Abhishek
Abhishek Dhawan
Deputy Manager - MBA & BBA Content
New Delhi
In the last release of NIRF Management rankings (2025), eight Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) secured positions in the top 100 list. Among the top IITs in the NIRF MBA rankings is IIT Delhi, which ranked 4th with an overall score of 78.94. NIRF ranking places IIT Delhi above legacy IIMs.

IIT Delhi ranks above three IIMs in NIRF Management list. With eight IITs in the top 100, the CAT-to-IIM may not be as lucrative as it used to be. Check complete analysis of IIT vs IIM NIRF rankings before the release of NIRF 2026 MBA ranks.

IIT vs IIM in NIRF Rankings

IIT vs IIM in NIRF Management Rankings

In the last release of NIRF Management rankings (2025), eight Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) secured positions in the top 100 list. Among the top IITs in the NIRF MBA rankings is IIT Delhi, which ranked 4th with an overall score of 78.94. NIRF ranking places IIT Delhi above legacy IIMs such as IIM Lucknow, IIM Mumbai, and IIM Indore. For decades, management aspirants have followed the notion that "CAT = IIM." However, with IITs ranked in the NIRF Management list, this assumption becomes debatable.

IITs in NIRF Management Ranking 2025

Top 100 Management institutes in the NIRF 2025 ranking included eight IITs. Check the table below for NIRF Management ranks for IITs:

Institute NIRF Management 2025 Rank Overall Score
IIT Delhi 4 78.94
IIT Kharagpur 12 66.97
IIT Madras 13 [Not detailed in NIRF Report]
IIT Bombay 14 [Not detailed in NIRF Report]
IIT Roorkee 22 61.77
IIT Kanpur 27 [Not detailed in NIRF Report]
IIT (ISM) Dhanbad 48 [Not detailed in NIRF Report]
IIT Jodhpur 98 45.02
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Why IIT Delhi Beats IIM Lucknow, Mumbai and Indore on This List

On this ranking, IIT Delhi (Rank 4, overall score 78.94) sits directly ahead of IIM Lucknow (Rank 5, overall score 77.97), IIM Mumbai (Rank 6, overall score 77.58), and IIM Indore (Rank 8, overall score 75.68). To understand how this occurs, candidates must look at the NIRF scoring methodology.

The NIRF management score is derived from five parameters:

  • Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR): 30%
  • Research and Professional Practice (RPC / RP): 30%
  • Graduation Outcomes (GO): 20%
  • Outreach and Inclusivity (OI): 10%
  • Perception (PR): 10%

Under this formula, the Research and Professional Practice parameter measures publications (PU, 40 marks), quality of publications via citations (QP, 40 marks), and research funding, consultancy, and executive development programs (FPPP, 20 marks).

IIT Delhi performs better than many IIMs in the RPC parameter. Check the table below for a comparison of scores across IIT Delhi, IIM Lucknow, IIM Mumbai, and IIM Indore:

Institute TLR (100) RPC (100) GO (100) OI (100) Perception (100) Overall Score
IIT Delhi (Rank 4) 74.02 87.50 83.30 75.59 62.59 78.94
IIM Lucknow (Rank 5) 86.37 59.80 96.96 71.82 75.51 77.97
IIM Mumbai (Rank 6) 85.20 60.18 99.84 78.00 62.03 77.58
IIM Indore (Rank 8) 86.11 59.69 94.28 76.25 54.50 75.68

Will IIT Delhi Accept CAT 2026?

IITs appearing in the NIRF ranking does not mean all management courses offered by the institute will be based on CAT. However, IIT Delhi accepts CAT scores for MBA as well as MBA Telecom admissions. Other IITs will also accept CAT scores for admission to MBA courses. However, each IIT has a distinct MBA admission policy.

Q&A Icon
Commonly asked questions
Q:   In how many cities is CAT exam held?
A: 

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.

 

Q:   What makes CAT tougher than other MBA entrance exams?
A: 

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.

Q:   What is the sectional weightage of Quantitative Aptitude in CAT?
A: 

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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About the Author
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Abhishek Dhawan
Deputy Manager - MBA & BBA Content

Abhishek Dhawan is a content writer and editor with 7+ years of experience in education journalism. He holds a BA degree from the University of Delhi. At Shiksha, Abhishek primarily covers MBA and BBA entrance

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