With an offer rate of just 0.19 per cent, IIM Ahmedabad has a much lower acceptance rate than top global business schools. Official RTI data shows how the 2025-27 batch was selected, along with the rules set for the 2027-29 admissions cycle.
IIM Ahmedabad Admission RTI Data; 0.19% Offer Rate Makes it Tougher to Enter than Harvard, Stanford
Getting a seat at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) means facing one of the most competitive MBA entrance exams in the world. Around 2.69 lakh candidates took the CAT 2024 exam, competing for seats at top business schools, including IIM-A's two-year flagship PGP program 2025-27 batch. A recent RTI report indicated that only 509 candidates received admission offers, and 414 joined the institute. That sets the offer rate at roughly 0.19 per cent of total candidates who appeared. However, this is largely because a massive national applicant pool is competing for very few seats. Additionally, not all 2.69 lakh candidates pass the primary screening process.
IIM Ahmedabad Admission Funnel: 2.69 Lakh Applicants to 509 Offers
According to official RTI data for the 2025-27 batch, IIM Ahmedabad gave 509 admission offers out of roughly 2.69 lakh candidates who took CAT exam.
- Offer rate: approximately 0.189 per cent (1 offer for every 529 applicants)
- Joining rate: approximately 0.154 (1 in 650 applicants actually enrolled)
A total of 95 candidates did not join IIM Ahmedabad, even though they were offered a seat. Some of these 95 candidates opted for deferred admissions, while some joined other b-schools.
IIM A's selection process is designed to screen candidates right after the CAT results are declared:
- Minimum cut-offs: Only 33,630 candidates (12.5%) cleared the basic eligibility mark, i.e. the minimum qualifying cutoff.
- Interview calls: Just 1,312 domestic candidates and 10 GMAT applicants were shortlisted for interviews.
Competition also differed by academic background under the initial shortlisting formula followed under the IIM Ahmedabad admission policy 2025 (65% CAT score + 35% Application Rating):
- Engineering: 83,487 General-category candidates competed for only 149 Stage 1 interview calls. The cutoff required a 0.6616 composite score and an 84.80% graduation mark.
- Medicine: 573 candidates competed for 11 calls, with a cutoff score of 0.3883.
- Agriculture: 1,378 candidates competed for 70 calls at a cutoff of 0.5271.
IIM Ahmedabad Revised Admission Policy 2027
While the IIM Ahmedabad admission policy has seen a change since then, the new policy for the 2027-29 batch still keeps CAT 2026 as the primary screening condition.
Shortlisting for Interviews
The shortlisting score is split into two parts:
- CAT percentile: 65% weight
- Application Rating (AR): 35% weight
The AR score assesses Class 10 marks, Class 12 marks, graduation scores, work experience, and gender diversity (non-male candidates receive 3 diversity points). Scores are graded separately across 20 distinct academic streams to avoid favouring any single field:
- Engineering & Technology
- Computer Science & IT
- Commerce, Accounting & Finance
- Economics
- Management
- Pure Sciences
- Mathematics
- Statistics & Actuarial Science
- Life Sciences
- Medical & Health Sciences
- Agriculture & Allied Sciences
- Architecture & Planning
- Arts & Humanities
- Social Sciences
- Law
- Journalism & Media
- Hospitality & Food Sciences
- Fashion & Design
- Professional Qualifications (CA/CS/ICWA/FIAI)
- Others
IIM Ahmedabad Qualifying Cutoff
| Category | Overall Percentile | Sectional Cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| General / EWS | 95 | 85 |
| NC-OBC | 90 | 80 |
| SC | 85 | 75 |
| ST | 75 | 65 |
Final Selection Weightage
Candidates who clear the interview round are evaluated on:
- Personal Interview (PI): 50%
- Composite Profile + CAT Score: 40%
- Analytical Writing Test (AWT): 10%
A high CAT score alone is not enough to guarantee admission at IIM Ahmedabad; academic track records, work experience, discipline-based adjustments, and the personal interview all play a role in final selections.
IIM Ahmedabad vs Harvard vs Stanford
If compared with top b-schools in the world, US business schools have significantly higher acceptance rates:
- Stanford Graduate School of Business: 6 to 8 per cent
- Harvard Business School: 11 to 13 per cent
While the selection systems and applicant pools differ, the numbers show the severe seat crunch at IIM-Ahmedabad.
Commonly asked questions
CAT exam is held in about 170 cities across India. Candidates can choose up to six cities as their preferred test location. The list of test cities for CAT is available in application form. Candidates should choose the test city carefully as the request to change the test city later may or may not be accepted due to non-availability of seats at the centres in that particular city. Given below are the cities where CAT exam is usually held.
India's premiere b-schools accept CAT for MBA admissions. More than 2.5 lakh candidates fighting for limited seats at these institutes make the exam tough to crack.
The Quantitative Aptitude section of CAT is the third and the last section of the question paper. It has 22 questions and the total marks is 66. This section of the CAT exam is usually dominated by Arithmetic and Algebra. Most of the questions out of 22 are asked from these two topics. There are about 7-9 Algebra questions and 7-9 Arithmetic questions (the exact number varied for all three slots). Apart from these two topics, there are questions from Mensuration Modern Math and Number System in the Quantitative Aptitude section CAT. Some of the important sub topics in this section include: Arithmetic topics: Ratio and Proportion, Simple and Compound Interest, Profit and Loss Mixtures and Allegations Averages, Percentages, Mean Median Mode, Time and Work, Time Speed and Distance Algebra topics: Basics Algebraic Formulae, Number of integer solutions, Quadratic Equations, Finding out roots, Maxima and Minimal, Higher Degree Equations, Linear Equations, Problems on ages, Descartes Rule of Signs, Inequalities, Logarithm, Functions, Modifications of Graphs, The smallest Value in a Maximum Function Number System topics: Finding Out Last Two Digits, Number of Trailing Zeroes, Finding out Remainders based on, Basic Divisibility Rules, Binomial Theorem, Simplifying the Dividend (Single and/or Multiple Divisors), Basics of Numbers, Properties of Numbers, Divisibility Rules, Divisibility and Factors, the highest Common Factor and the lowest Common Multiple, Finding Out the Last Digit, Fermat's Theorem, Euler's Theorem, Pattern Recognition and Cyclicity of Remainders, Wilson's Theorem, Base Systems, Conversion of Bases, Addition/Subtraction/ Multiplication in different bases Geometry Topics: Lines and Angles, Triangles Basic Concepts, Area, Angles, Similar Triangles Polygons, Circles, Solids / Mensuration 3D Geometry, Coordinate Geometry, Trigonometry Modern Math topics: Sequence and Series Binomial Theorem, Set Theory, Permutation and Combination, Probability.
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