of Management Studies – IIT Madras 

·       Department of Management Studies-IIT Roorkee,

·       Department of Management Studies-Delhi Technological University

·       TAPMI Manipal

·       IMT Nagpur

Q:   Does every CAT accepting college conduct GD/PI?
A: 

Yes, the CAT accepting MBA colleges conduct either GD/PI or WAT/PI. Since MBA is a professional course about business and team management, personality assessment round is essential to ensure that the aspirant has the flair for management which can be polished during the programme. Communication skills, problem solving ability, management and leadership are essential qualities for MBA thus, every B-School conducts GD/PI or WAT/PI.

Q:   Is securing the CAT cutoff enough to get an admission offer from an MBA institute?
A: 

No, securing a high CAT percentile is not enough for admission. One has to clear the selection process round too, like WAT and PI.

Q:   What is the CAT admission process for non-IIMs?
A: 

CAT admission process for non-IIMs includes Written Ability Test (WAT) or Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI). For admission the institutes also take into consideration candidate's academic record and work experience. Overall, the admission process of all CAT accepting colleges is same where selection is based on candidate's overall personality, communication ability and consistency in academics.

Q:   Which IIMs accept the CAT score of 85 percentile?
A: 

There are a very few IIMs which have CAT cutoff of 85 percentile. These are IIM Nagpur, IIM Amritsar and IIM Bodh Gaya. Since these IIMs have been launched in the last decade, the cut offs are low for admission to MBA/PGP courses. Reserved category students can apply with 85 percentile in most of the IIMs as the cut off for them is much lower in comparison to General category candidates. 

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